Coldplay
Rating: ***
Why can’t Indians just accept entertainment as entertainment? Not every song or movie has some racist genius behind it, plotting against India and its cultural sensibilities. If you are wondering, that reference is to the storm of outrage over Coldplay’s latest India-themed music video Hymn for the Weekend. Hello! It’s just the theme for a catchy song and Chris Martin’s powerful vocals, and, of course, Beyonce’s stunning cameo. The critics, however, would have us believe that it was conceived in Karachi, directed by Dawood Ibrahim and sponsored by the ISIS. Sure, there are stereotypes but the video was made for a global audience and it just makes use of scenes closely identifiable with India in the public mind—yoga, Kathakali dancers, slumkids playing Holi—but it’s still a celebration of India, not a putdown.
Chris Martin is an Indophile and visits India for his NGO which works with street kids. Besides that, let us not forget that the video has already got nine million hits, which is a tribute to the superstardom of Martin and Beyonce (looking gorgeous in a sari) but there are those among us who bitch about ‘cultural appropriation’ and totally miss the point about the value of an India-themed piece of popular music. Ought it instead to have been about plush homes, fancy malls and luxury cars? How Indian is that? The video was shot in Mumbai and features the band against various backdrops and while the lyrics may not be anything to write home about, it has a foot-tapping beat and the combination of Martin and Beyonce is pretty rare in itself. We had to endure the same holier-than-thou outrage when Slumdog Millionaire was released but once it won some Oscars, it was less offensive. Come on guys, this is Coldplay—one of the best bands in the world, so let’s enjoy the easy music and cool visuals—just check out the gyrating Beyonce and meditating sadhu—without getting our knickers in a twist.
