When did a dude shooting a gun at imaginary birds become the thing to do? Apparently last month when Honey Singh’s latest music video for the song Goliyan was released. It is the most recent track off his smash hit album, International Villager. There’s a scene in the song where Honey Singh and Diljit are standing in a field shooting at the sky. Whoever thought this was a good idea is amazing at marketing. The video is hot and people love it. All this makes me wonder though – why does the image of a violent man sell more albums than that of a peaceful one?
No one’s saying men should be sissies. But they also shouldn’t be forced to punch walls with their bare fists and smash alcohol bottles on their head to get attention. There was a time when Punjabi music wasn’t so savage. The problem back then was us kids born outside of Punjab didn’t listen to it because we didn’t want to seem like a bunch of dippers. Things have changed though, and now as we try to reclaim our identity from the forces of westernization, Punjabi artists like Honey Singh have become a hit. Musicians like him combine Punjabi language with hip-hop beats and voila- they’ve got gold on their hands.
The “violence is cool” bandwagon shows no sign of slowing down, even though it should! The trend is messing up the image of a Punjabi man. There was a time not so long ago when men could shake their hips like a girl without ruining everything. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather do giddha with a guy than get run over by his hummer because his steroid addiction made him think I was a speed bump. Men are inherently peaceful. Music makers are just capitalizing on this hyper-violent version of masculinity to sell records. They are successfully convincing audience members that muscles matter more than kindness or talent. It’s all a trick that we’re falling for because quite frankly, Honey Singh has some sick beats.
Remember the good old days? Me neither. That’s why I’m glad my friend Gulabo recently showed me this video of a live stage performance Diljit did in early 2003:
In comparison to the manly man we see in Goliyan, the Diljit in this throwback video is adorable. Even though it was filmed in the early 2000s, he demonstrates a crazy repertoire 1970s dance moves – including the classic hip bone slap (watch 3:23-3:25). No, Diljit’s not hot in this video, but at least you know his bullets won’t ricochet off a tractor and hit your femoral artery. I don’t know about you, but I prefer not dying to pretty much everything else. That’s why today I’m taking a stand against violent ideas of Punjabi masculinity. Anyone can pick up a gun and shoot it, but it takes a real man to get on a stage and channel his inner disco star.
What if music producers combined hip-hop beats with Punjabi and said something substantive? They could send messages like how hitting people is a bad idea, unless you want to go to jail for assault and battery. I believe this is the way popular Punjabi culture should head. Peaceful men are more useful in the real world anyways – and they’re way more fun to be around. I’m glad Honey Singh and his friends are doing well for themselves, but they need to realize the world is a cold hard place – and unlike stray bullets, a little more hip shaking won’t kill them.
Keeping it real. PenduPrincess