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\u201cWarning! The video is highly addictive.\u201d With this cryptic line begins Punjabi pop-singer Guru Randhawa\u2019s latest music video, Azul<\/i>. It had all the makings of a hit, given his track record. He\u2019s the one who gave us the foot-tapping chartbuster Suit Suit<\/i> which even had the legendary actor Irrfan Khan grooving to it in the 2017 Bollywood film Hindi Medium<\/i>. His other hits, like Patola<\/i>, Morni Banke<\/i>, and Ban Ja Rani<\/i>, showcase his signature style: danceable, percussion-heavy beats paired with folksy, simple \u2014 at times even simplistic \u2014lyrics.<\/p>\n Randhawa\u2019s videos often feature himself and stunning women performing perfectly synchronised choreography, broadening their appeal. Not to mention the liberal use of \u2018American pop culture tropes\u2019 that give them the added value of being aspirational \u2014 something that\u2019s echoed by the Punjabi pop industry en masse. The big cars, fur coats, and flowing champagne often set against the backdrop of expansive American landscapes and lush mansions are de rigueur <\/i>to most Punjabi Pop videos.<\/p>\n With Azul<\/i>, which boasts over 62 million views and 920K likes on YouTube on last count, Randhawa seems to have borrowed the wrong page from the All-American playbook. The music video is set in a high school arena, a classic American pop culture reference if there ever was one, but it misses the mark, from a mile with its sloppy and problematic use of these tropes, which it then proceeds to double down on. The video borrows heavily from American pop culture. A group of high school girls \u2014 replete with pigtails, loud makeup and school uniforms \u2014 are waiting to take a group photo, and Randhawa, the photographer, is setting up his camera.<\/p>\n Also read: <\/b>Chandrika Tandon interview: \u2018Music has a way of getting into your soul\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n When the proverbial \u2018Queen Bee\u2019 enters, she instantly catches his eye. Clearly besotted, Randhawa falls into a daydream fantasy. In his vision, the girl transforms, shedding her high school persona for a highly sexualized dance routine. She endorses the hip-hop rapper core, with the low slung oversized pants, chunky silver belt and tops off her look with sagging \u2014 exposing the waistband of her checkered boxer shorts above her jeans.<\/p>\n The fantasy continues as she moves on to imitate the \u2018American Car Wash\u2019 trope, joined by her classmates, where they scrub and wash a car suggestively. The fantasy doesn\u2019t end there, as we see a group of fellow students dancing in cheerleader costumes. Oh yes, and there is a finale in place, where the actor wears a slinky glamorous dress, fit for the prom \u2014 the year ending formal dance held for high school students. This very portrayal of high school girls in a hyper sexualized context sparked the immense and immediate backlash.<\/p>\n The song, its high viewership notwithstanding, has garnered immense backlash and strong criticism. The tone-deaf video has been widely called out for objectifying and sexualizing minors, with some social media users even labelling it as \u2018paedophilic\u2019 and accusing it of encouraging schoolgirl fetishisation. This objectification is magnified by the fact that the song\u2019s lyrics compare young women to bottles of alcohol \u2014 specifically, Azul, a popular brand of premium tequila. Beyond the hyper-sexualization, it\u2019s the video\u2019s inherent power dynamics that truly make your skin crawl.<\/p>\nAll-American playbook<\/h2>\n
The power dynamic<\/h2>\n