Chaiyya Chaiyya

Composition

The lyrics of "Chaiyya Chaiyya" are based on the Sufi folk song "Thaiyya Thaiyya" with lyrics by poet Bulleh Shah. Singer Sukhwinder Singh originally suggested the song to A.R. Rahman who was looking for a Punjabi devotional song to include on the soundtrack of Dil Se... Gulzar subsequently rewrote the lyrics and changed the name to "Chaiyya Chaiyya". This song has been composed in the Raga Megh / Madhumad Sarang (both of which correspond to Madhyamavati in Carnatic Music)

In an interview called "Sadhanai Tamilargal" alongside Mani Ratnam and Vairamuthu, A. R. Rahman stated that the song was originally composed for his album Vande Mataram. But as it didn't fit in, he decided to show it to Mani Ratnam, who loves these kind of catchy tunes. The very first time hearing the song, Mani Ratnam decided to shoot the song on a train.

Music video

The video was filmed on top of the Ooty train, powered by X-Class Steam Locomotive (the Nilgiri Mountain Railway) in mountainous Tamil Nadu, southern India, while actor Shahrukh Khan dances with model/actress Malaika Arora and other dancers. The film was directed by Mani Ratnam and recorded by Santosh Sivan. The choreography was completed in four and half days by Farah Khan.{{cite news No major back projections or post-production special effects were used in the music video.

Malaika Arora, one of the performers, recalls: "Would you believe it? Well, the "Chaiya Chaiya" song was shot exactly as you see it on the screen: No camera tricks, no back projection, no post-production special effects!" She also said that "...One of the unit members tripped and hurt himself. Other than that, things were safe."

Reception

"Chaiyya Chaiyya" was a critical and commercial success, selling over six million units in India and earning a cult following internationally, and is often cited as an influential track in Hindi cinema. In 2002, the BBC World Service conducted an international poll to choose the ten most popular songs of all time: "Chaiyya Chaiyya" finished ninth.

Awards and nominations

Legacy

Chaiyya Chaiyya became especially popular and the song has been featured in the film Inside Man (2006), in the musical Bombay Dreams, and in the television shows Smith and CSI: Miami. The Tamil dub of "Chaiyya Chaiyya", titled "Thaiyya Thaiyya", and the Telugu language dub also gained popularity in South India. In Indonesia, the song hit its popularity peak in 2010 following the viral video of First Police Brigadier rank Norman Kamaru covering the dance choreo. In 2006, again, Harris Jayaraj composed a song "Orugalluke Pilla", for the film Sainikudu, this song has the background theme music loosely inspired by Chaiyya Chaiyya.

In 2023, Penn Masala sang the song in White House ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival.

References

References

1. Basu, Anustup. (2010). "Bollywood in the Age of New Media: The Geo-televisual Aesthetic: The Geo-televisual Aesthetic". [[Edinburgh University Press]].
2. "Did you know? Thaiya Thaiya From Uyire is based on a song highlighting casteism!".
3. (7 September 2004). "'Music, like religion, has a soul. If you get this right, you can have different arrangements'". Indian Express.
4. Gaekwad, Manish. (31 October 2015). "Audio master: The lasting brilliance of AR Rahman's 'Dil Se'".
5. (4 August 2015). "In focus - Going Chaiya chaiya on the roof of a train...".
6. A.A. Michael Raj. "From tube to screen". [[The Hindu]].
7. Sukanya Verma. "'I expect a lot from myself'". [[Rediff]].
8. (8 September 2017). "Rahman @ 25". [[News18]].
9. "The World's Top Ten". [[BBC World Service]].
10. "Dil Se Soundtrack".
11. (7 December 2011). "Indonesian policeman who became internet hit is sacked". BBC News.
12. (2023-06-22). "A cappella group Penn Masala perform Bollywood songs at White House before PM Modi's arrival".