"Chaiyya Chaiyya" () is an Indian pop-folk song, featured in the soundtrack of the Bollywood film Dil Se.., released in 1998. Based on Sufi music and Urdu poetry,
Composition
The lyrics of "Chaiyya Chaiyya" are based on the
Sufi music "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 music to include on the soundtrack of
Dil Se...
Gulzar subsequently rewrote the lyrics and changed the name to "Chaiyya Chaiyya".
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.
[.
] 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!"
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
.
The
Tamil language dub of "Chaiyya Chaiyya", titled "Thaiyya Thaiyya", and the
Telugu language language dub also gained popularity in
South India. In Indonesia, the song hits its popularity peak in 2010, following the viral video of First Police Brigadier rank
Norman Kamaru covering the dance choreo.
In 2023, Penn Masala sang the song in White House ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s arrival.
External links
