Bhangra Is Back

For decades, the Big B was a cinema legend, an indestructible Indian superhero. But earlier this year, in a last-minute attempt to rescue his comeback movie, an older and slower Bachchan called on a singing sensation, the cabbie-turned- bhangra-wallah, Daler Mehndi. The film flopped, but the musical sequence Bachchan and Mehndi produced is one of this year's most poignant screen moments: the old King of Bollywood desperately trying to keep up with the Prince of Punjabi Pop.

Mehndi, 30, moved to San Francisco with little more than the immigrant work ethic, and a good ear. Now, back in India, he is suitably dressed for his new role, wearing flashy clothes and a turban. He says: "Struggle and hard work have made me what I am today, and of course, the grace of God." And what he is today is nothing less than an icon of modern Indian music. "Today, bhangra means Daler Mehndi. He's made bhangra like pop music," says Bombay DJ Akhtar Fazel.

With its catchy tunes and fast movements, bhangra is all the rage in the most chic clubs in India and in expatriate Indian communities abroad. "Nothing quite draws the crowds to the floors like bhangra does," says Akhtar.

Today's bhangra is a far cry from its origins as a dance performed in Punjab new year and harvest rituals. Revelers often gyrate and flail to such hits as Mehndi's "Dardi rab rab (My Loving Lord)" and "Na re na re na re na na na na (No, no, no)." Says DJ Akhtar: "It's so sing-able and so dance-able."

Ironically, the craze first caught on outside of India. "Because bhangra became such a phenomenon in the West, we Indians also rediscovered it," explains Vinod Advani, a Bombay music critic. Pop diva Sharon Prabhakar agrees. "Bhangra has come full circle -- its roots are in India, it became a fad in London and now it is back in India," she says.

Bhangra was reincarnated by a Punjabi performer in London, Apache Indian, who about a decade ago mixed bhangra with reggae to get "bhangramuffin." Since then, it has been mixed with rap, rock, pop, even techno. The industry bean counters are hip to the trend: "Music companies are pouring in with offers to record bhangra albums," says Prabhakar. "I even got an offer from an Australian group to perform bhangra with them."

In places with significant ethnic Indian communities, bhangra is a party staple. In Singapore at least four clubs regularly play bhangra. One of the most popular, World Music, offers live bhangra six nights a week. Says club owner K. Sathiamurthy: "Everybody tries the bhangra." Shegar, a 40-year-old civil servant and club regular, says that he has even hooked some of his Chinese and Malay friends. The beat goes on. -- By Swapna Ghosh / Bombay and Santha Oorjitham / Singapore

She gave it the royal seal of approval when she wore one during a 1996 visit to Pakistan. Diana's friend, Jemima Goldsmith, had first introduced her to the shalwar kameez the year before. Goldsmith wore an ivory-colored ensemble at her wedding to cricket-star-turned-would-be-politician Imran Khan. He wore the male version. Today Goldsmith lives in Lahore and is rarely seen dressed in anything but a shalwar kameez. "Diana and Jemima put the shalwar kameez in the international fashion magazines," says designer Sehyr Saigol.

Western designers were quick to absorb the look. Christian Dior, Armani and even Chanel have come out with pieces that owe much to the shalwar kameez. That, in turn, has influenced women on the subcontinent. Now they want designer shalwar kameez too.