this post was submitted on 28 Apr 2024
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Daler Mehndi's 1998 music video, in which the singer performs with 4 "clones" of himself. "Mehndi claims his music was often criticized for only being popular due to the abundance of beautiful, dancing women in his videos The singer responded by creating a video that featured nobody but himself." Apparently he wasn't wrong and the song went on to become the "biggest indi-pop hit at the time".

The video caught the attention of the wider internet around 2006. The catchy song, dated visual effects, and absurdity of the "clones" fueled its spread.

On a less fun note: in 2018 the singer and his brother Shamsar were convicted of human trafficking, accused of "cheating people of large sums of money by falsely promising to take them to America" and "illegally sending people abroad as a part of their dance troupes."

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[–] dumbass@leminal.space 71 points 6 months ago (3 children)

I really shouldn't have read that last paragraph, I was enjoying that weird man.

[–] akincisor@sh.itjust.works 22 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I believe in the death of the author. This helps me separate the art and the artist.

Bad people do good things and not everyone can be judged by their worst acts.

I wouldn't pay for any of his art anymore, but I still enjoy the songs I have already without guilt.

[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Death of the author works best when the author is actually dead. It's easier to accept that H. P. Lovecraft or Phil Spector had some pretty terrible moral failings since you know that you're in no way supporting ongoing bad acts.

[–] Arbiter@lemmy.world 3 points 6 months ago

you are also not supporting the author if you pirate their works :)

[–] FiniteBanjo 13 points 6 months ago

Yeah, he seemed cool when the only thing I knew about him was that he rejected the trend of using sexy ladies in music videos to sell more music.

[–] LaunchesKayaks@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

Yo same. Dunno how to enjoy the song now

[–] jeena@jemmy.jeena.net 20 points 6 months ago

This is why we can't have nice things.

[–] Ultragigagigantic@lemmy.world 20 points 6 months ago

When everybody picks the same character in super smash bros

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 14 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 14 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Did they remaster the human trafficking!? That seems like the bigger story...

[–] tigeruppercut@lemmy.zip 21 points 6 months ago

I can't quite tell what that means from the wiki article-- sounds like he may have been getting people into the US bc they couldn't get visas to go. I have a much different reaction to that than I would if the trafficking involved the other reasons people usually traffick.

[–] DBT@lemmy.world 4 points 6 months ago

If the song slaps, the song slaps. Not removing it from the rotation.

[–] CandleTiger@programming.dev 12 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

What is this song actually singing about?

Edit: I answered my own question:

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/tunak-tunak-tun-tunak-tunak-tun.html-0

[–] capital@lemmy.world -3 points 6 months ago
[–] SKLC@lemm.ee 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Ah the male Draenei dance!

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 2 points 6 months ago

You're welcome.

[–] bcgm3@lemmy.world 7 points 6 months ago

About ten years ago now, a new sports bar/grill opened in my neighborhood, and they had tons of brand new smart TVs all on the same unsecured wifi network. Tunak Tunak Tun was the first classic Internet video we played for the people there that evening.

[–] AZERTY@feddit.nl 6 points 6 months ago

This brings back so many memories. My Indian homie introduced me to this vid and I would sing it to him when I saw him.

[–] FiniteBanjo 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I know it's offensive but this is also supposedly where the whole "Durka Durka" thing started which was then widespread by South Park in 2001. If you listen to it incorrectly it kind of sounds like that's what he's saying when he chains tunaktunaktunaktunak back to back.

[–] ObsidianZed@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 6 months ago

I always hears it as more of a "darook darook" but I do remember jamming out to it in the early 2000s.

[–] RagnarokOnline@programming.dev 3 points 6 months ago

I still blast this at least once a year (especially when I’m on road trips)

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 2 points 6 months ago

tonico com guarana