Word: mehndi
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...were to create the perfect global pop star, the result would be nothing like Daler Mehndi. There's his look?black beard, bejeweled turban and belly surfing over his waistband. There's his halting English, his insistence on singing in Punjabi and his tongue-tangling name, pronounced "Dlurr Maindy." Then there are his '80s-style videos, pulsing with primitive arcade-game effects and joyful dancers in jumpsuits. And yet in the late '90s, fresh from a stint driving a cab in Berkeley, California, Mehndi became Asia's biggest-ever pop export...
...Taking the rhythms of the Punjab and combining them with jubilant pop hooks, Mehndi introduced the world to a new dance genre, bhangra, that was happier than hip-hop and as irresistible as disco. Bhangra clubs sprang up around the world, fostering a movement that today stretches from the Punjab to Paris, from London's Southall to Manhattan's Soho. And Mehndi was bhangra's king. He released six albums that sold millions worldwide, and his deliriously cheerful tunes (with names like "Bolo Tararara") defined a new sound for kids and clubbers alike. In 1999 an American critic, stunned...
...Then, last year, the happiness shattered. There had already been an ugly split from his Indian record label a few months earlier, and his only release since 2000 had been poorly received. But that was nothing compared with the scandal that broke in October 2003. The Indian police accused Mehndi of human trafficking by taking large entourages of staff on his tours of Europe and the U.S., then returning to India without them. The police claimed to have statements from 30 would-be illegal immigrants alleging that Mehndi and his brother were charging tens of thousands of dollars per person...
...year later all charges have been dropped against Mehndi. "Daler Mehndi and his brother look alike," says Punjab police Director-General A.A. Siddiqui. "That's where the confusion arose." Siddiqui rejects any suggestion of a police attempt to blackmail Mehndi. Meanwhile, the case continues against Mehndi's brother Shamsher. "The whole case is concocted," says Shamsher's lawyer, Rajvinder Singh Bains. "But the police are going ahead with it as a face-saving exercise...
...price). Punjabi MC’s bhangra beats blend with Jay Z’s hip hop stylings to produce a top ten hit, bindis are the newest craze at pre-teen jewelry retailers and American movie stars take pilgrimages to India to try out the latest mehndi designs and yoga moves. In short, Indian culture has become trendy, and part of my quest to discover an Indian-American identity seeks to take ownership of the fad. In the past few years, as well, the cinematic endeavors of South Asians in the U.S. have fed our cravings for such fusion...