Amrik Singh Shera was inspired by a girl on the street and wrote Kala Chashma; now celebs are taking it to another level

Sheetal

The Bollywood versions of Punjabi songs have often been criticised for not being true to their roots. But the universal craze for Kala Chashma has redeemed this history.

As more and more people groove to the trending music of Kala Chashma from across the world and back home, we list celebs, who have made their version of Kala Chashma popular and also other Punjabi songs that have aged like fine wine.

Cross-country craze

First it was the Norwegian boys dance crew which performed at a wedding reception on Indian songs which included Chura Ke Dil Mera from Akshay Kumar’s 1994 film Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Kala Chashma, starring Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra. The video uploaded on June 11 at their official Instagram handle Quick Style. It caught the attention of viewers worldwide and in no time Kala Chashma went viral. Quick Style captioned the video as, “When @katrinakaif don’t show up to your brother’s wedding, you gotta do it yourself”. Soon the trend caught the attention of talk show host Jimmy Fallon, who made a short video on the song with singer Demi Levato. Actor Sidharth Malhotra posted the video on his Instagram story and wrote, “Hey what fun! Happy to see @jimmyfallon & @ddlovato grooving on #KalaChashma. Thank you for the love (sic).” Take a look!”

K-pop group Winner also tried some twerking, going by the latest choreography on the Kala Chashma. Team member Hoony posted a clip on Instagram with the caption, “Pyjama party.” One group of dancers wore the costumes of Peppa Pigs while dancing to the Punjabi hit, now global.

On-ground report

Kala Chashma did not just travel the continents and seven seas but also went to the grounds with sportsmen and women breaking into celebratory dance on the song. First, it was a baseball match, then Indian cricketers celebrating the India vs West Indies series win and then some women volleyball players’ twerking inside the court, all on Kala Chashma. After Asia Cup, when India beat Pakistan, actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Ananya Panday couldn’t control their emotions and danced their heart out on Kaala Chashma, just like Shikhar Dhawan and his cricket teammates did a week earlier. Bollywood couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genila D’Souza also partied a few days ago with celeb friends Jennifer Winget, Shabir Ahluwalia, Ashish Chowdhry, Samita Bangargi, Kanchi Kaul and Mushtaq Shiekh as they jumped into the Kala Chashma bandwagon. The couple wrote a caption, “And when the gang meets. It’s just – This is us. Thank you @samitabangargi and @ashishchowdhryofficial for being perfect host @jenniferwinget1 @kanchikaul @shabirahluwalia @mushtaqshiekh what a mad gang we are. @huseinkk and @tintin3012 we missed you guys” Another couple Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal also managed to steal a Kala Chashma moment at a recent award function. As they walked together on the red carpet for the first time after marriage, Vicky sang Kala Chashma in the presence of Katrina on whom the song was filmed. Amul India, famous for making topical doodles, too shared one on the song with a caption, “#Amul Topical: Remixed Bollywood hit goes viral globally!”

The worth-it throwback

The 1991 original Kala Chashma song was written by Amrik Singh Shera, a head constable from Kapurthala district. Unlike another viral sensation Kacha Badam, this song is well understood by pan-Indian audience, thanks to its reprised version in the 2016 movie, Baar Baar Dekho.

The revamped version kept the original male voice of Amar Arshi intact and only made additions of female verses by Neha Kakkar and rap by Badshah. More than a decade after its original release and six years down the line from the Bollywood version, it has caught the attention of the listeners, making it a ‘baar baar suno’ song and a ‘baar baar dekho’ reel.

The journey of the song

Amrik Singh Shera was just 15 when he penned Kala Chashma. Shera (48), a native of Talwandi Chaudhariya village, is on cloud nine that the song has broken the language barrier. “I am short of words and cannot express my feelings. I am so grateful to everyone who has liked my song. I was in ninth standard, when I got an opportunity to visit Chandigarh for the first time. From the cleanliness to well maintained roads to its fashion, everything impressed me. At one of the chowks (roundabouts), I spotted a fashionable girl wearing black goggles; everybody was looking at her, including the traffic policeman. She became the muse of my song. I think we all like to write when we are young and starting to understand the world. I did too and by the time we reached back home I had already completed the song. For me, its success is unbelievable,” says Amrik. He had approached many singers at the time with his songs and it was Amar Arshi who agreed to sing it. “Such craze has given me the motivation to write more now,” he says.

— with inputs from Aakanksha N Bhardwaj