Why doesnâ€™t India produce a Gangnam Style?

Asha Rai
09 October 2012, 07:10 PM IST

Korean rapper PSY's Gangnam Style has the world dancing, or shall we say, horsing around, to its extremely catchy, hoof beat movements. It has, in particular, caught the fancy of sports stars the world over. While Indian audience were treated to the West Indian team – with Chris Gayle leading the charge--- doing the Gangnam style with gusto after winning the T20 world cup in Sri Lanka last Sunday, in Beijing it was Novak Djokovic who celebrated winning the China Open with Gangnam Style moves accompanied by an enthusiastic ensemble of ball boys and girls. Football player Camilo Sanvezzo of the Vancouver Whitecaps celebrated a goal last week with, yes, Gangnam Style.

Gangnam Style, like most other K-pop hits, is loud, garish. As Times Curator had said a couple of weeks ago, it has "Inane lyrics, catchy but shallow tunes, quick dance moves, highly stylized videos featuring pretty boys and girls prancing around in a meaningless frenzy of enthusiasm."

The definition can stand most Indian film songs too. Why then hasn't an Indian song/video crossed over like Gangnam Style? Considering that nobody outside Korea understands what PSY's rapping and singing about, obviously it hasn't become a worldwide sensation for its melody or thought provoking lyrics.

Why then haven't Bollywood/Tollywood/Kollywood songs, which have the more or less the same mix, fail to find audiences aboard beyond the Indian and to a limited extent, South Asian diaspora?

There's a theory that when a country becomes an economic powerhouse its arts and culture also find acclaim. Soft power flows from economic power. America being the best example so far. With South Korea definitely making a successful transition economically -- It is the only country other than Japan from Asia to have globally recognized brands such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Kia and others -- perhaps it isn't a surprise that its music and movies are finding an international following.

Does this mean that Indian pop music will cross over successfully when it raises itself from its low income nation status and attain a rich country tag? You bet.