“Tunak Tunak Tun” by Daler Mehndi

0:18 – An earth comet, a fire comet, an air comet, and a water comet fly to Earth

0:26 – The comets crash into Earth, each turning into Daler Mehndi

0:27 – Lyrics begin
0:43 – The air Mehndi dances with the fire Mehndi

0:58 – The wind Mehndi starts dancing on the ocean

1:01 – Returns to the air Mehndi and the fire Mehndi dancing

1:05 – The earth Mehndi starts dancing underground

1:08 – The fire Mehndi manipulates fire

1:13 – All of the Mehndis start dancing together

2:33 – The water Mehndi starts manipulating water

3:41 – The earth Mehndi shakes the ground like a drum

4:08 – All four Mehndis return to their elemental forms and fuse into a singular Daler Mehndi

“Tunak Tunak Tun” is an Indian pop song by Daler Mehndi. It was created in response to criticisms of Daler Mehndi. People criticized his popularity, claiming that it was derived from the attractive women featured in his music videos, rather than his talent as an artist. So instead of having women in the video, he just had himself. Using bluescreen technology, he created several copies of himself in the video. He proved everybody that criticized him wrong, as his music video gained international success and made him India’s most famous pop star, without the use of attractive women. The music video was such a huge hit that it became a viral internet meme in the early 2000s. The music video speaks to me because it taught me that no matter what people think of you, you can always prove them wrong.

The words “Tunak Tunak Tun” represented the sounds that a toombi, a traditional Indian instrument, made. In the music video, it features four people, played by Mehndi. Each of them represented the four elements: earth, fire, air, and water. They start out as comets of the corresponding elements, crashing into Earth. They then fuse into the ultimate being, a single Daler Mehndi. The fusing of the four elements represents how the elements work in harmony in nature. For example, in the beginning, when the air Mehndi dances with the fire Mehndi, it represents how for fire to exist, air (oxygen) needs to be present.

At first, this song received a negative review. But despite this, it became the biggest hit in India. It eventually found a cult following all around the world, including the United States. It influenced pop culture, becoming an Internet meme. It sparked countless parodies on YouTube, and influenced video games like World of Warcraft, a game that I play myself. Even today, 22 years after the song was released, the song remains culturally relevant.