Disco Dancer

Disco Dancer
Directed by	Babbar Subhash
Produced by	Babbar Subhash Tilotima Babbar Subhash
Written by	Dr. Rahi Masoom Reza Balraj Deepak Vij
Starring	Mithun Chakraborty Rajesh Khanna Kim Om Puri Gita Siddharth Om Shivpuri
Music by	Bappi Lahiri
Release date(s)	17th December 1982
Running time	135 min.
Language	Hindi

Disco Dancer is a 1982 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Babbar Subhash starring Mithun Chakraborty in lead role and Rajesh Khanna in a special appearance. The film tells the rags-to-riches story of a young street performer. It is especially known for its filmi disco songs composed by Bappi Lahari, particularly "I am a Disco Dancer" and "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja".

The film was a worldwide success, with its popularity extending across Southern Asia, China, Turkey, and the Soviet Union. It was one of the most successful Indian films in the Soviet Union, drawing an audience of 40 to 63 million viewers there. The film established Mithun as a household name in Southern Asia as well as the Soviet Union.^[1][2] In China, the film's soundtrack was a success and received a Gold Award there.^[3]

Plot

Anil (Mithun Chakraborty), a street performer and wedding singer, is scarred by the memory of the rich P.N. Oberoi (Om Shivpuri) beating his mother (Gita Siddharth) in an incident during his childhood. When David Brown, the manager (Om Puri) of current Indian disco champion Sam (Karan Razdan) is fed up and looks for some new talent, he happens across Anil who is dance-walking down a street. Rebranded as "Jimmy", the rising disco star must take the throne from Sam and win the heart of Rita (Kim), P.N. Oberoi's daughter. All seems to be going well until Oberoi hires men to connect Jimmy's electric guitar to 5,000 volts of electricity, causing Jimmy's mother to die in a tragic accident. With his legs broken by Oberoi's goons and guitar phobia from the incident with his mother, Jimmy must claim first place for Team India at the International Disco Dancing Competition amidst strong competition from Team Africa and Team Paris.

Memorable quotes

• "Don't you know the difference between green room and bedroom?" - David Brown, Sam's manager, later Jimmy's manager
• "He's got guitar phobia. A guitar killed his mother." - P.N. Oberoi
• "Thirty six managers like you would appear upon just one of Sam's dance movements, but a star like Sam is born only once every two or four centuries." - Sam Oberoi to manager David Brown
• "Sam is the heartbeat of millions of girls. Now get out!" - Sam Oberoi
• "Mr. Oberoi, this is the man. The bastard's killed seven people in London. And there was a very famous singer... I don't know his name, but he murdered him too. The bastard's a top class criminal." - Vasco, to P.N. Oberoi
• "These are the tears of a popular famous artist." - Jimmy
• "Come, sing, and conquer!" - David Brown
• "Mother, I have my music. I will sharpen this music like a sword and stab the city's heart with it." - Jimmy
• "Oh! It is the most wonderful birthday, any young girl can dream of!" - Nikki Brown
• "Agar Tu Aaj Nahi Gaayega To Teri Maa Hamesha Hamesha Ke Liye Mar Jayegi" - Rajesh Khanna
• "Kaal ke liye intezaar karna shikho, kaal parsu nahin aayega, kaal hi aayega." - Rita (Kim) to Anil (Mithun)

Songs

The music for the movie was directed by Bappi Lahiri.

1. Goron ki na kaalon ki: Suresh Wadkar & Usha Mangeshkar
2. Auva auva - koi yahaan nache: Usha Uthup & Bappi Lahiri
3. Ae oh aa zara mudke: Kishore Kumar
4. Krishna dharti pe aaja tu: Nandu Bhende
5. I am a disco dancer: Vijay Benedict
6. Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy aaja: Parvati Khan
7. Yaad aa raha hai: Bappi Lahiri

Popular culture

In 1988, the American musician Devo produced a song called "Disco Dancer" inspired by the "I am a Disco Dancer" song from this film.^[4]

The British Sri Lankan alternative musician M.I.A. re-recorded "Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy Aaja" as "Jimmy" in 2007 for her album Kala. The music of this song was also used in the 2008 Adam Sandler movie You Don't Mess with the Zohan. There have also been cover versions of "Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja" from other international musicians, including the Russian techno group Ruki Vverh's 1998 hit "Jimmy" as well as the Tibetan artist Kelsang Metok.

In 2010, the songs "I am a disco dancer" and "Yaad aa raha hai" were used in the 2010 Bollywood comedy film, Golmaal 3, directed by Rohit Shetty. The songs were relevant to the performance of Mithun Chakraborty's character Pritam, who reflected on his past as a young mega hit disco dancer.

'Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja' and 'I am a Disco Dancer' are extremely popular in countries such as Mongolia and Uzbekistan.

References

1. ^ "Tickling Russian palates". Hindu. 2007-09-08. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2007/09/08/stories/2007090851520100.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-17. 
2. ^ "Bollywood re-enters Russian homes via cable TV". The Hindu. September 27, 2007. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/009200709270360.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ Sangita Gopal, Sujata Moorti (2008). Global Bollywood travels of Hindi song and dance ([Online-Ausg.] ed.). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. p. 88. ISBN 0816645795. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=19JBf6oDOy0C&oi=fnd&pg=PA88. Retrieved 26 June 2011. 
4. ^ DEVO - disco dancer with commentary on YouTube

External links

• Review of Disco Dancer
• Teleport City: Review of Disco Dancer
• Songs from Disco Dancer online
• Spoof of "I am a Disco Dancer"
• Disco Dancer at the Internet Movie Database