Sunidhi Chauhan is on fire like never before. Bollywood’s favourite playback singer, who defined the 2000s with songs like Mehboob Mere and Dhoom Machale, has done what few vocalists have managed to achieve. She has emerged as a pop icon in her own right. Her live shows are trending on social media. Her songs are dominating the airwaves. And a new generation of fans are rediscovering her.
Growing up, it was not Beyonce or Lady Gaga or Dua Lipa who informed my music—it was Sunidhi Chauhan. I would see others go crazy over their favourite singers. Now that Chauhan is back on stage, I feel it too.
She has become one of the rare Indian performers who is converting herself into an international pop star. She took Australia by storm in February while performing as part of her ‘I Am Home’ concert tour. In one of the clips that emerged from her performance in Melbourne, she is wearing black crop top and mini skirt, dancing energetically while singing ‘Mujhe mast mahaul me jeene de’, followed by Bumbro, Bumbro. The crowd went berserk. I wish I had been there.
But her tour has revealed the double standards of Indians. Online, many people are criticising Chauhan for her choice of clothes and sexy dance moves. “Good strip show – she can’t be from India,” commented a user on YouTube. “What happened to her she was very decent lady,” wrote another.
Suddenly, everyone is asking her whether she has forgotten her culture. “Your dress, and dancing gestures speaks a lot about you and your culture. Please do not let India down,” wrote another user.
Why can’t Sunidhi Chauhan dance, and sing and strut on stage like any other talented pop star? And why are we suddenly uncomfortable with Chauhan showing off per post-pregnancy physique?
Reclaiming her stardom
Sunidhi Chauhan’s transformation goes beyond her makeover. It reminds me of my own transition spanning my childhood to adolescence to youth. Her performances are so engaging that I want to jump on my seat. The energy is electric and captivating.
Today, Indian pop icons like DP Dhillon, Prateek Kuhad, and Anuv Jain have an army of fans. But the kid in me who used to dance in wedding functions on Sunidhi Chauhan’s song just can’t get over her transition. Her dance moves, her voice, her costumes and the way she performs on stage is magical.
I can’t relate to pop icons like Taylor Swift, whose lyrics are more for the handful of metro elites. Recall this line in her famous song ‘Anti-Hero’: “Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism, Like some kind of congressman?” My heart still beats on “Beedi’ and ‘Crazy kiya re’.
In the post-2000 era, Chauhan became such a powerful star that you could recognise her voice immediately. She could have easily remained in the shadows—let actors gyrate and shake to her powerful numbers. Remember Kamli, which became famous because of Katrina’s dance moves?
But Chauhan is set on reclaiming her stardom. She’s put in the hard work, learnt how to dance in heels, got back into shape, and is having fun exploring this new version of herself.
“Once you get comfortable with your body and are fit, things change. You can be comfortable in any size of course, but as a professional singer, as an artiste, when I am on stage, I just want to give my best. That would include what I wear, how I look and how I interact with the audience,” she said in an interview with The Times of India.
Recently, Masaba Gupta shared a picture of Chauhan and said that her transformation is her moodboard.
Last year, Sunidhi Chauhan told Hindustan Times in an interview about her dance classes, fitness routine, and diet. She described learning dancing professionally as it enhanced her shows and helped her become a complete performer. Earlier, she couldn’t stand wearing heels but now she dances in them.
Sunidhi Chauhan 2.0 is all the rage—the queen is back and how.
(Edited by Prashant)