When Coldplay and Beyoncé released the music video for their new single “Hymn for the Weekend,” they were immediately accused of cultural appropriation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, cultural appropriation entails the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another. Generally, we use it to describe Western appropriation of non‐Western or non‐white culture. The music video, shot in Varanasi and Mumbai during the spring festival of Holi, has been criticized for exoticizing India.
Postcolonial imagery aside, the most controversial aspect of the video was Beyoncé’s role as fictional Bollywood actress, Rani. Although Beyoncé’s short dance sequence could be interpreted as cultural appropriation, the entire video shouldn’t be condenmned.
As we consider this issue, a question comes to the fore — where should we draw the line between active cultural exchange and cultural appropriation? India is currently undergoing rapid globalization. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find Bollywood films shot in local destinations as opposed to exotic locales. Celebrities of Indian descent, such as Freida Pinto and Priyanka Chopra are crossing over into Hollywood, just as British beauty queens like Amy Jackson are appearing in Bollywood movies. Urban families caught up in Americanophilia celebrate Thanksgiving.
Critics of the music video were quick to bring up this shifting power dynamic. They saw the Western artists, Chris Martin and Beyoncé, as oppressive forces leeching off of the native culture of a postcolonial nation. Although we shouldn’t deny India’s colonial past, these detractors are somewhat misguided.
India, as the world’s largest democracy, is on the verge of becoming a global superpower. If cultural appropriation is such an offense to Indians today, then why are English artists like Amy Jackson and Katrina welcomed and celebrated in mainstream Indian culture? If Bollywood chooses to allow foreigners to “appropriate” Indian culture, why is it so offensive when superstars like Chris Martin and Beyoncé do the same?
While it can be argued that Beyoncé is exploiting Bollywood culture (the distinction between Indian and Bollywood is significant as she is portraying a Bollywood actress, not an ordinary Indian citizen) for profit, this critique is largely unfounded. In situations like these, we would do well to look at the flipside. Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor, two legendary Indian actors, have participated in Hollywood films. In “The Great Gatsby” (2013), Amitabh Bachchan played the Jewish Meyer Wolfsheim. Is that not cultural appropriation? Likewise, Freida Pinto played Phaedra, an ancient Greek priestess in “Immortals” (2011).
If Indian celebrities are so willing to distance themselves from Indian culture in an era of globalization, the same creative license should be granted to their American counterparts.
Frankly, Bollywood so rarely portrays “cliché” scenes of Holi, Hindu temples, or children playing cricket on the street that it was refreshing to see those unique aspects of Indian culture portrayed in Beyoncé and Chris Martin’s music video.
Globalization is a two-way street. Indians cannot realistically expect to borrow and incorporate elements of “exotic” cultures into their pop culture and cry foul when others return the favor.
India has moved swiftly towards globalization by accepting different cultures but it must also learn not to insulate its own culture, which is already lacking in its own media.
