TaubaTauba by Karan Aujla has been all over social media with endless videos of people recreating its choreography, solidifying it as the song of the summer. Gaining over 70 million views shortly after its release and topping various music charts in India and abroad, the track’s success is undeniable (Decter, 2024). Its catchy beats, the romantic lyrics, the visual appeal enhanced  by impressive dance moves and Triptii Dimri’s (TD) captivating presence made the song irresistible to a wider audience. TaubaTauba, in fact, could be translated as “ your beauty is mesmerising”, aligning with the song’s themes of celebration to femininity. However, despite its overwhelming recognition, I can’t help but wonder: “would TaubaTauba have achieved the same level of success if a less conventionally attractive actress had been cast in place of TD and is TaubaTauba celebrated for its musical qualities or does the glamorization of its visuals contribute to its acclaim?”.

Bollywood has a long-standing history of commodifying femininity, using women as visual objects to ensure commercial success. Drawing parallels to Railton’s (2011) analysis, we see how media industries reinforce gendered and hierarchical power dynamics through visual representation. In Tauba Tauba, Dimri’s character is reduced to an object of desire. She is completely passive, existing for the sake of being beautiful, while the other women in the background are heavily sexualised and add no value to the storyline. Railton (2011) explains how in Western music videos black women are portrayed as hypersexualed while white women as controlled or elevated. Similarly, Bollywood constructs femininity through narrow ideals, prioritising fair skin, slim figures, and sensuality, perpetuating toxic and unattainable beauty standards (Awshati, 2022).

What’s even more upsetting is that TD has performed in niche movies like Bulbbul, where she was depicted as a powerful, enigmatic woman who survived rape and abuse. Nonetheless, although being acclaimed for her performance in Bulbbul, her success is deeply rooted in shallow and mediocre videos like TaubaTauba, which reduce her value to her physical appearance, proving that glamorous visuals can overtake the quality of meaningful visuals. 

In conclusion, while the song celebrates beauty and romance, it also reflects the industry’s persistent struggle to portray women as multifaceted individuals, suppressing their empowerment.

Written by: Autilia Federica Spiezia (33747963)

References

Awasthi, A. (2022) Vidya to Sonam, 11 actresses who opened up about Bollywood’s unrealistic beauty standards for women, ScoopWhoop. Available at: https://www.scoopwhoop.com/entertainment/actresses-talk-about-bollywood-unrealistic-beauty-standards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com (Accessed: 29 November 2024).

Decter, R.L. and Doole, K. (2024) Karan Aujla’s bollywood single ‘Tauba Tauba’ arrives at no. 25 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, Billboard Canada. Available at: https://ca.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/karan-aujla-tauba-tauba-bad-newz (Accessed: 29 November 2024). 

Railton, D. and Watson, P. (2011) ‘Music Video in black and White: Race and femininity’, Music Video and the Politics of Representation, pp. 87–106. doi:10.3366/edinburgh/9780748633227.003.0005.