''Mera Joota Hai Japani'' (; ) is a Hindi song with music by
Shankar Jaikishan Shankar may refer to:
People
*Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name
* Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer
* L. Shankar, Indian violinist
* S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar
*Sanka ...
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
film ''
Shree 420
''Shree 420'' (also spelled as ''Shri 420''; ) is a 1955 Indian Hindi comedy-drama film directed and produced by Raj Kapoor from a story written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas whose use of Shree with the negative connotations of 420 caused controversy. ...
''. It was performed by popular Bollywood star
Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...
Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...
.
In the song, the narrator asserts pride in being
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
n, despite their clothes all being from other countries. The chorus runs:
::
::
::
::
::My shoes are Japanese, these trousers are English;
::The red cap on my head is Russian, but still my heart is Indian.
Due to its patriotic themes, the song was widely embraced in its time as a representation of the newly sovereign nation of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. As India was gaining its status as a sovereign democratic republic, this song depicted the casting off of the colonialist yoke and the recognition of the internationalist aim of uniting to make India and the world a better place.
The song was also a satirical retort at some of the political leaders and rich upper class of the newly independent India, who boasted of being swadeshi in their clothes, but were extremely western in their thought, outlook, affiliations and deeds.
This song gained international fame, particularly in the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
.
In popular culture
* The opening section of the 1988 novel
The Satanic Verses
''The Satanic Verses'' is the fourth novel of British-Indian writer Salman Rushdie. First published in September 1988, the book was inspired by the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As with his previous books, Rushdie used magical realism ...
by
Salman Rushdie
Sir Ahmed Salman Rushdie (; born 19 June 1947) is an Indian-born British-American novelist. His work often combines magic realism with historical fiction and primarily deals with connections, disruptions, and migrations between Eastern and We ...
has the character Gibreel Farishta singing an English translation of the opening lines of the song while he is falling out of an airplane.
* The first lines from the song are heard early in the 1991 film '' Mississippi Masala'', at a significantly tense moment during the expulsion of Indians in Uganda in 1972.
* The 2000 Bollywood film ''
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani
''Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani'' () is a 2000 Indian Hindi-language satirical film released by Dreamz Unlimited (now Red Chillies Entertainment). The producers derived the title from lines of the song "Mera Joota Hai Japani" from '' Shree 420'' ...
'' is named after a line in the song.
* Bengali author
Mahasweta Devi
Mahasweta Devi (14 January 1926 – 28 July 2016) ''
quoted the lyrics in her inaugural address at the 2006
Frankfurt Book Fair
The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: Frankfurter Buchmesse, FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. It is considered to be the most important book fair in the world for internationa ...
:
This is truly the age where the ''joota'' (shoe) is Japani (Japanese), ''patloon'' (pants) is Inglistani (English), the ''topi'' (hat) is Roosi (Russian), but the ''dil... dil'' (heart) is always Hindustani (Indian)... My country, torn, tattered, proud, beautiful, hot, humid, cold, sandy, shining India. My country.
* In the 2009 movie ''
Today's Special
''Today's Special'' is a Canadian children's television program produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TVOntario, originally broadcasting 120 episodes from 1981 to 1987. Much of the series was set in a department store, based on Simpson's then-flags ...
'' starring
Aasif Mandvi
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other television work includes the ...
, "Mera Joota Hai Japani" plays on the radio in Naseeruddin Shah's cab.
* The 2012 re-make song ''Bollywood'' by Sasha Dith and DJ Rico Bernasconi featured on the Buddha Bar XIV compilation features the original recording.
* In the 2013 film ''
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
Phaldut Sharma
Phaldut "Paul" Sharma, also known as Paul Sharma, is a UK-based actor and dancer. He is best known for his roles in Gavin and Stacey as Achmed and Eastenders as AJ Ahmed .
Career
Television and film
Sharma played Vinnay Ramdas in '' Casualty'' ...
The Inheritance of Loss
''The Inheritance of Loss'' is the second novel by Indian author Kiran Desai. It was first published in 2006. It won a number of awards, including the Booker Prize for that year, the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award in 2007, and the 20 ...
'', by
Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai (born 3 September 1971) is an Indian author. Her novel ''The Inheritance of Loss'' won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award. In January 2015, The Economic Times listed her as one of 20 "mo ...
, Biju, an
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
immigrant in the USA finds solace in the song among his immigrant friends and colleagues.
* The song is played at the beginning of the American film ''
Deadpool
Deadpool is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist/writer Rob Liefeld, the character first appeared in ''New Mutants'' #98 (cover-dated Feb. 1991). Initially, Deadp ...
'' (2016).
See also
*
Music of Bollywood
Hindi film songs, more formally known as Hindi Geet or filmi songs and informally known as Bollywood music, are songs featured in Hindi films. Derived from the song-and-dance routines common in Indian films, Bollywood songs, along with danc ...