'Tauba Tauba' fever: Revisiting Bollywood songs that left internet groovy (2024)

What makes a song go viral on the internet? There's no formula to make a song go viral. It's about this whole package - of music, lyrics, dance, who's performing it and how it's being presented. Like everything else in the creative business, a good video has to click with the audience. For it to go viral, it has to appeal to all kinds of audience - even those who usually don't consume that kind of content. 'Tauba Tauba', a new song from the Bollywood film 'Bad Newz' has done just the same.

It has instantly crawled up the top chartbusters' list and even though it is just all about the glam, with a very sexualised Vicky Kaushal, it's a hit among the audience. So much so that he has got newfound popularity among the heartland audience, known for never holding back their craze for a scintillating dance number.

'Tauba Tauba' has music by Punjabi singer Karan Aujla, and it is choreographed by Bosco Martis. Interestingly, it does a great deal of glorifying a woman's beauty, referring to Triptii Dimri in the video, but ends up highlighting Vicky as the very definition of 'tall, dark, handsome'. Vicky's tryst with Punjabi music and his casual dance moves have made many videos go viral on Instagram before, but this time, he seems almost unstoppable. The choreography does justice in utilising the actor's full potential as a dancer in a never-seen-before fashion.

While the popularity of 'Tauba Tauba' can be largely attributed to the actor's ever-growing charm, it is also the vibe that it exudes. When a trend rises on social media, it breaks down into many forms of entertainment, but the vibe remains the same. You could be a failure at dancing, nowhere near to Vicky's smooth-like-butter-moves, but if you could still manage to match the mood of the song, your job is done.

'Tauba Tauba' is also one of those dance numbers which is brilliantly made to please the female gaze, as opposed to your regular dance numbers where the 'Chikni Chamelis' and the 'Sheelas' of the world are objectified to satisfy the male gaze. It puts the onus of glamourising the screen on a man's shoulder, and he never disappoints.

Every time a Bollywood song has taken the internet by storm, it hasn't just been done casually. It was back in 2015 when it all began. Salman Khan decided to give his audience a double dose of 'Prem' on-screen. It was Sonam Kapoor's graceful moves on the song 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' which made everyone sit up, take notice, and try it again and again till they got them right. So, we didn't just get influencers, but also the brides, the bridesmaids and everyone who could keep their timidity at bay, grooving to the song with their waist out hands up. The popularity of the song made the singer, Palak Muchhal, an overnight star, and Sonam, who was not known for her dance until then, a quintessential demure Bollywood heroine.

Then came the 'Kala Chashma' trend which got even the foreign influencers going wild. A Norwegian dance group, Quick Style, performed the song at a wedding and the internet never stopped raving about it. The song originally featured Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif and the lyrics majorly talked about the beauty of a woman when she wears a pair of black shades. An upbeat, modified number with Punjabi lyrics and some excellent dancing left the internet in awe all over.

The 'Chaka Chak' number with Sara Ali Khan being not-so-coy about expressing her sexual desires for a man. It was meant to be a crude song, the kind of which is sung in the heartland of the country where bridesmaids and other women tease the bride about her wedding night. The actor ended up being an absolute delight with her changing expressions, the bright green saree and the wedding setup. It all made sense to people. While the song really helped during the film's promotion, it made women, especially the saree-clad ones, living in small towns, feel seen.

In fact, Vicky's other song, 'Tere Vaaste Falak Se Main Chaand Lauga', found terrific love among the heartland audience. It was from his film 'Zara Hatke Zara Bachke', also featuring Sara Ali Khan, and was designed as a romantic number for a married couple. And boy did it make all the husbands promise the 'chaand' to their wives!

The idea behind any viral song is to make people on the internet find joy. You could simply be humming it, but that's the point - to make it a part of your life - effortlessly and joyously. There's no science here. It's clearly about how the song makes you feel. So, if your mood matches with 'Tauba Tauba', let it get to you. Life is too short to resist your vibe!