Kala Chashma: How the 1990s hit written by a Punjab police chief and glammed up by Katrina Kaif went global

What do Demi Lovato, Jimmy Fallon, a group of dancers dressed in Peppa Pig costumes, a Norwegian dance troupe, and Indian cricket team players have in common? All of them have recently danced to the chart-topping Kala Chashma, which has gained new popularity on the internet.

The Badshah song from the 2016 film Baar Baar Dekho, starring Katrina Kaif and Sidharth Malhotra, is currently dominating social media trends, with people all over the world grooving to the beats.

Last week, a viral Behind-the-Scenes video from The Tonight Show surfaced, featuring Demi Lovato and Jimmy Fallon in a gag in which the talk show host walks into the frame but stumbles and falls to the ground. Demi is concerned, but the female musicians around them begin strumming their guitars, with Jimmy grooving on the floor and Kala Chashma playing in the background.

Last week, a viral Behind-the-Scenes video from The Tonight Show surfaced, featuring Demi Lovato and Jimmy Fallon in a gag in which the talk show host walks into the frame but stumbles and falls to the ground. Demi is concerned, but the female musicians around them begin strumming their guitars, with Jimmy grooving on the floor and Kala Chashma playing in the background.

Amar Arshi sang the 1991 hit, which was written by Prem Hardeep and Kam Dhillon. The song was already popular and well-liked before it was used in the Karan Johar-produced film.

Interestingly, the song’s lyrics were written at the age of 15 by Amrik Singh Shera from Punjab. Amrik Singh wrote the song when he was in ninth grade, long before he became a head constable in the Punjab police in Kapurthala, and approached many singers at the time about its release.

“The singer of the song, Amar Arshi, then sang “Kala Chashma” at a party in England.” A company in England put out the song, and it became a huge hit there. The song was then released in Punjab by a Chandigarh-based company, which is how it became popular here,” Amrik Singh explained.

According to reports, when he signed the agreement, he was paid Rs 11,000 for the song and had no idea it would be used in a feature film. Nobody from the film industry contacted me to come to Mumbai for the album launch or premiere. My sole purpose in going there was to announce to everyone that the song was written by someone from a small village in Punjab.”

Amrik also pays tribute to his village in the track, which has now gone global. Kala Chashma’s final stanza includes a reference to my hometown of Talwandi Chaudhrian, so pay attention!

Sidharth Malhotra recently opened up about filming the song and revealed Katrina Kaif’s fitness mantra on Koffee With Karan. During the Kala Chashma shoot, she said, “Woh barf Kha Rahi the yaar” (She was eating ice cubes). She simply ate ice to keep herself hydrated and trimmed, but he said she still looked great.

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