The massively successful 2008 movie, Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle, concludes with an enchanting dance sequence led by the two main characters of the movie, Latika and Jamal. Finally united in the train station, the two appear to shimmy all over the train station exhibiting some of the finest dance moves India has to offer. The dancers, clearly showcasing a dance style that draws on a traditional forms of Indian dance, bounce along to a catchy beat that inevitably gets stuck in the viewer’s heads for days on end. The song “Jai-Ho” translated into English as “Be Victorious” appears to take on a fame of its own and becomes the catalyst for a slew of several laughable you-tube renditions. The leader of the pack and the focus of this blog entry is the ever so sensual rendition by America’s sweethearts, the Pussycat Dolls. I will attempt to view the Pussycat Dolls video objectively in order to apply some theoretical approaches put forth by Walter Benjamin in his article “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”. A reoccurring term in his article, “aura”, is described by Benjamin as “…that which withers away in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art” (2009:3). To Benjamin, a work of art so heavily mechanically reproduced and in this case, so heavily altered from the original, contained no sliver of “aura” left. Furthermore, with this detachment from the “aura”, comes a lack of authenticity and in the case of the video from the Pussycat Dolls, an exploitation of sexuality in order to conform to the ideals of popular American culture. Furthermore, Benjamin states that “the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition” (2009:3) and that these processes undeniably lead to a “tremendous shattering of tradition” (2009:3). The only tiny fragment of tradition I am referring to in conjunction with the debaucherous Pussycat Dolls video is the dancing techniques used which clearly draw from traditional conventions. Furthermore, this particular “Jai-Ho” video is nothing but aesthetically pleasing and is ultimately an object that is consumed by the viewer, considering it has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times.
I believe Walter Benjamin says it best when he states in his article that mechanical reproductions or films are “the liquidation of the traditional value of the cultural heritage” (2009:3). In trying to extract some sliver of cultural significance from the Pussycat Dolls video, the viewer is left inevitably grasping at straws because there is no cultural significance in the video and even if there was, it is unfortunately suffocating under a heavy blanket of sexuality. It is obvious upon first viewing the video that it is catering to an audience, a teenage audience. Additionally, within the first thirty seconds of the video, the appearance of a deliberate Nokia cell phone product placement firmly cements this statement. I do not remember a scantily-clad blonde female filming the dance on a Nokia Smartphone? Benjamin said it best; the traditional value of the original has been liquefied in the mechanical reproduction because it must be manipulated in order to satisfy the taste of the culture which is consuming the object. You-tube videos allow the viewer unlimited accessibility into an alternate reality, something that appears seemingly easier to endure than real life. The videos are powerful agents that allow the viewer to escape reality for a matter of minutes.
Lastly, in terms of the social significance of the video, it is pure entertainment and in the words of Benjamin, the “intimate fusion of visual and emotional enjoyment” (2009:8). This video does nothing more but provide a catchy beat and cater to the sensory perceptions of the confused teenage. Furthermore, Benjamin states that “such fusion is of great social significance” (2009:8) because it provides the viewer with an escape. Ultimately, videos like “Jai-Ho” by the Pussycat Dolls represent a departure from the authentic, original modes of representation and I believe if Walter Benjamin were able to view the video now, he too would regard it as rubbish and devoid of any fragment of “aura”.
References:
Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. New York, NY:
Classica America, 2009.
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