Namaste . . . Indian Music Videos

I have been a fan of the Indian music videos that show on Saturday morning in one of the UHF channels in Los Angeles.

I haven't seen them in a while, but I have been hearing on the BBC that India's culture is changing and slowly moving away from the rigid traditionalism of the past. If the videos are any indication, it is true.

Most the videos feature a male and female singer, each singing their own part. The guy has a troupe of male dancers, and the female a troupe of female dancers. It is really fun to see . . . and the music is upbeat. They're longer than American music videos, and they're well choreographed.

In the past, all the videos resembled productions close to the golden age of the musical, with elaborate sets and everyone dressed in traditional Hindi attire. There was a playfulness to the videos, where both male and female leads flirted in a very innocent, coquetish way. There was titillation, but the idea of "not until we're married" was inferred by the body language alone.

I've seen a few videos this morning. While there's still a whole crop of the old-fashioned traditional videos, there is a whole new crop of sexier ones. On the new crop, the flirting is still there, but it isn't as innocent. The sexuality and sensuality has been increased, and while it isn't up to American or European standards in it's overall sexuality, the women are showing more skin and moving in more suggestive ways.

It's pretty interesting to see how the women are being objectified also. They're thinner than they used to be, while the guys can be as fat and unfit as they want -- something that American music stars can't afford anymore. Whether male or female, if you sing in the American market, you must strive to be fit and look perfect.

I still enjoy watching the videos, because the music is fun, and the videos are well put together. However, I think something has been lost by showing more skin and moving towards more obvious sensuality.