"Hawa Hawa" is a 1987 Urdu song sung by Pakistani pop singer Hasan Jahangir.[1]

"Hawa Hawa"
Song by Hasan Jahangir
from the album Hawa Hawa
LanguageUrdu
Released1987
Genrepop
Composer(s)Hasan Jahangir

Composition edit

"Hawa Hawa" was recorded in 1986, and released in 1987.[2] The tune of the song is based on the 1970s Persian song "Havar Havar" by Kourosh Yaghmaei.[3] The song start with the line "Hawa Hawa Ai Hawa Khushbu Loota De" ("Air, oh Air, Swell the fragrance").[1]

According to Jahangir the beats of the song "are extremely catchy and would appeal to people from diverse cultures and musical traditions. Even when you can't understand the language, you can appreciate the beats and the rhythm".[2]

Reception edit

The song became immensely popular throughout South Asia, particularly in three countries Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. Jahangir's album by the same name also became in India, and the song frequently played on radio in the country.[3][1] The song was frequently remade in Bollywood films; sometimes with same lyrics and music and sometime with same music, but with different lyrics.[4] Jahangir's version was used in the 1994 movie Insaaf Apne Lahoo Se.[5]

Shortly after the release of "Hawa Hawa", the tune of the song was unofficially used in "Jawan Jawan Ishq Jawan", a song from 1989 Govinda-starrer Billoo Badshah. It was sung by Govinda himself.[3] The song "Aaya Aaya Pyar Aaya" in the 1989 Hindi film Aag Ka Gola was adapted from "Hawa Hawa".[6] It was composed by Bappi Lahiri, and it featured Archana Puran Singh, Sunny Deol, and Prem Chopra dancing on the song.[2]

In 2017, The makers of the Hindi film Mubarakan (2017) released a new version of this song as promotional single of their film, which was written with different lyrics while keeping "Hawa Hawa" hookline same. The version was sung by Mika Singh, featuring Arjun Kapoor and Ileana D'Cruz dancing on the song. Devarsi Ghosh, writing for Scroll.in, called the remake "forgettable " and describing the original version as an earworm which 'doesn't need a remake'.[3][7] The remake version of the song also featured in the 2012 Hindi film Chaalis Chauraasi.[8] The Bengali of "Hawa Hawa" also appeared in Bangladeshi song "Khala Khala".[2]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Baidya, Animesh (2012-12-01). ""Tuni'r Ma": From Nation to "Inter"-Nation". Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 32 (3): 494. doi:10.1215/1089201X-1891516. ISSN 1089-201X. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  2. ^ a b c d Menon, Aditya (2017-07-06). "30 years of Hawa Hawa: Hasan Jahangir on why the song rocks even today". Rediff Realtime News. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  3. ^ a b c d Ghosh, Devarsi (2 July 2017). "Pakistani hit 'Hawa Hawa' is the earworm that doesn't need a remake". Scroll.in. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  4. ^ Khan, Salman (2017-07-05). "Bollywood's obsession with 'Hawa Hawa' song will leave you perplexed". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
  5. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC-9HaQB2cU
  6. ^ Arunachalam, Param (2020). BollySwar: 1981 - 1990. Mavrix Infotech Private Limited. ISBN 978-81-938482-2-7. Retrieved 2021-09-19.
  7. ^ "Pakistani fans throw potshots at 'Hawa Hawa' remake from Arjun Kapoor's Mubarakan". The Indian Express. 2 July 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
  8. ^ Shah, Kunal M (2011-12-19). "Hawa Hawa in Chaalis Chauraasi". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-09-17.