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News18
a day ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Why Stand-up Comic's 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' Performance Amid Language Row Got Internet Love
Last Updated: Shraddha Jain aka Aiyyo Shraddha's stand-up performance on 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' ahead of India's 79th Independence Day is all you need to watch today. Shraddha Jain, popularly known as the Aiyyo Shraddha, shot to fame with her viral skit about global tech layoffs, and she hasn't looked back since then. It is, however, her most recent stand-up performance on YouTube that has resonated with Indian audiences, especially during a time when the language row across states and regions has divided the people of the country. Released just in time for country 79th Independence Day, Shraddha's video from her 'So Mini Things" series is one she has optimistically called 'a wish for India…" Wishing the audience a Happy Independence Day, Shraddha opens her act by crediting the 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" song for helping her learn some of the major languages spoken in the country. Mile Sur Mera Tumhara 'I don't speak any Kashmiri but I know!" she says as she recites 'Chaain taraj tahin nyay taraj, Ek but baniye saayen taraj". She adds that she heard the song every day while growing up. 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara", released in 1988, is an Indian patriotic song composed for a national integration campaign. It was a staple on Doordarshan. 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara" has been penned by the adman legend and Padma Shri recipient Piyush Pandey. Some of his notable and iconic works include the Vodafone pug and ZooZoo ads, Pond's 'Googly Woogly Woosh", and Polio ads featuring Amitabh Bachchan. He has also designed ad campaigns for Indian tourism, anti-smoking, and PM Narendra Modi's 'Abki baar Modi sarkar" that featured the slogan 'acche din". Sung by Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, M Balamuralikrishna, and Lata Mangeshkar, the song, beautifully produced by Kailash Surendranath, features celebrated personalities such as Kamal Haasan, Lata Mangeshkar, and Sharmila Tagore, among others. Shraddha, in her performance, wonders if the song, intended to promote unity, were released today, it would cause complete chaos in the country. 'Why is there so much Hindi in this song?" she says, mimicking an outraged individual before adding, 'Maharashtra doesn't want Hindi, Karnataka doesn't want Hindi. Kerala never needed Hindi, Andhra has its own Hindi and Tamil Nadu don't even ask. Still so much Hindi!" She then hilariously calls Tamil the chess of languages and points out the use of four lines in the song, more than any in the song. The popular song features verses in Kashmiri, Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, Urdu, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Odia, and Marathi. The song was first played after Rajiv Gandhi's Independence Day address at the Red Fort in New Delhi. Her delivery of the poignant message using wit and humour has been appreciated by the Internet, which pondered if such a song of diversity could be produced in today's climate when the news cycle highlighted the conflicts among Indians over language barriers. 'Chaos, but delicious chaos! Back in the '80s, we could whip up a national unity song like 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' without breaking a sweat. Today? You'd need a UN peacekeeper just to decide who gets to sing first," a user on X wrote before adding, 'And here we are, still laughing at the same old linguistic tug-of-war and is a reminder that while India might be a salad bowl of cultures, we're all still trying to figure out how to dress it without starting a food fight." Similar sentiments were shared on YouTube. 'Only Shraddha could have done justice to this act!! Singing explaining punching sarcasm and yet communicating the toughest 'language' which petty Indians are fighting over!! (sic)" 'Laughter has no language. Extremely delightful gig." 'Proof that laughter, like a good curry, transcends borders—even if you can't pronounce half the ingredients!" When Aiyyo Shraddha Met PM Shraddha met with PM Modi back in 2013 and revealed his first words to her that left her stumped. Shraddha revealed, 'Namashkar, yes, I met the Honorable Prime Minister of our Country. His first word to me was 'Aiyyo!'. I am not blinking, that's my 'O My Jod, he really said that, this is really happening!!!!' look. Thank you @PMOIndia!" The Prime Minister was in Bengaluru to inaugurate Aero India 2023. About the Author News Desk The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk More Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. Get Latest Updates on Movies, Breaking News On India, World, Live Cricket Scores, And Stock Market Updates. Also Download the News18 App to stay updated! tags : comedy Language Row view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: August 16, 2025, 11:48 IST News explainers Why Stand-up Comic's 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' Performance Amid Language Row Got Internet Love Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Who is Prakash Varma? ‘George' in Thudarum is also creative mind behind Vodafone's ZooZoo ads
After watching Tharun Moorthy directed Thudarum, a Malayalam film, released on April 25, many are keen to know who played the character of senior cop 'George'. The actor is Prakash Varma, who is also behind ZooZoo commercial, a Vodafone's popular advertising campaign. Varma, 52, belongs to a Malayali family. He has helmed and produced numerous advertisement campaigns, comprising the iconic Vodafone commercials showcasing ZooZoos. Varma is a founder and principle Director of Nirvana films, a Bangalore-based company. He has a creative mind and is not known for his on-screen presence. Varma captivated audiences with his incredible performance in the drama thriller Thudarum alongside Mohanlal. 'He loves to hear a script narrated to him as opposed to him reading it by himself. Simple storytelling and working with actors to extract performances and bring nuances alive keeps him restless and sleepless,' according to Nirvana films. It added, 'He is a keen observer of people and their quirks. Varma is excited by a good challenge and becomes childlike when something excites him. For someone who believes in talk less and do more, he speaks eloquently through his films. His work takes him across the world.' Varma has received global fame over the last years by directing campaigns for top brands like Bisleri, KitKat, iPhone, Camerry, Amazon Prime and Netflix besides Vodafone. For Kerala tourism, he also directed the 'Your Moment Is Waiting' campaign, including his ad-film starring Shah Rukh Khan for Dubai tourism that received immense attention.
Mint
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Who is Prakash Varma? 'George' in Thudarum is also creative mind behind Vodafone's ZooZoo ads
After watching Tharun Moorthy directed Thudarum, a Malayalam film, released on April 25, many are keen to know who played the character of senior cop 'George'. The actor is Prakash Varma, who is also behind ZooZoo commercial, a Vodafone's popular advertising campaign. Varma, 52, belongs to a Malayali family. He has helmed and produced numerous advertisement campaigns, comprising the iconic Vodafone commercials showcasing ZooZoos. Varma is a founder and principle Director of Nirvana films, a Bangalore-based company. He has a creative mind and is not known for his on-screen presence. Varma captivated audiences with his incredible performance in the drama thriller Thudarum alongside Mohanlal. 'He loves to hear a script narrated to him as opposed to him reading it by himself. Simple storytelling and working with actors to extract performances and bring nuances alive keeps him restless and sleepless,' according to Nirvana films. It added, 'He is a keen observer of people and their quirks. Varma is excited by a good challenge and becomes childlike when something excites him. For someone who believes in talk less and do more, he speaks eloquently through his films. His work takes him across the world.' Varma has received global fame over the last years by directing campaigns for top brands like Bisleri, KitKat, iPhone, Camerry, Amazon Prime and Netflix besides Vodafone. For Kerala tourism, he also directed the 'Your Moment Is Waiting' campaign, including his ad-film starring Shah Rukh Khan for Dubai tourism that received immense attention. Hollywood director Michael Bay's production company 'The Institute' signed him in 2009. Varma is an alumnus of Alappuzha's SD college. He started his career assisting veteran Malayalam filmmakers like Lohithadas and Viji Thampi. First Published: 27 Apr 2025, 01:29 PM IST
