There were strutting peacocks. Ancient ruins. Bearded mystics in flowing saffron robes. We counted five of these sages, one of them casually floating in the air above the road – which is five more than the average number of mystics you will spot on a regular day in a no-nonsense city such as Mumbai.
The video for Hymn for the Weekend, the latest single from British rock band Coldplay's new album, A Head Full of Dreams, has inexplicable montages featuring these Indian stereotypes – and also a guest appearance by Beyoncé.
Released on January 29, it is clearly meant to drum up interest in their joint performance at Super Bowl 50, the finale of the American football season on February 7, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The four minute and 20-second video, directed by Ben Mor, features Coldplay frontman Chris Martin travelling across the city in taxis – or kaali-peelis (black-yellows) as they are fondly called by Mumbaikars.
We see him outside temples, in a theatre, in a rickety old boat and walking through overcrowded lanes.
Nothing wrong with any of that – that’s everyday life in Mumbai, and there are few visual representations that capture the spirit of the city better than the famous cabs, Bollywood obsession and the coastline.
Strangely, though, wherever Martin walks, he seems to be followed by children, all in the throes of Holi, a popular Hindu spring festival celebrated with coloured powder and water.
Even stranger is Beyoncé’s portrayal of a Bollywood actress – all flashy clothes, loads of jewellery, awkward headgear and, of course, hands decorated in henna.
The video ends with Beyoncé joining her hands in a “namaste”, and the word Coldplay appearing on the screen in Hindi.
Social-media commentators in India are not impressed. There were comparisons with Slumdog Millionaire, the Oscar-winning 2008 film that, despite its critical acclaim around the world, received its share of flak for its flat portrayal of India.
One Twitter user said: "Coldplay's new video Hymn for the Weekend looks like 'Slumdog Millionaire' had a holi sequence."
Ahmed Ali Akbar from New York tweeted: “I don’t even know what to say about this Coldplay video, except can white rock bands please stop filming holi videos in India, thank you.”
The video also features Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo. Her appearance surprised and disappointed many of her fans, considering the hype generated when it was announced that she would be starring in Coldplay’s next video.
There are a few seconds of Kapoor running, looking into the sky and throwing flower petals in the air – no explanations offered. She posted a link to the video on Twitter, writing: “A story to tell my grandkids! I was in a @Coldplay video! Woo hoo! #biggestfan.”
One fan responded with the tweet: “I blinked and your cameo was over!”
Another fan wrote: “You want to tell your grandkids that your career highlight was being in 3 shots of a firangi [foreign] song that misrepresented our India?”
The fine line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation is a debate that’s been gathering steam in recent years. Many international artists and celebrities have been criticised for perpetuating similar stereotypes of other cultures.
Iggy Azalea's 2013 hit Bounce; Major Lazer, DJ Snake and Mø's collaborative effort Lean On; and Coldplay's Princess of China featuring Rihanna have faced criticism for similar reasons.
Coldplay and Beyoncé’s official Twitter accounts did not offer any response to the criticism of the video, which has racked up more than 14 million views on YouTube in the four days since it was released.
artslife@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Company%20Profile
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Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Napoleon
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ARGYLLE
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DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Dubai Rugby Sevens
November 30-December 2, at The Sevens, Dubai
Gulf Under 19
Pool A – Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jumeirah College Tigers, Dubai English Speaking School 1, Gems World Academy
Pool B – British School Al Khubairat, Bahrain Colts, Jumeirah College Lions, Dubai English Speaking School 2
Pool C - Dubai College A, Dubai Sharks, Jumeirah English Speaking School, Al Yasmina
Pool D – Dubai Exiles, Dubai Hurricanes, Al Ain Amblers, Deira International School
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
Results
Male 51kg Round 1
Dias Karmanov (KAZ) beat Mabrook Rasea (YEM) by points 2-1.
Male 54kg Round 1
Yelaman Sayassatov (KAZ) beat Chen Huang (TPE) TKO Round 1; Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) beat Fahad Anakkayi (IND) RSC Round 2; Qais Al Jamal (JOR) beat Man Long Ng (MAC) by points 3-0; Ayad Albadr (IRQ) beat Yashar Yazdani (IRI) by points 2-1.
Male 57kg Round 1
Natthawat Suzikong (THA) beat Abdallah Ondash (LBN) by points 3-0; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Ahmed Al Jubainawi (IRQ) by points 2-1; Hamed Almatari (YEM) beat Nasser Al Rugheeb (KUW) by points 3-0; Zakaria El Jamari (UAE) beat Yu Xi Chen (TPE) by points 3-0.
Men 86kg Round 1
Ahmad Bahman (UAE) beat Mohammad Al Khatib (PAL) by points 2-1
Men 63.5kg Round 1
Noureddin Samir (UAE) beat Polash Chakma (BAN) RSC Round 1.
Female 45kg quarter finals
Narges Mohammadpour (IRI) beat Yuen Wai Chan (HKG) by points.
Female 48kg quarter finals
Szi Ki Wong (HKG) beat Dimple Vaishnav (IND) RSC round 2; Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Nastaran Soori (IRI) by points; Shabnam Hussain Zada (AFG) beat Tzu Ching Lin (TPE) by points.
Female 57kg quarter finals
Nguyen Thi Nguyet (VIE) beat Anisha Shetty (IND) by points 2-1; Areeya Sahot (THA) beat Dana Al Mayyal (KUW) RSC Round 1; Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Ching Yee Tsang (HKG) by points 3-0.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
World%20Food%20Day%20
%3Cp%3ECelebrated%20on%20October%2016%2C%20to%20coincide%20with%20the%20founding%20date%20of%20the%20United%20Nations%20Food%20and%20Agriculture%20Organisation%2C%20World%20Food%20Day%20aims%20to%20tackle%20issues%20such%20as%20hunger%2C%20food%20security%2C%20food%20waste%20and%20the%20environmental%20impact%20of%20food%20production.%20%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
India Test squad
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Vijay, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
