Blog Assignment #5

In his article, David Novak delineates the complex remediation and remix of “Jaan Pehechaan Ho,” a song and dance sequence from the Bollywood film Gumnaam (1965). Unlike Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe, North American receptiveness towards Bollywood has been towards excerpts and song and dance sequences as opposed to the entire film itself. We can find such sequences, as well as their reuse in renditions, on blogs, YouTube, and on Facebook. They originate as “mash-ups” of cultural references; of different global voices and bodies, places and times. In other words, they are already remediations, always simultaneously familiar and strange (Novak). And recognizing oneself as a part of this process—whether one is invested in nostalgia or newness— requires de-emphasizing the authority of the original media context in favor of its remediations (Novak). The de-emphasis of authority that Novak characterizes becomes apparent when reuse of culturally-tied media comes into contact with those who have identify with such ties, as well as those who have certain expectations of media that draws on characterizations of culture and its repurposing for new contexts of use. This can come in the form of reaction; one that may not always be so positive.

The reuse of “Jaan Pehechaan Ho” by Heavenly Ten Stems, infused into their live performance, triggered accusations of racism and on-stage protest because it was interpreted as a recognizably separate form; one not mutually linked to the culture it characterized in its reproduction. The certain level of authority that Heavenly Ten Stems embodied lay in their musical rendition, and its ability to seamlessly link a cultural rendition to an audience with its own relation to that culture it reproduced. The authority was diminished upon introducing a take on something that had different meaning than what was implied by the music. While certain closeness can result from commonalities in media reuse, it is important to establish distinctions and present itself as a recognizably separate form, otherwise it can become subject to increased tension in relating it to the original form. What is at stake here is not just the loss of original meaning in a landscape of mediated cultural signs. It is a question of equivalence—more accurately, of the lack of equivalence—between two sites of remediation whose relations to the original hang in the balance between “mockery” and “tribute” (Novak). Despite the band members’ good intentions, their attempt at revealing aspects of global popular music as a multidirectional social imaginary was interpreted as mockery rather than tribute.

There are certain characteristics that determine whether the reuse of media is considered acceptable or unacceptable. The reuse of media becomes acceptable when it presents itself in a recognizably separate manner, yet adheres to standardization in cultural connectivity through its use. It is important to emphasize the power of popular media. If attempts are successful at remediation, they become popularized. This popularization signifies acceptance in its reuse. If we do not see someone with gold face paint playing music that has strong ties to Asian culture in popular media, it is safe to say that it is not a popularized representation and should be avoided, despite playful and positive associations, otherwise it risks “costumization” and interpretations of mockery.

Novak, D. Cosmopolitanism, Remediation, and the Ghost World of Bollywood. 2010.