First, a word of caution—and a suggestion: Spoiler alert for Khaleesi fans who haven’t seen the latest episode, and perhaps it’ll help to get your Bollywood lyrics up to scratch.
Not that Salman Khan is staking his claim to House Lannister just yet, but because two incredibly influential cultural commodities are finally coming together: Game of Thrones (GOT) and Bollywood.
It’s is a pretty good mix. HBO’s record-breaking series has nearly every ingredient for a well-spiced Bollywood potboiler: Crazy characters, bountiful romance, countless fight sequences, subjugated women, stunning scenery and absolutely uncalled for twists in the plot.
The only element it lacks, rather crucially, was some Bollywood-esque music.
But now—give thanks to dedicated desi GOT diehards—even that has been arranged for. Sample this from the folks at The Viral Fever.
Maybe you’re already convinced that Bollywood tunes from the 1990s are just what GOT needed. Then again, the 1994 hit, Aaye Aapka Intezaar Tha (I was awaiting you), featuring the timeless Tabu and the only slightly less evergreen Ajay Devgn in Vijaypath (Victory path) isn’t the only masterful mashup.
Turns out, another 1994 classic—Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (Who am I to you)—is also fine material for such cross-cultural schemes. The song in question is Didi Tera Devar Deewana, which translates as, well, “Sister, your brother-in-law is crazy.”
Since nothing in Bollywood is usually complete without Shah Rukh Khan, there’s even a tune from his 2000 hit, Mohabbatein (Love stories), thrown into the growing mix.
And since no meme can escape Dubsmash—or, the 1995 hit Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The brave-hearted will take away the bride)—there’s yet another sample to consider:
Here’s the data, beta (son)
It could be argued that such a blockbuster blend wasn’t exactly unexpected.
After all, India isn’t merely among the world’s leading destinations for illegal downloads of GOT, it also saw the highest increase—a staggering 115%—in piracy of the series between April 2014 and April 2015.
Here’s a chart from a study by Irdeto, a media protection company:
