Beyonce, along with lead singer Chris Martin, sings for Coldplay’s new track that was shot in Mumbai, a city in India’s west coast. Beyonce has put henna on her hands and sports an ethnic outfit and jwellery. There are people playing Holi and dousing each other with colour throughout the video, making it seem like that’s all what Indians do, every hour of every day. And our hopes were taken up a notch when the actress proudly confirmed by saying that it was a “huge honour to be part of the video'”.
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However, 30 seconds into the music video, titled Hymn For the Weekend , the only thing to be felt was disappointment.
Coldplay is out with a new song “Hymn for the weekend”, and the British rock band has splashed myriad hues of Indian culture in it with both Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor and global pop icon Beyonce Knowles sporting creations by Indian designers. “How is Beyoncé, a black woman, offensively appropriating?” another user countered.
“The Coldplay video is beaut”.
“No thanks for the bundle of stereotypes @coldplay”.
But some of the images have gotten criticism for what some feel is cultural appropriation. “No wonder then that #India will be known as the country of snake charmers & sadhus“. “It’s a great concept and I had a lot of fun shooting for it”.
On Sunday, 7 February, the band will headline the prestigious Pepsi Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show in Santa Clara, California, watched by an estimated worldwide TV audience of more than 160 million.
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Here’s some reaction from Twitterati in case you are still wondering what might be wrong with the video… She’s unbelievably professional. I think she was in and out in five minutes.
