Like it or pretend to hate it, social media has an amazing way of throwing up some rare hidden gems in subcultures of film and music.
In what can only be described as a confused whirlwind of cultures, Twitter has rediscovered this 1980s Telugu film in which - wait for it - Sivamani plays an African American man.
A song from the 1987 film Padamati Sandhya Ragam has gone viral. And if you’ve ever wondered what Sivamani with a full head of hair looks like, this clip is the answer.
Sivamani with a full-blown Afro croons for the love of his life, Sandhya.
The song, which appears to be entirely in English, goes like this:
Life is shabby
Without you baby
When you smile dear Sandhya
What follows this line is exactly how Ronald - yes, the African American character in the film, what did you think - feels. Namely, gudela guba guba kadelo taha taha.
If that means lost for words and completely stumped, it’s safe to say we too are gudela guba guba kadelo taha taha.
The song features in a film that deals with ‘interracial love.’ Sandhya, played by actor Vijayashanthi, and her well-to-do Indian family move to the United States and live across the street from two very available bachelors: one is Chris, a white American played by white actor Thomas Jane and the other is Ronald, an African American played by the Indian drummer Sivamani.
The song shot on the highways and beaches of the United States depicts a church wedding between Sandhya, whose parents seem to be missing from the ceremony, and Ronald, whose black mother (played by a black actor) watches approvingly from the aisle.
Perhaps the best trivia of all - ace singer SP Balasubrahmanyam has penned the lyrics and sung this song which features some spitting rap lyrics that go like this:
The morning I saw you the first time
You are an ordinary baby that's what I felt
As I watch you day in and day out
I know now what you mean to my life
The 'ordinary baby' of course was actor Vijayashanti who had made her acting debut seven years earlier with the Tamil film Kallukul Earam.
SPB goes on to rap (there’s a line we never thought we’d write):
When I beat the tom tom in a bad mood
It sounds as if it is made of wood
When I think of you baby and beat it again
Oooh brother it say wah wah
My heart skips a beat when you fail to me
When I kill you cheat I forget to eat
We’ll leave you with this fun fact: the film won the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Film in 1987.
Watch:
I've been searching for this song for the past 13 years. pic.twitter.com/DFmW4N2k5h
— Gina Kholkar (@BabaJogeshwari) May 29, 2018