Malaysian filmmaker and music producer Namewee has released another hit song, and people are loving it for its catchy hooks and unmistakably Bollywood vibes.
While Namewee (real name Wee Meng Chee) has undoubtedly courted plenty of controversy in the past via the release of media such as his viral Negarakuku track in 2007 and his more recent award-winning Babi movie in 2020, this new track is a much more of an unmarred hit that has so far gotten plenty of praise from viewers.
The track titled Curry and Roti is a Bollywood-style upbeat track created as part of the original soundtrack for his latest movie Nasi Lemak 1.0, a story about a Malaysian cook who time travels back 600 years to the era of the early Melaka sultanate, and goes on a quest to discover the best recipe for nasi lemak.
The song sees Namewee and actress Sanjna Suri perform a romantic duet, dancing around in full Hindi-movie style costumes while singing about their affections for each other and comparing themselves to the perfect combination of curry and roti – a far cry from the layered themes and anti-establishment jibes found in some of Namewee's other famous works.
Along side backup dancers and goofy side characters, both singers belt out the lines "I flip roti, you cook curry, I cook for you and you flip for me," and "Add some onion, put some sardine, or you want some kaya pisang or Tsunami" – a nod to popular variations of roti in Malaysia.
Watch the video below:
Since the video released just under a week ago, there have already been over four million views, with most heaping praise upon the track and footage for its snappy beat, cute lyrics, and feelings of multiculturalism.
"There's a special feeling that Namewee's created with this track – and that's about national unity, freedom, and equality in Malaysia," said one commenter. "You can clearly see that all ethnic groups love this song. Hopefully Malaysia can become even more democratic, pluralistic, and prosperous."
"Catchy music that's also funny, we Malaysians should come up with this kind of musical comedy where all races can participate more often," said another.
This resembles the success enjoyed by another music video that recently went viral, in which an all-Malay ensemble group performed a modern Chinese New Year anthem sang completely in Bahasa Malaysia.
If there's one takeaways from all of this, it's that Malaysians sure love to see their cultures being shared and enjoyed among each other. Long may it continue!
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Cover image sourced from Namewee on YouTube.
