SCO summit: Why Mithun Chakraborty’s and Bappi Lahiri’s hit song ‘Jimmy Jimmy” grabbed everyone’s attention at press reception

Not just Indians, but even people in Uzbekistan are fond of Bollywood movies and songs. A video shared on Twitter on Friday showed that performers in an Uzbekistan club were singing the popular hit song, Jimmy Jimmy, which was picturised on actor-politician Mithun Chakraborty. Several attendees were seen grooving to the peppy dance number. Along with this song, I am a Disco Dancer was also played at a dinner hosted for international media on Thursday night ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit main event in Samarkand.  

Disco Dancer was a blockbuster movie in 1982, and had many such groovy numbers. The music was composed by late Bappi Lahiri. As per news reports, after the release of the movie, Mithun Chakraborty became an overnight sensation in India and also got a cult status in Uzbekistan. 

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In the past, news reports have highlighted that Bollywood movies and songs are very popular in Uzbekistan. In July, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar had shared a video of a band singing the track Bol Radha Bol from the well-known Bollywood hit movie Sangam, starring Raj Kapoor, Vyjayanthimala, Rajendra Kumar, which was released in 1964. The minister was at a two-day foreign ministerial conclave in Tashkent. 
The minister had written: “Another reminder from SCO Tashkent why Central Asia is our extended neighborhood."  

Even PM Modi had highlighted that Indian movies and songs were an integral part of Uzbekistan’s culture. During his visit to the country in 2012, PM Modi noted, "Indian movies, language & music are very popular in Uzbekistan. In 2012, Uzbek radio completed 50 years of Hindi broadcasting". 

SCO comprises eight member countries (China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan), four observer states (Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia) and six dialogue partners (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey). Earlier in the day, PM Modi during his address said India's innovation and start-up models are reaching new heights and that India can be transformed into a major manufacturing hub.  

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Pressing on regional cooperation for business, Modi stressed that all the countries in the forum can play a constructive role in the post-Covid era, particularly in furthering economic recovery and strengthening supply chains.