First, it was Gangnam Style that had everyone shaking a leg like Psy; then, it was the Harlem Shake that seemed to have caught the people’s fancy. But now with the IPL fever gripping the nation, Farah Khan’s Jumping Jhapak moves seem to be the rage, with everybody from celebrities, flash mobs and crazy fans in stadiums to even star-struck children at home getting into the groove every time a batsman hits a boundary or a wicket falls.
In the previous IPL season, it was all about the Mexican wave, but this time there is no escaping choreographer-turned-actor Farah Khan’s creation. The jingle and the moves have been introduced at a time when weird and wacky steps are the in thing. Take, for instance, Psy’s Gangnam Style and then the Harlem Shake. Since this is the sixth season of the IPL, it seems they had to come up with such moves to enhance the overall experience and keep people interested in the game.
The fact that each of the moves seems to signify a high point in the game also works with youngsters. Be it the sweeping motion to celebrate a boundary or the hand movement for a batsman being dismissed, there is something for everyone. “It is fun to watch people do these moves with so much enthusiasm. I saw a lot of fans at the stadium do an excited jig every time their team inched towards victory. It might seem silly to a few, but this is just a great way to express one’s enthusiasm and infuse excitement into the game,” says Karthik Umesh, a banker and an avid IPL follower.
Even IPL house parties are incomplete without people breaking into an impromptu Jumping Jhapak jig.
“A bunch of our relatives had gathered at our place for a lazy Sunday lunch followed by back-to-back IPL matches on the television. Expectedly, everyone was feeling rather sleepy after a heavy lunch. But the minute the IPL match began and the batsman hit a six, my little cousin began his Jumping Jhapak jig. We were in splits watching him dance so excitedly and his enthusiasm was so contagious that soon some of us joined him. Needless to say, it was one big party after that,” says Rashmi Dayal, a student.
