Mere Miyan Gaye England - Rangoon [2017]

Just as movies, there are some kind of songs which can be used to introduced topics of History. Boney M.'s Rasputin is an apt introduction to the Russian Revolution. I am also fascinated by Mere Miyan Gaye England from Rangoon as it is one of those few songs from Indian cinema which alludes to a world history event. The lyrics creatively makes references to the maneuvers of Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of England who oversaw the British involvement in the Allied war effort against the Axis, and Adolf Hitler, who was the dictator of Germany and the main perpetrator of the Holocaust.

The cinematography is also remarkable with not only caricatures of these historic personalities but also a world map, similar to the rangoli art form, on which the dancing takes place. What is particularly striking is how towards the end of the song the rangoli map becomes distorted just as the borders of the world after World War II.