Why Coolie No. 1’s Main Toh Raste Se Ja Raha Tha is deeper than you think

The best propaganda in the world is the one that catches on without people realizing that it’s propaganda. Lennon’s Imagine is the perfect example, waxing lyrical about the virtues of communism with saccharine lyrics without even using the word. Closer to home, we had another example. It is an anthem of individualistic neoliberalism, wrapped in one of the most popular songs of the 90s, that went completely unnoticed.

I am of course talking about the seminal classic Main to Raaste Se Ja Rahaa Thaa - the requiem for unabashed individualistic capitalistic consumerism, a rebel song against society’s shackles and judgement.  Samir’s lyrics in the David Dhawan comedy might seem run-of-the-mill, but they are as powerful a critique of society as a social theory lecture by John Stuart Mill. Consider the lyrics: 

Main toh raste se ja raha tha 

Main toh bhel puri kha raha tha

Main toh ladki ghuma raha tha

Raste se ja raha tha

Bhel puri kha raha tha

Ladki ghuma raha tha

Tujhko mirchi lagi toh main kya karoon

Tujhko mirchi lagi toh main kya karoon

Main toh raste se ja rahi thi

Main toh icecream kha rahi thi

Main toh naina lada rahi thi

Raste se ja rahi thi

Icecream kha rahi thi

Naina lada rahi thi

Tujhko mirchi lagi toh main kya karoon

Tujhko mirchi lagi toh main kya karoon

The lyrics ask a deceptively simple question: “Why should my individual choices of walking down a road, eating bhelpuri, taking a girl out, or making googly eyes?” matter to anyone?

Why should individual choices of love, direction, or consumption matter be frowned upon? It rounds up and perfectly encapsulates what John Stuart Mill said all those centuries ago: “If all mankind minus one were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person than he if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind.”

Tujhko mirchi lagi to main kya karun is the same lament to a society built on groupthink where the rights of a larger group have always preceded the individual rights. It evokes Sartre’s notion of radical freedom, pointing out that an individual’s right to act must transcend all rules.

Why should the individual care if society is unhappy with his actions? Is it the individual’s job to become a product of his environment, or should the environment become a product of him? In fact, that the song is a cornerstone of a movie that is a silent tribute to a meritocracy where the protagonist – like Karna – will not let the circumstances of his birth shackle him to his station.

Ludwig Wittgenstein, considered by many to be the greatest philosopher of the modern era, often said that he found more meaning in a detective story or a cinema than the deepest of philosophical books. Perhaps, we should add David Dhawan’s 90s Govinda classics to the list.