Initially, there was poverty. Then there was unrivaled fame and money, which was followed by scandal and an attempt on his life. Then there was a return to being Haryana’s reigning pop queen, Sapna Choudhary’s life had it all. If you haven’t heard of her, you should know that a video of her dancing to Teri Aankhya Ka Yo Kaajal at a local stage program has over 378 million views on YouTube, making it one of India’s top 25 most-watched videos, and likely the only one that isn’t a glitzy video produced by a top production house or a T-Series devotional track. A salwar kameez-clad Choudhary merely dances on stage in front of a mostly male crowd in the video.
Given the traditional, misogynistic norms that are established in Haryanvi society, a Haryanvi woman’s journey is challenging enough at the best of circumstances. The death of Choudhary’s father in 2008, when she was just about 18, made the journey even more difficult. Within a year, she was driven to appear on stage by the hard reality of poverty and a mortgaged home. “For as low as Rs 3,000, I’d have to dance for hours. But the Khodiya style’s independence allowed me to convert it into a thriving business,” Choudhary explains. In 2015, Choudhary’s world was turned upside down after her song Solid Body Re with Mor Music Company became viral. Although the mainstream media had yet to notice her, she quickly made her way into the city.
With celebrity, though, came the flip side of the coin: scandal. Self-proclaimed custodians of Haryanvi culture accused her of undermining it with her peculiar dance routines, without ever specifying which “culture” they were defending. Then, in 2016, there was an even bigger uproar. Choudhary performed a Ragini named 36 Jaat Ragini, which refers to Haryanvi society’s 36 castes. Many casteist references were made in the song, which harmed people’s feelings and even broke hate speech laws. Choudhary has also had a remarkable transformation in her own self-esteem, dismissing queries about diet, weight, and everything else that celebrities, in general, are concerned about. She exhibits no indications of slowing down in her acting career.
The YouTube comments that used to call her names have been drowned out by Haryanvis’ love and pride for her. Sapna Choudhary is satisfied with that.