How 'Made in India' Made us Thirsty Forever

For those of us growing up in 1990s India, our TV-viewing history falls into two epochs: pre- and post-Alisha Chinai’s “Made in India” music video — which would become the talk of the town upon its release in 1995.

The video — which today has over 120 million views on YouTube —  begins in the “far, far away land of Yashab,” where Chinai, as Princess Alisha, sits on a throne, unamused by bare-chested dancers and the snarling leopard by her feet as she ponders where her Prince Charming is. She sings that she has seen the whole world — from Japan to Russia, from Australia to America — and has decided that the star of her “love dreams” is someone who has a heart “made in India.” Suitors come and suitors go, and the princess sighs, sings, and pines. Until one day, she looks into a bowl where she can see the future and catches a glimpse of her fate. We see long, tantalizing shots of his chiseled biceps, back, and torso. We, too, are awestruck, both jealous and happy that she has found the man who will “love her all day and night.” Soon, a wooden box arrives in the princess’s court (with the words “Made In India” written on it, just in case one had doubts), and a man emerges, shirtless.