'Despacito' gets Indian twist

Universal Music on Thursday launched the "India Dance Video" of "Despacito" in collaboration with National Award-winning choreographer Shiamak Davar. 

"Despacito", a song by Puerto Rican artistes Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, is breaking viewing records on YouTube and garnering positive attention. According to billboard.com, "Despacito" has become the first Spanish language song to reach the peak in more than 20 years. 

To celebrate the song's success in India, Universal Music Group with Davar launched the #DespacitoMovement campaign last month. Shot in Mumbai, the video shows sari-clad dancers showcasing Indian dance moves. 

"Hello India! I'm in love with your 'Despacito' dance video! You've taken Despacito to the next level! Thank you so much," Fonsi said in a statement. 

Since its release in January, "Despacito" has streamed over 771 million times in the US through July 20, and is currently No. 1 on video and streaming charts. Many music critics described the song as a "history-making hit". 

The music video was released on January 12 and reached one billion views on YouTube within 97 days. Later, Canadian pop star Justin Bieber put out a remix of the song in late April, taking it to a wider audience.

Talking about his experience of choreographing the song, Davar said: "When Universal Music approached me to direct and choreograph the India video, I was very excited. They wanted a flavour of India with a global appeal. My dance company and I had a great time working on this video."

Devraj Sanyal, Managing Director and CEO, Universal Music India and South Asia, also shared: "Shiamak is the original dance guru and what he's created with the video is sheer magic by capturing the true Indian essence in a gigantic Spanish song."

"We are confident that this will take 'Despacito' to a whole new audience in India while at the same time showcase the beauty and grace of Indian dancers to a massive global audience out there," he added.