'Jimmy, Jimmy': Why this Indian song is used in Chinese protests

Many people in China stuck in their homes due to stringent Covid lockdowns are resorting to a Bollywood song to register their protest - 'Jimmy, Jimmy' from the Mithun Chakraborty-starrer 'Disco Dancer'.

The reason for using this particular song is that in Mandarin 'Jie mi' translates to "Give me rice", reflecting the shortage many people under lockdown are facing.

Several videos went viral on social media platforms like Douyiin in which Chinese people under lockdowns are seen using Bappi Da's track to express their helplessness, ANI reported.


They are also seen holding up empty vessels, showing that they are short of essentials due to the lockdowns.

China still follows a zero-COVID policy under which entire neighbourhoods would be locked down even if only a few cases are detected, often causing hardship to millions of people at a time.

The song composed by Bappi Lahiri and sung by Parvati Khan is from the 1982 film Disco Dancer and is popular in many countries outside India.

Some Indian movies get very popular in China, starting from the movies of Raj Kapoor in 1950s and 60s to recent ones like "3 Idiots", "Secret Superstar" and "Dangal".

Chinese censors are quick to stamp out any sign of criticism of the government, so it is not known how this one managed to stay online.

Here is one such video, shared by an Indian user on Twitter.

Dozens of cities in China, including Shanghai, have recently faced lockdowns under millions of people were confined to their flats for weeks.

Scores of videos have surfaced in which security officials can be seen severely cracking down on people protesting the lockdowns, PTI reported

In one such protest, workers engaged to assemble Apple Inc.'s newest iPhone staged a walkout from a factory in central China's Zhengzhou following a virus outbreak and complaints of unsafe working conditions.