Why does 'Inside Man' have Bollywood song 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' in the opening & ending scene?

Quite a few Hollywood films have featured Bollywood actors, but only a few Bollywood songs have been used in Hollywood films. One of them includes the famous Bollywood song Chaiyya Chaiyya. The song is featured in 2006 Hollywood film, Inside Man and was well-liked by numerous fans of the film. A number of fans have always wondered about why was the Bollywood number included in the Hollywood film.

Inside Man Chaiyya Chaiyya

Numerous netizens have been trending searches about why was the Bollywood song used in the popular money heist film. There is no particular reason for the filmmakers to use the A R Rahman song in their film. However, it is speculated that the director of Inside Man simply really liked the song and therefore used it in his movie.

Why does Inside Man music include Chaiyya Chaiyya?

A user (Gendokari) on Movies Stackechange revealed that in the director’s commentary on the DVD, Spike Lee addressed why he used Chaiyya Chaiyaa in the opening scene of the film. According to the user, Spike Lee was teaching film school and a student recommended him the film, Dil Se. Originally this movie has the famous Bollywood song Chaiyya Chaiyya.

Reportedly, Lee “simply really liked the song” and decided he wanted to try to use it in a movie at some point. Moreover, the report suggests that the specific orchestral arrangement of the song was specifically made for the film. 

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Original Chaiyya Chaiyya

The song is from the 1998 Bollywood film Dil Se. The song is composed by Oscar winner A R Rahman and the lyrics were by Gulzar. The song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi. The song became popular soon after its release and gained a cult status. 

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Inside man cast details

Inside Man is a 2006 American thriller film directed by Spike Lee. The movie revolves around an elaborate bank heist on Wall Street over a period of 24 hours. The cast of the film includes Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Christopher Plummer and Willem Dafoe. The movie is available to stream on Netflix.

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Image credits: Screengrab from the song, Chaiyya Chaiyaa and the movie Inside Man