‘Romance’ by Baalti and Lapgan uses Indian akhadas to explore forms of male intimacy and physical affection that exist outside Western ideas of masculinity and homohysteria. Moving through scenes of wrestlers training, bathing, and living together, the music video reframes romance as softness, fraternity, and touch between men, while the track itself closes out Threads, the artists’ collaborative album built from archival South Asian samples, bass-heavy club production, dub textures, and psychedelic songwriting influences.
Fellas, is it gay to hold hands with your bros? Nope, not in this country. Over the last few years, social media has been flooded with ironic homoerotic humour between straight men in the West. TikToks, memes, and jokes built around fake flirting, staged near-kisses, and ideas like “there’s nothing gayer than a group of straight guys” have given them a way to mock rigid masculinity and homophobia online. A lot of this humour comes from cultures where physical affection between men is still heavily policed or read through suspicion and ‘homohysteria’ — a term used to describe the fear of being perceived as gay because of gender non-conforming behaviour.
In India, though, men holding hands, leaning on each other, sharing beds, or walking arm-in-arm have existed openly in public life for decades without automatically being tied to sexuality. British photographer Vincent Dolman even built an entire photo series around seeing Indian men hold hands casually in public, something he described as rare in England. “For them, it’s indicative of friendship and connection,” he said while documenting the phenomenon across India.
The same physical intimacy takes centre stage in Baalti & Lapgan’s new music video for ‘Romance’, directed by Kevin Rathod. Shot inside real Indian akhadas, the video moves through scenes of wrestlers training, grappling, bathing, stretching, and living together, drawing attention to forms of male intimacy that exist openly within these spaces without being sexualised. Paired against the song’s theme, the video re-contextualises 'romance' as a celebration of soft, fraternal connection, pushing the boundaries of healthy masculinity and its expression.
“Pehelwans in our culture represent the ultimate form of cis masculinity. So, it’s really fun to flip that with this juxtaposition. Male intimacy in India can be expressed very differently to the West. It's common to see men holding hands in public, and that’s not perceived as romantic. Touch is not stigmatized in the same way. Akhada vignettes express this sentiment beautifully.”Balti & Lapgan
‘Romance’ closes out ‘Threads,’ as the last track from the new collaborative album from the artists. The record emerged from a psychedelic songwriting retreat in the California desert in early 2024 and pulls together archival Indian and Pakistani samples, bass-heavy club production, dub textures, and hip-hop loop structures. Across the album, both artists move through decades of South Asian sonic memory, playing with the sounds while preserving its regional character.
Follow Balti here, Lapgan here, listen to the album below and watch the music video for 'Romance' at the top of the page.
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