Dehradun college students dance to Ooh La La on Teachers' Day, video sparks backlash

A Teachers’ Day celebration at JB Institute of Technology (JBIT) in Dehradun has gone viral after a video from the event showed four students dancing to a song from the 2011 film, The Dirty Picture. The performance was criticised by users online as inappropriate for an academic function.

The viral video showed four girls performing to the song Ooh La La, Tu Hai Meri Fantasy from the Vidya Balan and Emraan Hashmi-starrer film. As the students danced on stage, others were seen cheering and whistling to the performance.

The dance took place during an academic excellence award ceremony organised as part of the institute’s Teachers’ Day celebrations, with a poster of former President Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan visible in the background. Teachers’ Day is observed on September 5 to commemorate Dr Radhakrishnan’s birth anniversary.

The performance was deemed disrespectful because it took place in front of his portrait during the commemorative event.

The choice of song, however, became the focus of criticism after footage from the event was shared on social media platforms including Instagram and Facebook.

Watch the video here:

Against that backdrop, several social media users questioned whether a suggestive song associated with an adult-themed film was appropriate for a formal academic event.

Critics described the performance as a lewd gesture in front of an audience gathered to commemorate teachers and honour academic achievement. The presence of students cheering during the performance also became part of the online discussion.

The incident has once again triggered a wider conversation around cultural performances at schools and colleges, particularly over how institutions decide what is appropriate for events attended by students, teachers and guests.

A clarification has been issued regarding the incident from the institute as well. "It has been noticed that the news regarding a song performance during the Teachers' Day celebration on 5th September 2026 in JBIT was prominently highlighted on public platforms as disrespect of the occasion. However, this performance was not duly approved (as per minute-to-minute program list) by the competent authority and was initiated by a student committee without prior consent. It occurred after the scheduled closure of the programme and was immediately stopped when noticed," the statement read.

"We as a teaching fraternity understand the sanctity of this celestial and worthy occasion to commemorate and pay tribute to the eminent philosopher, teacher, statesman and former President of India, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan. There was no intention whatsoever on the part of the students or faculty members to disrespect or undermine the sanctity of this auspicious occasion. Also, the JBIT does not promote such kinds of performances on its official stage. Further, an inquiry was conducted, and appropriate action has been initiated against those found responsible, as per the recommendations of the committee," it added.

In August, a similar performance by students was stopped by a professor at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Durgapur.

The professor objected to the group of students dancing to Chikni Chameli during a freshers’ induction programme, questioning whether the performance had been approved by their faculty advisors.