Netizens have called out striking visual similarities between the new Body Roll music video and the acclaimed 2022 Netflix animated episode ‘Jibaro, from Alberto Mielgo’s ‘Love, Death + Robots’ Season 3. Just days after its release, the music video for ‘Body Roll’, a new collaboration between dancer-actress Nora Fatehi and rapper Honey Singh, has landed in controversy. While the video crossed 2 million views on YouTube within hours of its Saturday drop, a growing number of viewers have accused it of being a direct visual lift from ‘Jibaro’, a critically acclaimed episode from Netflix’s animated anthology series ‘Love, Death + Robots’. The internet is not mincing words with comments ranging from “inspired by” to “full-fledged copy.”
What happens in the ‘Body Roll’ music video?
The ‘Body Roll’ video opens on a man dressed in medieval-style clothing, running through a forest toward a shimmering lake. As he stoops to drink water, the camera reveals he is draped in jewellery and bears tattoos across his body. He is then stunned by the sight of a woman, Nora Fatehi, rising out of the lake in an elaborate gold costume with ornate headgear, looking every bit like a supernatural siren. The scene transitions into a dance sequence featuring Nora with backup dancers. The dreamlike, lush visual palette drew immediate comparisons to a very specific piece of content fans had seen before.
What is ‘Jibaro’ and why are people comparing the two?
‘Jibaro’ is the ninth and final episode of Season 3 of Netflix’s ‘Love, Death + Robots’, which premiered in 2022. Directed by the Oscar-winning animator Alberto Mielgo and running approximately 17 minutes, the episode follows the only surviving conquistador of a group ambushed deep in the Amazon jungle. His downfall comes courtesy of a supernatural siren-like entity, dressed entirely in gold, adorned in jewels who emerges from a forest lake. The Conquistador himself is covered in tattoos and piercings. The episode received near-universal acclaim for its painterly visual style and immersive storytelling and is widely considered one of the standout works of modern animation.The parallels viewers drew between ‘Body Roll’ and ‘Jibaro’ were not subtle: a jewel-clad golden woman rising from a forest lake, a tattooed male figure drawn to her, and an identical lush, ethereal atmosphere. These were the entire visual foundation of the opening sequences for both.
Internet reactions to ‘Body Roll’
The comparisons ignited almost the moment the video went live. Content creator Filmy Sonia posted a side-by-side comparison reel on Instagram on Sunday that went viral, drawing even more attention to the alleged similarities.On YouTube, one commenter wrote: “It’s giving ‘Jibaro’ from Love, Death and Robots… But love the twist!!!” Another was more direct: “The visuals are copied from Love, Death and Robots from Netflix.”A third simply declared: “Copy cats can’t create original.” Another commented, “It’s called stolen. Not inspired.”Instagram users were equally blunt. One comment below the video on Nora Fatehi’s fficial handle read, “Orignal banao netflix sab dekhate hai aj kal”“I just saw the teaser, and I felt like it isn’t this Jibaro? And it sure was a full-fledged copy,” read one comment on Filmy Sonia’s post. While some commenters attempted to soften the criticism by using the word “inspired,” others pushed back firmly. “Calling something ‘inspired’ is hard to digest when Bollywood has a history of copying,” one user wrote. “It really makes me mad when original art is copied with no credits given. And to what extent can you be inspired so as to copy the whole sequence??”Neither Nora Fatehi, Honey Singh, nor their production teams have issued a public statement acknowledging or crediting Jibaro as a reference or inspiration at the time of writing.
All about ‘Love, Death + Robots’ and the ‘Jibaro’ episode
‘Love, Death + Robots’ is a Netflix animated anthology series created by Tim Miller (‘Deadpool’) and executive produced by David Fincher. Each episode is a standalone short film, usually an adaptation of a science fiction, horror, or fantasy short story and the series has won multiple Emmy Awards since its debut in 2019. The show is known for pushing the boundaries of animation, with episodes ranging in style from photorealistic CGI to hand-drawn 2D.‘Jibaro’, directed by Alberto Mielgo who previously won an Academy Award for his Pixar short ‘The Windshield Wiper’, is widely regarded as one of the finest pieces of animation produced in the streaming era. Girvan ‘Swirv’ Bramble lent his talents to the titular role. The episode has no dialogue, telling its entire story through movement, music, and visuals which makes the comparison to Body Roll’s opening sequence all the more pointed for those who recognise it.
About Nora Fatehi and Honey Singh
Nora Fatehi is a Canadian-Moroccan actor and dancer who rose to fame in India through her appearances in Bollywood dance numbers like ‘Dilbar’, ‘Garmi’, and ‘Naach Meri Rani’. Honey Singh is one of India’s most commercially successful rappers, responsible for chart-topping numbers across two decades. Body Roll marks their first collaboration, and despite the controversy, the video’s view count continues to climb, suggesting the controversy itself may be driving traffic.
