Dua Lipa turned a family wedding into her own viral dance floor moment—and Indian fans immediately thought of Bobby Deol.
The pop star attended her cousin’s wedding in Kosovo over the weekend and shared photos and videos from what she called a “big Albanian wedding.” One clip shows Lipa dancing comfortably with a glass balanced on her head while relatives clap and join the celebration.
For anyone who watched Animal, the visual was impossible to miss.
Bobby Deol’s entrance as Abrar Haque became one of the film’s biggest viral moments after he danced to “Jamal Kudu” with a glass balanced on his head. The step subsequently became an internet trend recreated at parties, award shows and weddings.
So when Lipa performed a remarkably similar balancing act, social media users quickly drew the connection.
Dua Lipa was actually celebrating an Albanian tradition
There is one important difference, however: Lipa does not appear to have been deliberately recreating the Animal choreography.
The wedding celebrated her cousin and his bride in Kosovo, and Lipa was taking part in traditional Albanian festivities alongside her family, including her father Dukagjin Lipa. Reports from the celebration note that she has performed the same glass-balancing dance before, including in a 2023 video set to Albanian music.
That makes the viral comparison a fun coincidence rather than a confirmed Bollywood tribute.
Lipa looked completely at ease during the routine, moving through the dance without reaching up to steady the glass while people around her cheered. She wore a black dress with an open back and feather detailing for the celebration.
Her Instagram post later confirmed that the event was her cousin’s wedding, with Lipa writing that her cousin had married “the woman of his dreams” and celebrating the family’s growing circle.
Why everyone immediately thought of Bobby Deol
The comparison makes sense because Bobby’s Animal step has taken on a life far beyond the movie.
The actor previously explained that the movement itself was improvised. While filming Abrar’s wedding entrance, he remembered childhood visits to Punjab where men at celebrations would place glasses or bottles on their heads while dancing. He tried the idea during the scene, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga liked it, and the move became one of Animal’s most recognizable images.
Interestingly, the two moments therefore have something in common beyond the glass.
Both grew out of wedding traditions rather than formal choreography.
Bobby turned a memory from Punjabi celebrations into a Bollywood hook step. Lipa was simply enjoying an Albanian family wedding when cameras captured a very similar party trick.
The internet did the rest.
Dua Lipa looked more like a guest than a global pop star
Perhaps that is why the clip has travelled so widely.
There is no stage production, elaborate choreography or pop-star performance in the footage. Lipa is simply in the middle of a family celebration, dancing with relatives and looking far more interested in the party than in performing for cameras.
That relaxed energy prompted fans to describe her as the kind of celebrity who would be the “coolest party guest” to have at a wedding.
And while Indian viewers may forever associate a glass-on-the-head dance with Bobby Deol and “Jamal Kudu,” Dua Lipa’s viral moment has a different origin.
She wasn’t necessarily channeling Abrar Haque.
She just happened to arrive at the same very effective wedding move.
