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Bhangra and Bollywood
One of the most common mistakes in the world of Punjabi music is treating bhangra and Bollywood as the same thing. They are not, and the difference is worth understanding.
Two traditions
Bhangra is Punjabi. It is a folk dance and a music style that grew from the Punjab region and its diaspora.
Bollywood is the popular name for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai. It produces films and film music in a huge variety of styles. It is an industry, not a folk tradition.
They are different in origin, language, purpose and community. One is a dance culture that belongs to a people. The other is a film business that serves a vast audience.
Why they get mixed up
They overlap because they meet in the cinema. Bollywood films often include a "Punjabi song", a bhangra-style number with dhol and a wedding scene, because the sound is energetic and loved by audiences. A song can start in a Punjabi studio, move into a film, and become a dance-floor hit worldwide. So a person who first hears the music in a film may genuinely believe it is "Bollywood music".
There is also a quieter reason. In the West, "Indian" is often used as one big box. Bhangra, Bollywood, classical dance, regional folk dances and religious music all end up in that box, and the box gets one name. The more specific each tradition is, the less it fits.
Why it matters
It matters for credit. If a Punjabi singer or producer made the track, calling it "Bollywood" erases them. It matters for accuracy. Someone who has learned a film-style choreography is not necessarily learning Punjabi folk dance. And it matters for people. Many Punjabis are tired of having their culture renamed by others, however kindly. Being specific is a small courtesy.
A fair note on the borrowing
None of this means that borrowing is bad. Film songs have introduced millions of people to Punjabi music. Many Punjabi artists work in film, and many film musicians draw on Punjabi sounds. The goal is not to wall the traditions off from each other. It is to name them correctly and credit the people who made them.
The practical rule is easy: if you are playing a track, know who made it, what language it is in and what tradition it comes from. If you do not know, find out before the next class.