Why This Kolaveri Di

Why This Kolaveri Di

"Why This Kolaveri Di"
"Why This Kolaveri Di" cover Song by Dhanush from the album 3 Released Format Recorded Language Length Label Writer Composer Producer 16 November 2011 Digital download 2011 at AM Studios, Chennai Tanglish 4:09 Sony Music Dhanush Anirudh Ravichander Anirudh Ravichander

Music video "Why This Kolaveri Di" [1] on YouTube

"Why This Kolaveri Di" (English: Why This Murderous Rage, Girl?[2]) is a Tamil song from the soundtrack of the Tamil film 3, which was released on 30, March 2012. Written and sung by Dhanush, the song was composed by music director Anirudh Ravichander. A downtempo gaana song, "Why This Kolaveri Di" has been built around a South Indian folk rhythm. Its instrumentation consists of nadaswaram, shehnai, saxophone, urumee and thavil drums, acoustic guitar, and keyboards mixed with electronic synths and scratches. The vocals utilize the singing style of Tamil folk culture. Lyrically, the song revolves around the film's main actor being dumped by his girlfriend; the song is sung by the character in a drunken state, with many of the lines nonsensical. The song was officially released on 16 November 2011 and instantly became viral on social networking sites for its quirky "Tanglish" (portmanteau word of Tamil and English) lyrics.[3] Soon, the song became the most searched YouTube video in India and an internet phenomenon across Asia.[4][5][6][7] Within a few weeks, YouTube honoured the video with a '"Recently Most Popular" Gold Medal award and "Trending" silver medal award for receiving a large number of hits in a short time.[8][9]

Creation
According to composer Anirudh Ravichander, 3's director Aishwarya Rajinikanth Dhanush wanted a "light-hearted" song about failed love. Ravichander quickly composed the tune in about 10 minutes.[7] Dhanush then began work on the lyrics, which he completed in about 20 minutes of playful singing and writing.[10] The first line he sang was "Why This Kolaveri?" which means "Why do you have this murderous rage against me?" The question, however, is not intended seriously.[7] In a party to The Times of India, Dhanush said: "When I was writing down the lyrics, I kept in mind all the English words that are used in the Tamil vocabulary. Words like I, you, me, how, why, cow. I just framed them into sentences and thats how I came up with the song."[11] Dhanush sang the song in broken English, as a Tamil person might if his knowledge of English was limited. The song is also called a 'Soup' song, where 'Soup' is a colloquial Tamil word which refers to young men experiencing failure in their romantic relationships.[7]

Why This Kolaveri Di The song was recorded at A. R. Rahman's AM Studios in Chennai. After an early version of the song was leaked to the internet, its creators noticed its popularity and decided to go for an official release.[10][12]

Composition
A downtempo gaana song, "Why This Kolaveri Di" has been built around an ancient south Indian folk rhythm using ancient folk instruments. He used the nadaswaram, shehnai, saxophone and other instruments such as the urumee and thavil drums, acoustic guitar, keyboards mixed with electronic synths and scratches.[7] The vocals utilize the singing style of Tamil folk culture. The composer wanted the song's instrumentation to become more layered as the song progressed, ending in a crescendo.[7] The words of the song are in a simple form of Tanglish, a mixture of Tamil and English. The singer is presented as an Indian boy whose girlfriend has rejected him. He is drunk as he sings, asking why she hurt him this way.[6][10] The words have been described as "nonsensical" by some and an evocation of "Tamil street humour".[6] Dhanush has said that the simple colloquial words used help make the song something that "people can relate to".[13]

Music video
The music video features Dhanush singing the song at AM studios, accompanied by composer Anirudh on a keyboard. His co-star Shruti Haasan and the director of 3, Aishwarya Rajinikanth are seen listening in the background. The video was recorded by Abinandhan Ramanujam[14][15] The video of the song in the film, 3, was filmed in a set made to replicate the crowded shopping street of Chennai Marina beach. The video featured Dhanush and Sunder Ramu along with other extras singing the song, while Shruti Haasan makes an appearance towards the end of the video.

Release and reception

Upon release, the hashtag #kolaveri topped the Indian trends in Twitter on the evening of 21 November 2011. Within a week of the official release of the video, it received more than 3.5 million views on YouTube, more than 1 million shares on Facebook, while trending in India on Twitter the whole time. The song is also a hit among non-Tamils, apparently due to the Tanglish lyrics.[13][15][16] By 30 November 2011, it had more than 10,500,000 YouTube views.[17] By the start of 2012, it had crossed 30 million YouTube views.[18] The song and versions of it account for more than 50 million of YouTube's total views.[19] The song became the top downloaded song on mobile with 2,10,000 downloads within the first 18 days of release.[20] On 24 November 2011, this song became the first Tamil film song to premier on MTV India.[21] Imitations and parodies of this song have been created, including versions in different Indian languages, a female version, and versions about current events at that time, such as the Sharad Pawar slapping incident.[22][23] Its rapid spread to nightclubs and discos in Tokyo, Japan were reported soon after release, and a viral video of Japanese women dancing to it spread soon afterwards.[24] Police officers in India used versions of the song and its title to combat road rage and encourage bike riders to wear helmets. The popularity of the song was also reported by international media like BBC and Time magazine, who attributed its major crossover world appeal to its universal theme, catchy tune and unique lyrics.[6][25] Top business schools like Indian Institutes of Management conducted studies to figure out the popularity of this song.[20] The song has inspired flashmobs in Chennai, Mumbai and Auckland, New Zealand. The song was performed live by Dhanush in his first-ever live performance at the 2011 BIG Star Entertainment Awards.[26] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh invited Dhanush for the dinner party along with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in his New Delhi residence, India.[27] The political parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Indian National Congress plan to use variants of the song in their campaigns for 2012 assembly elections.[28][29][30]

Why This Kolaveri Di Kolaveri Di also echoed at Beating, the Retreat ceremony (a ceremony which is a part of Republic Day celebrations in India).[31]

Criticism
Javed Akhtar, a poet, lyricist and scriptwriter predominantly working in Bollywood, slammed the song for its insult to sensibility.[32] In April 2012, a petition was filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a ban on the song citing negative influence on children, claiming to inciting violence and aggression.[33]

Cover and parody versions

Ankit Love

"Why This Kolaveri Di"

Singleby Ankit Love featuring Amit Bhojwani Released Format Recorded Genre Length Label Producer 15 March 2012 Digital Download Quince Studios Hip Hop/Rap, Dance 3:43 Kali Arc Matt Walters Ankit Love chronology [34]

"Beethoven Burst" (2011)

"Why This Kolaveri Di" (2012) Music video

"Why This Kolaveri Di"

[35]

on YouTube

Shortly after achieving a No.1 hit on MTV Hive with his last single "Beethoven Burst"[36] Ankit Love released a rap/dance cover version of "Why This Kolaveri Di" on March 15, 2012 through iTunes.[34] This version features rapper Amit Bhojwani and guest stars the Latvian actress Egija Zviedre. Love's version of the music video was shared on Twitter by several prominent personalties including film actors Preity Zinta,[37] Parineeti Chopra,[38] and Jennifer Kotwal,[39] as well as MTV VJ Anusha Dandekar,[40] billionaire heir and director of IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sidhartha Mallya,[41] MSNBC journalist David Weigel,[42] Cairo correspondent for The National, Bradley Hope[43] and the Argentine pro footballer Nick Gindre. In February it was also played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi during the England vs. Pakistan match.[44] Arjun Coomaraswamy An R&B version by Arjun Coomaraswamy was uploaded on YouTube December 10, 2011 and received 1.5 million views within a week.[45] Nevaan Nigam A "milk version" of the song by Sonu Nigam's son became popular on YouTube, and was acknowledged by actor Dhanush, who stated "I'm in love with Nevaan Nigam's version of Kolaveri Di. Great idea Sonu Nigam". A feature of this version was to replace the word 'scotch' with 'milk'.[46]

Why This Kolaveri Di

References
[1] https:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=YR12Z8f1Dh8 [2] "'Soup is a colloquial Tamil word used for guys who go through failure in love'" (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ movies/ slide-show/ slide-show-1-south-interview-with-anirudh-ravichander/ 20111128. htm). 28 November 2011. Rediff.com. . Retrieved 28 November 2011. [3] Marur, Deeksha (21 November 2011). "Kolaveri Di goes viral" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ entertainment/ regional/ news-interviews/ Kolaveri-Di-goes-viral/ articleshow/ 10804248. cms). Times of India. . Retrieved 21 November 2011. [4] "Kolaveri is the most searched video" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2011-11-20/ news-interviews/ 30421962_1_youtube-video-dhanush-tamil-nadu). Times of India. 21 November 2011. . Retrieved 23 November 2011. [5] "Danush's '3 - Why this kolaveri di' a smashing hit Video" (http:/ / www. kollyinsider. com/ 2011/ 11/ danushs-3-why-this-kolaveri-di-smashing. html). KollyInsider. 19 November 2011. . Retrieved 19 November 2011. [6] Ramadurai, Charukesi (24 November 2011). "Tamil 'nonsense' film song goes viral in India" (http:/ / www. bbc. co. uk/ news/ world-asia-india-15867340). BBC. . Retrieved 10 December 2011. [7] "Here's how the Kolaveri Di song happened!" (http:/ / www. rediff. com/ movies/ slide-show/ slide-show-1-south-interview-with-anirudh-ravichander/ 20111128. htm). Rediff.com. 28 November 2011. . Retrieved 28 December 2011. [8] "Kolaveri bags YouTube Gold Award" (http:/ / shows4. com/ bollywood/ archives/ 5489), Shows Bollywood website, 7 December 2011, [9] "Kolaveri bags YouTube Gold Award" (http:/ / www. sify. com/ movies/ kolaveri-bags-youtube-gold-award-news-news-lmhmfCidgif. html?scategory=tamil). 7 December 2011. Sify. . Retrieved 7 December 2011. [10] Kamath, Sudhish (23 November 2011). "Why this Why this Kolaveri?" (http:/ / www. thehindu. com/ arts/ cinema/ article2650957. ece). The Hindu. . Retrieved 29 November 3511. [11] "Dhanush: expected 'Kolaveri di' to become such a rage" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ entertainment/ regional/ news-interviews/ Dhanush-Never-expected-Kolaveri-di-to-become-such-a-rage/ articleshow/ 10918283. cms). The Times of India. 29 November 2011. . Retrieved 29 November 2011. [12] Ramanujam, Srinivasa (11 November 2011). "'3' songs leaked!" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2011-11-11/ news-interviews/ 30394308_1_song-richa-gangopadhyay-national-award-winning-actor). Times of India. . Retrieved 21 November 2011. [13] "Kolaveri Di: Tamil actor Dhanush's studio rendering of bathroom crooning becomes a global rage" (http:/ / economictimes. indiatimes. com/ news/ news-by-industry/ media/ entertainment-/ entertainment/ kolaveri-di-tamil-actor-dhanushs-studio-rendering-of-bathroom-crooning-becomes-a-global-rage/ articleshow/ 10837167. cms?google_editors_picks=true). The Economic Times. 23 November 2011. . Retrieved 23 November 2011. [14] "Why this Kolaveri Di?" (http:/ / www. sify. com/ movies/ why-this-kolaveri-di-news-news-llrqDjdgbhg. html). Sify. 17 November 2011. . Retrieved 21 November 2011. [15] "Kolaveri di song goes viral on Net" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ tech/ news/ internet/ Kolaveri-di-song-goes-viral-on-Net/ articleshow/ 10854394. cms). The Times of India. 24 November 2011. . Retrieved 24 November 2011. [16] "The Kolaveri Di phenomenon" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ entertainment/ regional/ news-interviews/ The-Kolaveri-Di-phenomenon/ articleshow/ 10839235. cms). The Times of India. 23 November 2011. . Retrieved 23 November 2011. [17] Indo-Asian News Service (30 November 2011), "Kolaveri Di crosses 10-million mark" (http:/ / www. hindustantimes. com/ Entertainment/ RegionalFlavours/ Kolaveri-Di-crosses-10-million-mark/ Article1-775973. aspx), Hindustan Times, [18] Kolaveri Di crosses 30-million mark (http:/ / currentaffairsquiz. com/ currentaffairsmonthwise/ kolaveri-di-records-30-million-views-sung-by-dhanush), 1 January 2012, [19] ""'Kolaveri' - 2011's top song" says CNN (US) ! - Tamil Movie News" (http:/ / www. indiaglitz. com/ channels/ tamil/ article/ 76020. html). IndiaGlitz. 31 August 2011. . Retrieved 29 December 2011. [20] Singh, Renu (Dec 10, 2011). "B-schools hit by the Dhanush's Kolaveri di attack" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ entertainment/ music/ news-and-interviews/ B-schools-hit-by-the-Dhanushs-Kolaveri-di-attack/ articleshow/ 11047535. cms). Times of India. . Retrieved 10 December 2011. [21] Kolaveri becomes youth anthem (http:/ / www. ndtv. com/ article/ regional/ kolaveri-becomes-youth-anthem-152897), NDTV, 25 November 2011, , retrieved 28 November 2011 [22] "Top 10 Versions of 'Kolaveri Di' Song" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ videols/ 11044508. cms). Times of India. Dec 9, 2011. . Retrieved 10 December 2011. [23] Deepa Kurup, Why this kolaveri di' is India's coming of age (http:/ / www. thehindu. com/ news/ states/ karnataka/ article2684595. ece), The Hindu, 4 December 2011 [24] "Im trying to forget the Kolaveri Di craze: Actor-singer Dhanush Entertainment DNA" (http:/ / www. dnaindia. com/ entertainment/ report_im-trying-to-forget-the-kolaveri-di-craze-actor-singer-dhanush_1619276). Daily News and Analysis. 2011-11-30. . Retrieved 2011-12-29. [25] Jackson, Joe (November 30, 2011). "Nonsensical, Semi-English Music Video Goes Viral in India" (http:/ / newsfeed. time. com/ 2011/ 11/ 30/ nonsensical-semi-english-music-video-goes-viral-in-india/ ). Time. . Retrieved 10 December 2011. [26] "Stars at Big Star Entertainment Awards" (http:/ / timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ entertainment/ bollywood/ news-interviews/ Stars-at-Big-Star-Entertainment-Awards/ articleshow/ 11144419. cms). The Times of India. 18 December 2011. . Retrieved 18 December 2011.

Why This Kolaveri Di

[27] "Dhanush invited by the Indian Prime Minister for the dinner" (http:/ / behindwoods. com/ tamil-movie-news-1/ dec-11-04/ dhanush-kolaveri-27-12-11. html). Behindwoods.com. 27 December 2011. . Retrieved 28 December 2011. [28] TNN, Renu Singh (18 January 2012). "Congress to adopt Kolaveri Di as campaign theme" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2012-01-18/ news-and-interviews/ 30636064_1_theme-song-dhanush-s-kolaveri-di-copyright). Times of India. . Retrieved 22 January 2012. [29] "Goa polls: BJP uses 'Kolaveri Di' for campaign" (http:/ / indiatoday. intoday. in/ story/ goa-polls-bjp-uses-kolaveri-di-for-campaign/ 1/ 169981. html). India Today. 21 January 2012. . Retrieved 22 January 2012. [30] BJP's campaign jingle to use 'Kolaveri Di' tunes (http:/ / economictimes. indiatimes. com/ news/ politics/ nation/ bjps-campaign-jingle-to-use-kolaveri-di-tunes/ articleshow/ 11622426. cms), Economic Times, 25 January 2012 [31] 'Kolaveri Di' to echo at Beating the Retreat ceremony (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2012-01-29/ bhopal/ 30675477_1_retreat-ceremony-chief-guest-music-tunes), The Times of India, 29 January 2012 [32] "Javed Akhtar slams Kolaveri Di" (http:/ / www. hindustantimes. com/ Entertainment/ RegionalFlavours/ Javed-Akhtar-slams-Kolaveri-Di/ Article1-776973. aspx). Hindustan Times (Mumbai). 3 December 2011. . Retrieved 2 June 2012. [33] Saifuddin, Yousuf (2012-04-04). "Why this Kolaveri di?: Petitioner seeks ban on 'epic' song" (http:/ / tribune. com. pk/ story/ 359682/ why-this-kolaveri-di-indian-court-bans-epic-song-in-state/ ). Kerala: The Express Tribune. . Retrieved 5 April 2012. [34] "Why this Kolaveri Di (feat. Amit Bhojwani) - single by Ankit Love" (http:/ / itunes. apple. com/ album/ why-this-kolaveri-di-feat. / id510654334). iTunes. March 15, 2012. . Retrieved March 15, 2012. [35] https:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ [36] Lauziniece, Laura (February 21, 2012). "Latvieu Modele - MTV klipa zvaigzne (Latvian Model - star of MTV video) (page 15)" (http:/ / www. manizurnali. lv/ flash/ 207370/ / ). Privt Dzve (Santa). . Retrieved February 25, 2012. [37] Zinta, Preity (February 10, 2012) "Its amazing how the Kolaveri Di fever still continues. A friend sent me dis http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ. Nice :-) what say u guys ?" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ realpreityzinta/ status/ 168120076946518016) Twitter.com [38] Chopra, Parineeti (February 9, 2012) "Awesome stuff! http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ ParineetiChopra/ status/ 167655563558268929) Twitter.com [39] Kotwal, Jennifer (February 10, 2012) "Heard n'its gr8! Do chk out my mate Amit's remix " (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ JenniferKotwal/ status/ 167951438926974977) Twitter.com [40] Dandekar, Anusha (February 9, 2012) "Ok!"@swatioa: http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ @Amit_bhojwani Guys you must watch this remix of 'Kolaveri D' by my very dear friend. Super talented!#FB" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ VJAnusha/ status/ 167574887169409025) Twitter.com [41] Mallya, Sidhartha (February 9, 2012) "Check out this remix of 'Kolaveri Di' by my main man @Amit_bhojwani http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ enjoy peeps!!" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ sidharthamallya/ status/ 167455720609030144) Twitter.com [42] Love, Ankit (February 9, 2012) "@daveweigel 1,000 views on it's 1st day. A brand new version of #KolaverDi http:/ / youtu. be/ ConiyhtSScQ" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ Love_Galactic/ status/ 167405023775567874) Twitter.com [43] Hope, Bradley (February 9, 2012) "Former high school friends up to strange and interesting things @Amit_bhojwani and @Love_Galactic http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=ConiyhtSScQ" (https:/ / twitter. com/ #!/ bradleyhope/ status/ 167938722627719168) Twitter.com [44] "New Take On "Why This Kolaveri Di" By Rock Star, Ankit Love & Amit Bhojwani Is Tweeted By Film Star Preity Zinta" (http:/ / top40-charts. com/ news. php?nid=75351). pt:Top40-Charts.com. February 14, 2012. . Retrieved February 25, 2012. [45] Tharany, R. (December 22, 2011). "Why this Kolaveri Di?" (http:/ / www. asiantribune. com/ news/ 2011/ 12/ 22/ why-kolaveri-di). Asian Tribune. . Retrieved March 15, 2012. [46] "Sonu Nigam's son sings Kolaveri Di, Dhanush impressed" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2011-12-06/ news-and-interviews/ 30481552_1_sonu-nigam-soup-song-madhurima). Times of India (Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.). December 6, 2011. . Retrieved March 15, 2012.

External links
Why This Kolaveri Di (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YR12Z8f1Dh8) on YouTube (by Sony Music India) Why This Kolaveri Di is trending (https://twitter.com/search/#WhyThisKolaveriDi) at Twitter Trends

Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

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