In Lal Jose's Velipadinte Pustakam, students of a college erupt in celebration when they manage to get an obnoxious teacher suspended. The gang of boys, to irk their rivals, break into a dance to the catchy track, 'Entammede Jimmikikammal....' to rejoice over their victory.
Well, the viral track has not just had the entire state grooving to it but has managed to create a buzz beyond the borders, too. While the social media is out celebrating the foot-tapping number, even
American talk show host Jimmy Kimmel couldn't help but love it.
As Entammede Jimikki Kammal.... goes viral, here is what the brains behind the song have to say about it
The composition
Music director Shaan Rahman says when the team first made him listen to the first two lines, Entammede jimikki kammal Entappan kattondu poye ... Entappante brandy kuppi Entamma kudichu theerthe...., he knew this was a winner. He says: "Lal Jose wanted to replace it with rhyming lines, but I suggested why not retain it. The verses are quite popular in the coastal areas and it has a certain warmth and rustic charm to it. I told Lal Jose that it would be best if lyricist Anil Panachooran pens the remaining lines with the same wacky flavour. The team loved my composition and we knew this was going to be a hit," he adds.
With Vineeth Sreenivasan's and Ranjith's vocals and actor Sarath Kumar's energetic moves, Jimikki Kamal went on to shatter records within hours of its release. It has amassed over 12 million views on You Tube so far.
The 'anybody can dance' factor
While we go gaga over its peppy tune and funky moves, the song's choreographer Prasanna Sujit, aka Prasanna Master, thinks the unique marketing strategy helped its popularity in a big way. "After choreographing the song, the team sought my suggestions on how to market the song. That's when the idea of dance covers popped up. We decided to ask people to come up with their own versions of Jimikki Kammal. We did expect a few entries but were amazed by the response. I did share the best ones on my Facebook page. I hear that the video of the Indian School of Commerce has gone viral now in Chennai. I saw it and it was awesome," says Prasanna.
He says the "anybody can dance factor" helped Jimikki Kammal. "Though it might seem otherwise, choreographing for Jimikki Kammal.. was a bit strenuous. That was because there were no trained background dancers. It was the actors themselves who grooved to the number. And, none of them were trained dancers. So, the signature steps had to be simple. In fact, I noticed that almost every video has the same steps. That is because they were easily doable, " adds Prasanna.
Sarath (actor)
While I signed up to play Franklin in Velipadinte Pustakam, Lal Jose sir had told me about the song and how I would be leading it. So, I was kind of prepared. Prasanna Master taught me everything. I was blown away by the response the track garnered. I think Vineeth Sreenivasan's voice just suited me fine and there was a sync between my moves and his voice.