KOCHI: The pandemic has forced all of us to stay at home, fighting monotony and boredom. Amid this ordeal, Neeraj Madhav’s indie rap track ‘Pani Paali’ stands out as a streak of quirkiness that has taken social media by storm. Thanks to Neeraj, Malayalis, old and young, has a new earworm to groove to. Even health workers and doctors are joining hi, uploading their videos for the ‘dance challenge’. One video, of a medic, donning a PPE kit and grooving to the tune, has gone viral.
28-year old Dr Shruthi Tampe, a PG medico working at a government hospital in Mumbai now involved in active Covid-19 duty, could not hold herself back when she heard ‘Pani Paali’. The video was quite relaxing to watch. Once you get the hang of the song, it sticks to you. Ever since the pandemic hit, we have been spending seven days at work, followed by seven days of institutional quarantine. It is during one of those quarantine days that I came across the song. Since I love dancing, I decided to try out the challenge posted by Neeraj,” said Shruti, who belongs to Pune.
The video which was released only two weeks back and has crossed 7.4M views. “I love dancing, though I never really got a chance to formally train. Being locked up in my hotel room gave me free time,” she said. Shruti also added that she is still clueless about the lyrics. “I do not see Malayalam movies but I have a friend from the state. I have never come across Neeraj’s movies but I had seen his web series ‘The Family Man’,” said Shruti.
When the video was uploaded, actor Neeraj Madhav had no idea that it was going to take social media by storm. “I wanted to explore the hip-hop genre and do something to connect with people during the lockdown. I finished the lyrics overnight in one bout of inspiration,” said Neeraj. “My video being able to reach out to people, especially the healthcare workers, has really made me happy. I am planning to release more videos in this genre,” said Neeraj.