Singer Chinmayi Sripada finds herself at the centre of attention for her stirring rendition of the song ‘Mutha Mazhai’ at the recent Thug Life audio launch. Her performance has ignited a social media frenzy, with fans demanding its inclusion in the film and drawing comparisons to Dhee's original version. Chinmayi, however, has quelled the debate, emphasising artistic camaraderie over competition.
Addressing the latest surge in popularity and the ensuing comparisons in an interview with The Hindu, Chinmayi articulated her perspective. Describing it as a regular on-stage rendition of an original song, she said that it is not something she has done for the first time, citing her prior versions of KS Chithra and S Janaki’s songs. Chinmayi also emphasised that she sang the Tamil version of the song at the audio launch of Thug Life due to the absence of its original singer, Dhee.
Chinmayi then addressed the comparisons, expressing her discomfort. She said that Thug Life makers must have chosen Dhee for a ‘quirky’ version of the song. She then described Dhee’s musical expression as being inimitable and called the comparison between their versions of the song unnecessary. “It feels like we are part of a wrestling match that we did not sign up for,” said the ‘Tere Bina’ singer. She underscored the mutual respect prevalent among artists and even extended an apology to Dhee for the comparisons.