KOCHI: Ninte nunakuzhi kandappo
Adivayattil manjulla raathri
Ninte chiri athu kandappo
Ayyayyo nenjiloru aadhi.”
A dimple. A smile. A small catastrophe in the innards.
That’s the spell ‘Kalyani’ cast.
It was not just another viral song. Its Malayalam lyrics
travelled across states, playlists and social media feeds, carried as much by melody as meaning. Many listeners did not understand every word, yet instinctively understood the emotion.
Released in November 2025, Kalyani — the independent Malayalam track by Arjun Sunil (Arjn), Kiran Das (KDS), Vishnu V (Fifty4) and Ron Vinod (Ronn) of Kochi-based Money Verse Records — became one of the defining Malayalam pop successes of recent years.
It crossed 90 million Spotify streams, entered viral and top charts in India, the UAE, Singapore and Malaysia, and proved that a ‘local song’ could resonate globally.
There was nothing ‘heavy’ about it. Written by Fifty4 and Suhas Moideen, the lyrics wove together kohl-dark eyes, loose hair, bangles, anklets and stolen glances into a feverish portrait of romance.
Backed by Afro-R&B rhythms, pop sensibilities and Ronn’s restrained production, Kalyani stayed unmistakably rooted without sounding confined.
Now, ‘Kalyani’ has found a face, and a fresh life. Released on July 1, the remix version beautifully blends in Shreya Ghoshal’s Hindi vocals into the original while retaining its emotional core.
Backed by Def Jam Recordings India and Universal Music India, it arrives with a music video directed by Leo Ben and starring actor Saniya Iyappan.
The big bang
The video quickly climbed to No. 1 on YouTube’s trending music chart. Then came the big bang: Snoop Dogg shared it on Instagram. And ‘Kalyani’ was basking in its biggest international crossover moment yet.
‘Kalyani’ 2.0 has crossed 10.4 million views on Instagram and 11 million on YouTube.
“Whenever we release a song independently, we hope it makes some noise. But ‘Kalyani’ was unexpected even for us. At that time, ‘Sheriya’ and ‘Nera’ were having their viral moments. We wanted to give listeners something different. But we never imagined it would boom this big,” says KDS.
Arjn still finds it surreal. “When Snoop Dogg re-shared this version, the feeling was indescribable. It took a while to sink in. He is a hip-hop legend. Seeing our work reach that kind of global scale felt unbelievable,” he says.
Ironically, ‘Kalyani’ was never meant to be the group’s next release. After Fifty4 joined Money Verse Records, another track was initially planned to introduce him.
But friends who listened to ‘Kalyani’ urged the team to develop it instead. Suhas Moideen later joined to shape the final version.
“We worked on the beat and structure. We always try to stay versatile. We wanted to make a dance track for some time, and that eventually became ‘Kalyani’. I think the mix of rooted Malayalam lyrics and western-influenced beats gave it its repeat value,” says Suhas.
Once the original had found a pan-Indian audience, the team wanted the remix to expand its reach without diluting its identity. That led them to Shreya.
“She already liked the song, and readily agreed to be part of it. The recording was wrapped up in about two hours. The whole session had a really positive energy,” says KDS.
For the Hindi section, lyricist Pulkit Singh received a translation of the Malayalam verses along with an explanation of the emotional arc.
“The Hindi lyrics were written as a reply from Kalyani herself. When they sent them back, it connected with us immediately,” says Suhas.
The remix also demanded a visual identity for the mysterious Kalyani. The choice was unanimous.
“When we thought of giving Kalyani a face, we all thought of Saniya. She’s gorgeous and immensely talented, yet not over-exposed. We knew what she could bring to the character. Once we explained the concept, she was immediately on board,” says Arjn.
The video adopts a stylised gangster narrative, selected from concepts presented by Nsane Media.
“They gave us several options. We chose the gangster theme because it suited our brand identity,” says KDS.
The grooves and moves
For choreographer Mruthul C M, the challenge was avoiding repetition. Countless creators had already recreated the original hook step online.
“The choreography had already been explored through workshops and reels, so we couldn’t repeat the same pattern. We wanted a stylised form of storytelling built around the gangster theme,” he says.
Instead of relying on the original viral hook, Mruthul suggested centering the choreography around Shreya’s section.
“That’s the exact portion trending now. We completely broke the earlier pattern for this version,” he adds.
The choreography showcased three shades of Saniya — traditional, sassy and dreamy. She had just one day to rehearse, spending about six hours with the team before filming. Rain unexpectedly interrupted the shoot, forcing everyone to improvise.
“We had to do a completely new rain sequence on the spot to avoid continuity issues. Saniya picked up the moves in a jiffy, and that’s what we finally shot,” says Mruthul.
He credits associate Hisham Hammed, assistants Harishma, Earnest Ignus Paul and Ganga, and cinematographer Bharath Sagar for completing the ambitious production within a 15-hour schedule.
Costume stylist Gousia Galib Khan approached Kalyani as a character balancing softness and strength.
“The flowing skirt represented movement, while the corset added a contemporary silhouette. I wanted viewers’ eyes to move from the jewellery to the corset and finally to the skirt. Every layer was intentional,” she says.
Instead of conventional Kerala ornaments, she chose temple-inspired Kundan jewellery to create a fresh visual identity. “The challenge was to create a Kalyani who felt gentle yet resilient, feminine yet powerful,” says Gousiya.
Her three costumes reflected different moods — a south Indian-inspired opening look, a rain sequence inspired by Bollywood’s Tip Tip Barsa Pani, and a vibrant dance costume matching the scale associated with Shreya.
What next?
For Money Verse Records, ‘Kalyani’ is more than a hit song. It reflects the possibilities of Kerala’s independent music scene.
“The courage to experiment has always been there. At the end of the day, we make music for ourselves, not for someone else. We want to be known as artists, not people confined to one genre,” says Arjn.
“Being true to yourself means embracing your roots, culture and dialect. Copying whatever is viral isn’t what we do. Being local is always better. That’s what connects with people and makes it global.”
The team is currently working on new projects, including a video for ‘Chillara Flex’. ‘Kalyani’, meanwhile, has given them something more valuable than streaming milestones: the confidence that indie musicians from Kerala can create music on their own terms and still find audiences far beyond home.
With inputs from Anjali Ram