Grooving to the doll song
Indian songs continue their global appeal, now with Butta Bomma finding fans in foreign shores
Recently, Butta Bomma, a song from Telugu film, Ala Vaikuntapuramloo (AVPL), starring Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde, became an Internet sensation after it was released last year.
Post the film’s release in January this year, even Bollywood stars such as Shilpa Shetty, Disha Patani and Simran had grooved to the peppy number, following which the already-popular song went viral on social media.
Today, the number has transcended boundaries as cricketers, Indian and others, have started grooving to the incredibly catchy tune. Australian cricketer David Warner recently shared a video of his wife, daughter and him trying to match steps in the video. Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen too posted a video of him dancing to the song — barechested, too!
MAKING THEM DANCE TO HIS TUNES
Commenting on the growing appeal of this song, S.S. Thaman, the film’s composer, states that magical lyrics coupled with Allu Arjun’s dance moves were what worked for Butta Bomma.
“The peppy rendition and cool vocals ensured that the song resonated with all music lovers,” explains Thaman, adding that while the track has become such a big hit that everyone is coming up with their own dance versions on social media, they had never thought that the song will become such a big hit. “It was a team effort as the lyrics, vocals and compositions have all rightly fallen in place. I think the artwork of the song was rather alluring, too. But we all knew that Allu Arjun could take the song to the next level with his magical dance moves.”
So, what does this global reach mean to Thaman? “It an is an added responsibility, and at the same time it has given me a new space,” Thaman asserts, pointing out, however, that before he started the compositions, Allu Arjun did request him for a ‘one-billion’ album.
MUSIC TO THEIR EARS
Incidentally, AVPL is the first south Indian film to have one billion streams, which Thaman describes as an “incredible coincidence”. However, this isn’t the first song from India to have become a global hit. While Indian music has its own taste and culture, what’s interesting to see is Indian songs getting global recognition.
Why This Kolaveri Di, Jai Ho, etc., are some of the popular tracks that had gone viral and have crossed barriers of language, region and country, spreading their musical influence.
But what’s the uniqueness in the Indian songs that makes it fascinating for the global audience? Singer-composer-producer Nakul Abhyankar, who has crooned for Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions of the recently released Disney’s Frozen 2, states that groove-worthy music and catchy lyrics attract foreigners to desi numbers. “Indian music’s uniqueness in its texture and rhythmic lyrics is an instant hit among the foreigners.
This Butta Bomma song has exactly that,” Nakul adds.
Then, pointing out that PSY’s Gangnam style song too became popular among the Indians for the same reason, Nakul states that music lovers who like to instantly groove to a tune look for the ‘fizz’ in the song, even if he doesn’t understand the lyrics.
I had wanted to have an album where all the Telugu bands in Hyderabad can perform. I’m thrilled that AVPL has turned out to be such an album. It feels great to see people beyond borders enjoying and appreciating music. I’ve always believed that Thaman and director Trivikram Srinivas make for a lethal combination
— Allu Arjun, actor
The peppy rendition and cool vocals ensured that the song resonated with all music lovers. It was a team effort as the lyrics, vocals and compositions have rightly fallen in place. I think the artwork of the song was rather alluring, too. But we all knew that Allu Arjun could take the song to the next level with his magical dance moves S.S. Thaman, composer
“I think with global platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, music will flow beyond boundaries even more,” he adds.
WHAT HE SAID
Allu Arjun credits the popularity of the tracks in AVPL to composer Thaman’s cool music, director Trivikram Srinivas’ alluring way of conceiving the song and the catchy lyrics.
In a previous interview to Deccan Chronicle, Allu Arjun had said, “I’ve always believed that Thaman and director Trivikram Srinivas make for a lethal combination. If Thaman’s light-hearted renditions can complement Trivikram’s poetic way of storytelling, then the result would be great. AVPL is a classic example and showed that music doesn’t have any boundaries. It feels great to see people beyond borders enjoying and appreciating music. Moreover, before the start of the music sittings, I had wanted to have an album where all the Telugu bands in Hyderabad can perform. I’m thrilled that AVPL has turned out to be such an album.”