New Delhi: Pushpa 2: The Rule’s song Kissik has failed to match up to the Oo Antava fame, the blockbuster song from Pushpa 1: The Rise. And fans are not hiding their disappointment despite the makers and actors’ encouraging words.
The song’s preview was released Sunday, and the lyrical video dropped Monday. Allu Arjun shared a reel with a clip of the Hindi version of the song— ‘thappad marungi…’ goes the chorus of the song.
Dressed in an orange pants and shirt combo, Arjun shares the screen with Sreeleela, who is dressed in a black blouse and dhoti skirt. The short reel was liked by Samantha Ruth Prabhu who starred in Oo Antava. Actor Sobhita Dhulipala also commented ‘Fire Fire Fire!’.
But many fans are disappointed and underwhelmed by the song and the choreography.
“Not even close to ooh antava, the recent Telugu YouTube songs are more catchy than this one,” wrote one user. Many compared Sreeleela with Samantha, with the latter being crowned as superior.
Another user blamed the hype, “Why are they creating so much hype? It’s the worst I’ve ever listened to. My expectations are now going lower.”
One of the top-liked comments simply says this—“Isse acha toh thappad hi maar deti” (A slap would’ve been better than this).
Kissik is 4 minutes and 10 seconds long and has been released in four languages. The Telugu version of the song, sung by Sublahshini and composed by Devi Sri Prasad, popularly known as DSP, has racked up over 26 million views on YouTube in less than 24 hours. The song has been choreographed by Ganesh Acharya, who was also behind the dance moves in Oo Antava.
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Big shoes to fill
Kissik has been dubbed the ‘successor’ of the viral Oo Antava from Pushpa 1: The Rise. Featuring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Allu Arjun, the song was a runaway hit and was played everywhere, from weddings to pubs. Even Shah Rukh Khan and Vicky Kaushal recreated the hook step at the IIFA Awards this year. The song has almost 450 million views on YouTube.
Samantha charged Rs 1.5 crore for the now viral song and had also shared in multiple interviews that she had inhibitions about doing the song. It was Arjun who convinced her. The song gave her career a boost too.
It left big shoes to fill.
“There is always pressure when a previous song is a super hit. Look at Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, and its two songs. In most instances, it is hard to re-create the hype and magic of the original song,” said a prominent Bollywood choreographer, who did not wish to be named.
He added that people have higher standards now. “Look at the anticipation for Pushpa 2. You have to be ingenious, and so far, it does not look like the song has hit the mark in either composition or the hook step,” he added.
Kissik’s composer DSP has also been embroiled in conflicts with the producers of the film. A whole new set of composers—Thaman, Ajaneesh Lokanath and Sam CS—were roped in to redo the background score of the movie. He acknowledged these rifts at the launch of the song on Monday. “If we want anything, we need to ask and get it. If you don’t ask, they won’t give – whether it’s the payment from producers or the credit on screen,” he said.
Pushpa 2 will be released on 5 December.
(Edited by Theres Sudeep)