Remember the 2009 film Bumper Offer ? Maybe not. But does the song ‘Enduke Ravanamma’ ring a bell? With its funny take on recession, the song went viral and singer-composer Raghu Kunche shot to fame. Five years after the meteoric hit, Raghu’s new song ‘Social network andi babu’ from Ladies and Gentlemen has become a talking point. Lyricist Sirasri captures the dichotomy of the times we lives in — connected to the world through social network forums and yet disconnected in real life.
“Sirasri and I took eight months to complete the song. We shared notes, observing people around us and kept improvising the lyrics. I used to see women trying out a new dish and immediately taking a picture on their smart phones to share it on Facebook. We all have become used to checking our phones to see the number of ‘likes’ to our Facebook posts and re-tweets on twitter,” says Raghu.
The idea, he says, was not to sit on judgement about how people use social network but present the observations in a lighter vein. “Who would listen to a serious song with a message? But say it in a humorous tone and the song will find takers,” Raghu reasons. To make the song stand out, Raghu tweaked the ‘burra katha’ format and opted for a contemporary presentation. “The song gels with the film, which shows how personal relationships of youngsters is impacted by social networks,” he adds.
Producer Madhura Sreedhar felt the song had the potential to draw attention and encouraged Raghu Kunche to feature in a music video. “We shot the video in about three and a half hours,” says Raghu. Clad in saffron clothes and carrying an ektara, Raghu along with junior Relangi, Noel and passengers in a train compartment, are a riot in the video. The video was shot without the help of a choreographer, says Raghu.
The publicity campaign for the film is yet to take off but the video has grabbed eyeballs. “Madhura Sreedhar and I are in talks for a new song for his forthcoming film,” says Raghu.