Sometimes people become stars and celebrities for funny reasons. An eight-member group of alumni of Sullamussalam Oriental Higher Secondary School (SOHSS) at Areekode in Malappuram has become an overnight internet sensation with a group song that continues to send Malayali viewers into peals of laughter.
The Mapilapattu titled Aaraarum manassil ninnorikkalum penned by T.K. Kuttiyali has got a hilarious rebirth on social media through the SOHSS 1994 SSLC batch. Hilarious because of the innocuously flawed chorus singing by the lone male member of the group, Mohammedali Thazhathangadi.
The school’s 1994 SSLC batch reunion that took place at Pumpkin Restaurant at Areekode on July 23 provided the venue for the hilarious group song. “We never expected that Mohammedali would become an instant star when we invited him to sing the chorus with us,” said Shabeena Naseem and Umaiba T.T., who led the song.
Mohammedali, a daily wage worker, was at first shy to join the women of his batch in the group song. Shabeena and Umaiba told him to sing brief refrains such as ‘jhil jhil jhil’, ‘sil sil sil’, and ‘sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-dha-ni-sa’. But he stole the show soon after the song began by singing chorus at his will with his unique voice.
When the audience was convulsed with laughter, his co-singers too could not stop laughing. All of them lost control and fell into spasms of laughter because of his singing style; but Mohammedali continued chipping in ‘sa sa sa’, ‘pa pa pa’, ‘jhil jhil jhil’ at random until they finished the six-minute song. At one point, Umaiba was seen raising the microphone to whack him with it.
Other group members, namely, Bijimol, Faseela, Shameera, and Shoufila were all seen laughing. When the funny finale song of the school reunion became viral on social media, the eight-member group again gathered at Areekode on Wednesday.
Mapilapattu singer Shaija, who rendered the song a few years ago, contacted Umaiba and expressed her amusement at making her song viral. “My version never got the popularity that this school group got,” Shaija said.
Jaseer P.K., Yasid N., and Anees K., the three batch members who were in the forefront of organising the reunion said that they would never let Mohammedali down. “We planned the reunion in July because of the convenience of many of our overseas members. It is the vacation period in the Gulf, so many could join. We will go ahead with our work, including charity,” they said.
