Meet Anirudh, the man behind Kolaveri di

Why this kolaveri di? (Why this rage, girl?) has grown from a ripple online into a wild fire catching people's attention not just in India but the world over with its unconventional lyrics and catchy music.

Much water has flown under the bridge since November 17, when it was uploaded by Sony Music as a marketing strategy. From bringing home the "You Tube gold medal" (for receiving the largest number of hits within a short span) and tripping over itself online (Facebook and Twitter), this track from Dhanush's upcoming Tamil film, Moondru, cuts across lines of language, community and age.

The song became the first Tamil film song to be premiered on MTV India last month. Its phenomenal marketing strategy was unprecedented in India that it even found its way into the portals of India's premier business school — the Indian Institute of Management — as a topic of discussion on viral marketing. Of course, let's not forget the different versions of the song making waves online in several languages.

Maturity

Yet success sits lightly on Anirudh Ravichander's shoulders. Ravichander belies a maturity that transcends his age. But then he is not an average 21-year-old. Talking to him is a pleasure. For this debutante "it's a top of the world feeling right now".

"I am enjoying every moment," he said. "One could not have dreamt of such a response on one's debut. This single track has gone beyond our expectations."

When Sony Music uploaded the track, Ravichander recalls, "our aim was to reach 100,000 people. We were surprised when that figure was notched at the end of a day. We then hoped it would cross the 300,000 mark and just could not believe it when our song touched 500,000 at the end of the second day. Soon the numbers swelled to the 25 million mark and we are still counting," he said, laughing

"This is something beyond our wildest dreams."

So what made the song click?

"I can't explain that. I feel it is a combination of three factors. Firstly, the lyrics, though in Tanglish, can be understood universally. Secondly, the tune is simple and hummable, yet soulful. Thirdly, the hand of God," he added. "One cannot plan success."

Ravichander, a commerce graduate, has been passionate about music since he started playing the piano as a four year old. For the past three years, he has been working with Aishwarya Dhanush, his cousin, on her short films. When Aishwarya began work on her directorial venture, Moondru, Ravichander was part of her team. Her instruction for the "soup song" was to make it catchy, while retaining its emotions.

"It was a conscious decision to stay away from sad melodies as is usually done in such situations. We wanted to try something different — funny, yet sad. And that clicked."

Compliments

Asked if he wants to share any special compliments he received, Ravichander said: "Every day responses are pouring in large numbers. It would be unfair to select any one."

Any negative feedback?

"We are thankful for that. It brings us back to the ground as we are flying high. We have learnt to take it in our stride."

On working with Aishwarya, he said: "Having worked with her earlier, we share a great rapport. Dhanush [Aishwarya's singer husband] has known me from the time I was in high school. On a visit to my house then, he heard me play my own tunes. He suggested that I compose full-fledged songs. That motivated me to try my hand at composing. I have not looked back since then."

"I am lucky to work with this young and vibrant team. Dhanush is a National Award winner, while Aishwarya and Shruti Haasan are daughters of two icons [Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth respectively] of Tamil cinema," said Ravichander, a fan of Hans Zimmer and A.R. Rahman.

"There was no pressure at work. Recordings were fun and that has translated into our music."

Did the music come first or the lyrics? "Music came first," he said. "It took just five minutes."

"The whole song was done in about 20-25 minutes. First it was the tune, then the lyrics and then each and every instrument — guitars, acoustic bass, percussion, strings, nadaswaram and saxophone. It just kept getting better and better, and here we are."

Different genres

As countdown begins for the audio launch of his album, scheduled for tomorrow, Ravichander is excited.

"The album is a mix of everything. There are different genres in every single track. I have recorded 90 per cent live instead of keyboard programmes. I have used new instruments, including Turkish, Mediterranean and Scottish. We have introduced several new singers, who are in their early 20s, like Ajesh Ashok and Sathya Prakash from television reality shows. Dhanush and Shruti have sung a duet. For the first time, Mohit Chauhan has sung in Tamil. Other singers are Vijay Yesudas and Shwetha Mohan."

"I have sung a song too," revealed Ravichander. "It started as a rough track for a club song and everyone liked it. I have also performed a theme song on the piano with The Chennai Strings Orchestra — a group of 40 artists. Two other instrumental themes also form a part of the album."

Ravichander, who studied Western classical music at Trinity College of Music, London, played in a band, Zinx, at Padma Seshadri Bal Bhavan in Chennai. The band won the finals of television show Ooh la la, which was judged by music maestro Rahman. He won the Best Instrumentalist award at the show.

Since Why this kolaveri di? Ravichander has been getting Bollywood offers.

"Right now, I wish to focus on my first film. I will decide after that," said Ravichander, who has 500 compositions waiting to be discovered.

You can't help asking this 21-year-old if he has been in love and gone through a jilted phase.

"I haven't and I hope I don't have to go through it. I know several friends who have been dumped and understand the emotions," he said, laughing.

Track list of Moondru

Mythily Ramachandran is an independent journalist based in Chennai