Dubai filmmaker behind viral Malayalam hit ‘Kalyani’ on Snoop Dogg’s surprise repost and Shreya Ghoshal’s global spin

Dubai: When Dubai-born filmmaker Len Prasad sent the newly released video of Kalyani to a friend, he wasn't expecting it to end up on one of hip-hop's biggest social media accounts.

That friend happened to be the son of American rap legend Snoop Dogg.

"So basically Snoop Dogg's son is a dear friend of mine, so I happened to show him the clip and speak about it. To my surprise, I didn't expect seeing that someone as legendary as Snoop would also repost it. I think it's a very sweet gesture, and very grateful to have support from their side also," Prasad told Gulf News.

The repost marked yet another milestone for Kalyani, the Malayalam independent track that became a social media phenomenon and a staple across India.

After clocking more than 93 million Spotify streams, the song has now been reimagined with Bollywood playback queen Shreya Ghoshal.

Originally performed by ARJN, KDS, FIFTY4 and RONN, Kalyani video that dropped last week also features Malayalam actress and dancer Saniya Iyappan in top form.

And, behind the ambitious production was Prasad, who stepped in as executive producer for the video that's fast gaining traction.

From Dubai classrooms to film sets

Prasad's journey into cinema didn't begin in film school.

Instead, the Dubai-born creative studied engineering at BITS Pilani Dubai before deciding to chase filmmaking full-time in Mumbai.

"I'm a Dubai-born and raised kid. I did my engineering from BITS Pilani Dubai. Then I went to Mumbai to pursue filmmaking. It's been like 12 years I'm doing filmmaking, mainly direction, and I've worked in notable films like Trance, Varathan, and Parava. Now slowly I'm venturing into the production side, and I'm looking into doing projects with international artists," he said.

Over the years, Prasad has quietly built an impressive résumé, contributing to acclaimed Malayalam films, while also directing Egyptian superstar Mohammed Ramadan's music video Versace Baby shot extensively in Dubai. Today, he's increasingly interested in producing and collaborating with artists across borders.

Why he said yes to Kalyani

Prasad says the opportunity landed on his desk long before the song became a viral sensation.

"I got this project inquiry long back, and then later on the song started blowing up. After that I had worked with the label, so the label guys got in touch, and then I decided to take this project as more of like a producing gig, and I wanted to be an EP," he said.

His decision was driven by curiosity as much as ambition.

"My main plan is that eventually I want to work with different talents and produce, collaborate with other talents also. Me being a filmmaker, I wanted to learn from other people as well."

Rather than imposing his own creative stamp, Prasad says his role was to support the vision already in place.

"My main intention was that I wanted to back the director's vision in this project, whatever he wanted, so I had to support in a way that he achieves his creative, and at the same time we maintain quality for this project as well."

Why bring Shreya Ghoshal into an already viral hit?

Some fans questioned whether a song that had already become a runaway success even needed another version.

Prasad believes Shreya Ghoshal brought something the original didn't have.

"We wanted to bring a female element... I think bringing a female voice, and especially somebody like her, it adds a lot of value to the project as well," he said.

The label also kept her involvement a closely guarded secret until the music video dropped.

"They wanted to surprise the audience with something else. We didn't reveal that she was going to be featured, and that was done with the video drop."

For Prasad, Ghoshal's contribution wasn't simply about star power.

"The song's virality... it's blown up on social media, but the song is received by non-Malayalis also. I've even had Pakistanis come and speak about the track. It's spread across. I think it's nothing to do with the language. Everybody's vibing to it, and I think having somebody like Shreya, with her vocals in it, will add more value, more reach and a more emotional aspect also."

Rooted in Kerala, loved around the world

One of the biggest reasons behind Kalyani's success, says Prasad, is that it never abandoned its Kerala identity even while appealing to international audiences.

"I think it's not only the Malayali connection. Definitely the Malayali connection is very strong, but overall people enjoy vibing to songs like this. Nowadays people listen to a lot of Afro music and Afro-pop. Similarly, even though this is locally rooted, it has the international elements also."

The production team was equally determined that the visuals should reflect that authenticity.

Although Prasad is based in Dubai, the video was filmed entirely in Kochi.

"We wanted to achieve this in Kerala because it adds the local aesthetics to the visuals, so we looked into filming there," he said.

More than just writing cheques

As executive producer, Prasad says his role extended well beyond financing.

"My role was making the project happen, gathering the funds to make the production, and involving in creatives as well, but not interfering much with the director's vision."

Funding came from multiple sources, including brand integrations.

"We had brand integrations... If you see the video, we have smartly blended Malabar Gold & Diamonds jewellery into it. At the same time, we had funds coming from the label, the artists, and I myself helped the production as well to make the video achieve its high production quality."

Building an international career from Dubai

Having worked across films and music videos, Prasad believes Dubai is increasingly becoming a launchpad for creatives looking beyond regional markets.

"I think Dubai offers a lot of opportunities," he said, even though geopolitical tensions caused a few production delays before the team eventually headed to Kerala for filming.

His ambitions are only getting bigger.

"Right now there are so many things, but I'm just trying to see what is right. Most probably it might be a direction project too," he said.

When asked if he was already speaking with international labels, he smiled before confirming, "Yes."

With a viral Malayalam anthem, Bollywood's most celebrated playback singer, a surprise nod from Snoop Dogg and a growing international network, the Dubai filmmaker appears to be charting a career that is becoming as global as the music he now helps create.