How superhit Kannada track ‘Dwapar’ from ‘Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi’ gave actor Ganesh a new lease of life
Ganesha from the song ‘Dwapar’ from ‘Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi’. | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
In 2021, performing at a private show for Bollywood music lovers in Bengaluru, Jaskaran Singh stunned his audience by singing ‘Anisuthide Yako Indu’ from one of Kannada’s all-time blockbuster films. Mungaru male (2007) Directed by Yogaraj Bhatt. The film catapulted Ganesh to stardom, and the Sonu Nigam-sung tune has gone down as one of the most famous love songs in Kannada cinema history.
Three years later, Jaskaran released his biggest breakthrough with his voice for the tune ‘Dwapar’ featuring Ganesh and Malvika Nair from the recently released Kannada film. Krishnam Pranay Sakhi.
“My Spotify data tells me that the song has been listened to by hundreds of people in Chandigarh, Delhi and Haryana,” says the Ludhiana resident who has now become a favorite among Kannada film music lovers. Recognized by composer Arjun Nayya on a reality show, Jaskaran had sung a Kannada film before this groundbreaking track.
‘Dwaapar’ created a social media explosion, setting lakhs of Instagram reels to its tune Days after it dropped, the song transcended linguistic roots as it wowed people on Instagram and YouTube. With over 30 million views on YouTube, this number drew people to watch the film in theatres, helping the movie become one of the highest grossers of 2024 in Kannada.
Singer Jaskaran Singh. | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
Srinivas Raju, Director Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi, Talks about his huge decision to treat the song as a promotional bit only before the film’s release. “We have not released the teaser or the trailer. I don’t know—at least Kannada—which was the last film, which didn’t even have a trailer! My team members felt I was taking a risk… but I stuck it out.
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“For me, any promotional material is an invitation to the audience. So I wanted to pull people to cinema halls with just one song. Because music is the backbone of any love story; be it A star is born or Hum upke hai koun…! The song made the difference,” he explains.
For music director Arjun Daya, the composition reflects the excitement of a man in love. “The hero sees this beautiful woman, and he is mesmerized by her. He wants the feeling to last forever. That’s why, if you notice, the song has a long pallavi,” he says.
Malvika Nair and Ganesh in ‘Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi’. | Photo credit: Special Arrangements
Drum beats and melodious Shehnai add deeper layers to the track. “The hero sees the heroine as a goddess. I got this brief from the director. So, instead of Indian classical, I went for Sufi music characterized by tabla, dholak and shehnai,” offers Arjun Nayya.
Srinivas Raju was particular about the sound of the songs. “In the last three to four years we have listened to a lot of high-voltage western music. I wanted Indian instrumentals for the song because I wanted to keep it simple and effective.”
V Nagendra Prasad’s lines blend perfectly with the song’s hook melody. The words ‘Jenna Daniole Meena Kannol’ came easily to the veteran lyricist’s mind. “I just had to describe the hero’s admiration for his special someone. Music Madness taught me that you have to keep it simple. People have an extra fondness for complete Kannada song lyrics,” he points out.
Shot in the picturesque locales of Bengaluru and Vietnam, ‘Dwapar’ is also a feast for the eyes. “I told the cinematographer (Venkat Prasad) to avoid weird angles and zig-zig movements. I wanted the whole song to be colorful. The level of visual jerkiness in recent films has been high for action dramas, so I wanted to bring a hint of calmness on-screen,” says Srinivas Raju.
Apart from his ability to add small nuances in front of the camera to create on-screen magic, Ganesh also has a knack for conveying the right emotion in a song. Nagendra Prasad said, “It’s refreshing to be able to write a song for Ganesh sir as we know he has developed it so well.” The actor, not particularly known for his dancing skills, has apparently impressed people with the song’s hook steps. “We took four to five days to practice the steps,” reveals Srinivasa Raju.
The actor’s career, stalled for a long time, has successfully got a new lease of life. Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi, And the golden days are back, relief fans say. A viral song put the talented actor back in the game; Now it will be interesting to see his next steps after this much needed hit.
