I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that Kolaveri has become such a global phenomenon. Its success has taken me places… made me a household name across the country. The song has given me a lot of opportunities to interact with people I normally wouldn’t have ever thought of meeting

We can’t get enough of his smile… the twinkle in the eye…the playful drawl… and the song. Why this Kolaveri di? — penned and sung by southern superstar Dhanush — has crossed 20 million views on YouTube, making it the most-watched Indian video on the site EVER. t2 caught up with Rajinikanth’s son-in-law on life after Kolaveri…

How has life been after Kolaveri?

I think it’s too soon to answer that question because Kolaveri has just happened. I am still enjoying the success… still enjoying the adulation. I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that Kolaveri has become such a global phenomenon. Its success has taken me places, made me a household name across the country. The song has given me a lot of opportunities to interact with people I normally wouldn’t have ever thought of meeting. I was at the special screening of Mission Impossible (Ghost Protocol) last week in Mumbai and I met Tom Cruise. But honestly, I am not letting it go to my head at all. I am just taking it as it comes and enjoying it as much as I can.

When you recorded the song did you ever think it would become so huge?

Not at all. If I knew that this song would connect so well, I would have made Kolaveri five years ago! All I can say is that it was a very humble effort… something that we came up with very spontaneously and right out of the top of our heads. It has given us much more than we could have ever dreamt of. Kolaveri has brought India closer.

Have you analysed what makes Kolaveri such a winner?

Honestly, I still can’t figure! (Laughs). But yes, the way the song is sung is very catchy… a lazy drawl. Also, most of the words are in English and that is something that most have connected with. I think the song has struck a chord because of its simplicity and the fact that none of us in the video seem to be taking ourselves and the song very seriously. You remember the words at the beginning? It says that this song is a ‘flop song’. The attitude that we aren’t really hankering after success has connected with the listener, especially the youth. Also, the song speaks of a jilted lover and who hasn’t suffered a broken heart?

You have said that Kolaveri is a ‘nonsense song with nonsense lyrics’. Are you, in any way, embarrassed by its success?

I am a little shy by nature and I don’t open up easily and when there was so much happening around Kolaveri, when it became a rage, I didn’t know how to handle it. But Kolaveri is my baby and I am extremely proud of it. I always knew that the song would click regionally, but the fact that it has caught on globally is something that I had never imagined even in my wildest dreams.

Kadhal Kondein Dhanush played a mentally disturbed man in search of love in this 2003 film directed by his brother Selvaraghavan.

What is the best compliment that you have got for Kolaveri?

Every kind of feedback I get is very important to me, whether it comes from a celebrity or from the audience. I am extremely grateful to Mr Amitabh Bachchan who has praised Kolaveri to the skies and Mr A.R. Rahman who has called Kolaveri the biggest phenomenon of 2011. Also, the fact that we have won the YouTube Gold award (presented to viral videos from across the world) and have been featured in Time magazine is a real high.

There are also a lot of tributes to Kolaveri, all of which have also gone viral…

I have seen and heard all the versions that have been made so far, be it the Chipmunks version or the Punjabi version. I think they are all good fun… I have enjoyed all of them and I think that they are the biggest compliments that my song could have ever got. I am also a huge fan of Sonu Niigaam’s son’s (Nevaan) version of Kolaveri. It’s difficult to imagine how a four-year-old can sing so well. I tweeted Sonu Niigaam saying that I find the song extremely cute. It’s a total winner.

Thiruvilaiyaadal Aarambam Dhanush played a young lover taking on the world in this box-office winner directed by his sister Vimala.

Kolaveri has also come in for criticism from the likes of Javed Akhtar (“an ordinary tune with sub-standard singing and with words that are an insult to sensibility”). Your reaction?

I am an entertainer and that makes me open to criticism. I have the grace to accept criticism in the same spirit that I have accepted the compliments. Mr Akhtar is a legend and he is entitled to his opinion. I accept whatever he says in good spirit. I have no problems.

A national award didn’t make you a household name, but Kolaveri has…

It just goes to show that it doesn’t take a national award to enter people’s hearts. You have to be honest and simple and be one with the audience… be one among them. The biggest thing about Kolaveri is that it looks and sounds like something that anyone can sing. You don’t need a Dhanush for it.

Are there any plans to take the Kolaveri brand further?

I would really like to, but I haven’t thought about it in detail yet. Already, I have seen Kolaveri di T-shirts and posters in the market. It’s become such a huge brand name that I am sure there is scope to do a lot more with it. Maybe another album to start with!

Aadukalam Dhanush’s powerhouse performance as a village simpleton earned him a National award.

Your Twitter bio reads: “Actor and now suddenly a singer”. Will Dhanush the actor-singer be the package that you come with in every film from now on?

I have already sung about seven to eight songs (in films like Pudhupettai and Mayakkam Enna). So Kolaveri is not a first. But its success doesn’t mean that I will sing in every new release. I will be choosy.

One hears that you are getting a lot of Bollywood offers…

Yes, Kolaveri has opened Bollywood’s doors for me (laughs). I have got some offers, but it’s way too soon to even talk about them. I am in no hurry to sign anything because I have a lot of films to finish here (in the Tamil film industry). More than acting, I am keen to direct a Bollywood film.

There is talk that you have spoken to Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan to star in your Bolly directorial debut…

I haven’t spoken to anyone yet. I have met Abhishek a few times but those have been extremely casual meetings. We haven’t discussed work at all.

Any plans of directing your father-in-law Rajinikanth in a film?

Who wouldn’t want to? Given a chance, I would give an arm and a leg to work with him. He is the biggest superstar that we have. But nothing is on the horizon yet. Hopefully, it will happen one day.