Mitali Ghosh’s Kaale moke khis laage goes viral

Folk singer Mitali Ghosh is Jharkhand’s Dhanush. And the gender bender is working.

Kolaveri Di, the monster Tanglish (Tamil and English) hit by southern superstar Dhanush that accounts for almost 40 million of YouTube’s total views, with everyone from DJs to street children to international media and B-schools raving over it, also has a Nagpuri version, Kaale moke khis laage.

And the Kolaveri magic is working in the hinterland of Jharkhand too. Sample the figures. Around 2,500 CDs of the first edition, titled Jhakaas Selem, and brought out by Beeps Production, were sold out within days of its release around New Year. The next edition of 2,500 is also selling fast.

While Kolaveri Di went viral on the Net, Kaale moke khis laage gave cyberspace a small cold with 4,000 hits and counting. Streamed on south Indian channel NTV’s website, it clocked 2,000 hits.

Not bad, when one considers that it’s a tribal version targeted at rural Jharkhand listeners.

What’s surprising is that the original song — with tragi-comic lyrics of ‘soup boys’ angry about getting ditched by smart and sassy women — is rendered in Nagpuri by a woman.

And she belts out lyrics such as “Gor gor chikna hai re, dil ukar pura kariya”, loosely translated into “lovely fair feet but a black heart”. So Mitali is raging against presumably women with pedicured feet but no heart. But no one is bothered, really, as long as they understand the words and identify with the beat.

Sanjay Soren, a tribal boy from LBSM College, Karandih, said he preferred the Nagpuri version. “I hardly understood the original Tanglish lyrics. I understand the Nagpuri song. It speaks about heartbreak in a funny manner. And the tune is the same,” he smiled.

For Sanjay and his friends who don’t know Tamil or much of English, Mitali is Dhanush, for, just like him, she has written the lyrics as well. Obviously, she kept intact the original Kolaveri tune composed by music director Anirudh Ravichander for the Tamil film 3.

Mitali’s husband Bullu Ghosh, the man behind Beeps Production, said they brought out a Nagpuri version on CD, as Internet penetration was still low in rural areas. “When Kolaveri Di became a rage, we thought, why not let tribals here enjoy the song too, but in their style. Mitali wrote the lyrics. It made great business sense,” he added.

The song is on in full blast in Ranchi and Jamshedpur as well as on their outskirts and even in villages. The song is now a popular item in marriages and festivals and also at roadside eateries. Those who are Net-savvy go to YouTube for the Nagpuri number which replicates the original video.

Mitali said she found tweaking Kolaveri Di in Nagpuri great fun. “I’ve also used a mix of Nagpuri and English, but the words in the latter are common. For instance, ‘tukur tukur dui aaink meeting mor future full stop’, which can be understood by everyone. If a song that’s a mix of Tamil and English, Tanglish, can be so famous why not a Nagpuri version?” she asked.

Way to go, Naglish.

In which other language do you want to hear Kolaveri Di? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com