In 2021, during a private performance for Bollywood music enthusiasts in Bengaluru, emerging singer Jaskaran Singh left the audience in awe by performing ‘Anisuthide Yako Indu,’ the beloved romantic number from the blockbuster Kannada film *Mungaru Male* (2007), directed by Yogaraj Bhat. This iconic song, performed by Sonu Nigam, is remembered as one of the most cherished love songs in the history of Kannada cinema, propelling actor Ganesh to stardom.
Fast forward three years, and Jaskaran Singh has achieved his most significant accomplishment yet by lending his voice to the hit melody ‘Dwapara,’ which features Ganesh alongside actress Malavika Nair. This song is from the recently released Kannada film, *Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi*.
According to Jaskaran, his reach has expanded significantly. “My Spotify data tells me that the song has been heard by hundreds of people in Chandigarh, Delhi, and Haryana,” says the Ludhiana native, who has now become a favorite among Kannada film music lovers. Before this career-defining track, Jaskaran had only sung one other Kannada film song, which caught the attention of composer Arjun Janya during a reality show.
‘Dwapara’ has sparked a massive social media frenzy, featuring in countless Instagram Reels across various user profiles. Just days after its release, the song had transcended its linguistic origins to captivate audiences on both Instagram and YouTube. The song boasts over 30 million views on YouTube and played a crucial role in drawing audiences to theaters, which helped *Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi* become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of 2024.
Srinivas Raju, the director of *Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi*, made a bold decision to use ‘Dwapara’ as the sole promotional content leading up to the film’s release. “We didn’t reveal a teaser or a trailer. I don’t know — at least in Kannada — which was the last film to not even have a trailer! My team members felt I was taking a risk… but I stuck to it,” says Raju. Elaborating on his strategy, Raju explains, “For me, any promotional material is an invitation to the audience. So, I wanted to draw people to the movie halls with just one song. Because music is the backbone of any love story; be it in *A Star is Born* or *Hum Aapke Hain Koun…!*, the songs made the difference.”
For composer Arjun Janya, the task was to capture the euphoria of a man deeply in love. “The protagonist sees this beautiful woman and is mesmerized. He wants the feeling to remain forever. That’s why, if you notice, the song has a long Pallavi,” says Janya.
. The melody’s layers are enriched with dholak rhythms and tuneful shehnai, adding a profound texture to the track. “The protagonist sees the heroine as a goddess. That’s the brief I got from the director. So, instead of Indian classical, I went for Sufi music, marked by tablas, dholaks, and shehnai,” Janya adds.
Maintaining a traditional Indian sound was crucial for Srinivas Raju. “In the last three to four years, we have been inundated with high-voltage western music. I wanted Indian instruments for the song to keep it simple yet effective,” he says.
The song’s lyrics, penned by V Nagendra Prasad, meld smoothly with its hook tune. The lines ‘Jena Daniyole Meena Kannole’ (The one with a mellifluous sound and beautiful eyes) came effortlessly to the experienced lyricist. “I simply had to describe the hero’s admiration for his special one. The craze for the song has taught me that simplicity is key. People have an extra affection for songs with complete Kannada lyrics,” Prasad notes.
Visually, ‘Dwapara’ is as enchanting as it is audibly. Shot in Bengaluru and the picturesque locales of Vietnam, the song offers a visual treat. “I instructed the cinematographer (Venkat Prasad) to avoid weird angles and zig-zag movements. I wanted the entire song to be colorful. There has been an overdose of visual jerks in recent films thanks to action dramas, so I desired to bring a semblance of calmness on-screen,” explains Raju.
Ganesh himself has demonstrated a remarkable ability to convey exact emotions throughout the song, impressing both audiences and critics. His inclination to add subtle nuances before the camera has created on-screen magic. “It’s refreshing to write a song for Ganesh sir because we know he enhances it brilliantly,” says Nagendra Prasad. Not particularly known for his dancing skills, Ganesh has evidently won people over with the song’s hook steps. “We took four to five days to rehearse the steps,” reveals Raju.
Ganesh’s career, which had been in a slump for quite a while, seems to have found revival through the success of *Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi*. Fans are relieved that the golden days are back for the actor, and now all eyes are on his next steps following this much-needed hit. The viral success of a single song has effectively placed the gifted actor back in the spotlight, signaling that more is yet to come from this rejuvenated star of Kannada cinema.
