"Kanimaa" (transl.Sweetheart) is an Indian Tamil-language song composed by Santhosh Narayanan for the soundtrack album of Tamil-language film Retro. The song was sung by Santhosh Narayanan along with The Indian Choral Ensemble and was written by Vivek.[1] After the success of the film's first single "Kannadi Poove", the expectations for the second was also highly increased.[2]
The song was released as the second single on 21 March 2025 through the record label T-Series.[3] The song's lyrical version was released on the YouTube on the same day.[4] The song was also released in Telugu as "Bujjamma", with lyrics written by Shyam Kasarla and in Hindi as "Anarkali" with lyrics written by Raqueeb Alam. The song is part of a 15-minute long single-shot sequence in the film, featuring action, drama, and dance featuring the lead cast. Music composer Santhosh Narayanan made a cameo appearance in the song.[5] Upon its release, the song received positive response and started trending on internet.[6][7] The hook step dance involving Suriya and Pooja Hegde – the lead actors of Retro – became popular.[8][9]
Santhosh Narayanan composed the song for the Retro album.[10] This marked his first collaboration with Suriya and eighth with Karthik Subbaraj, director of the film.[11][a] Lyricist Vivek wrote the lyrics for the song.[12]
The song was recorded by Santhosh Narayanan at Future Tense Studios, Chennai.[13] The song had the chorus by The Indian Choral Ensemble (Chamber), Aparna Harikumar, Nidhi Saraogi, Sushmita Narasimhan, Sreekanth Hariharan, Shridhar Ramesh, and Karthik Manickavasakam.[14][15]
Composition and lyrics
The song was conceptualized through casual conversations between Subbaraj, Narayanan, and Vivek.[16] It features a 1990s-style "kalyana kuthu" (wedding folk) rhythm, aiming to evoke nostalgia for traditional wedding songs.[17] Original structure of composition was: intro – hook line – chorus. Narayanan used drums for the instrumentation and added in trumpets for the melody.[18] The song featured high-energy, dance-oriented beat.[19] The song had influences from traditional Tamil wedding music.[20]
The Tamil word Kanimaa (கனிமா; Kaṉimā) variously translates to 'sweetheart', 'divinity', and 'sacredness'. Notable lines like "Gumma, Yemma, Summa, Kanimaa" serve as vocalizations to enhance the song's catchy hook.[21]
Marketing and release
The second was highly anticipated after the success of the film's first single "Kannadi Poove".[22][23] The song release was announced by Karthik Subbaraj on 19 March 2025,[24] on the occasion of his birthday, as a surprise gift for the fans.[25][26] The song's teaser was unveiled on 20 March by the makers.[27] Before the release of the song, Narayanan shared a funny dance version of the song on X, further increasing the song's anticipation.[28][29] The second single titled "Kanimaa" was released on 21 March 2025.[30]
The song is part of a 15-minute long single-shot sequence in the film, featuring action, drama, and dance featuring the lead cast.[34][35] According to Sherif, this is the first time mixing action, drama, and dance within 15 minutes in a film. The music video featured Suriya with a serious, expressionless face, while Pooja Hegde had a joyful expression, reflecting their respective characters in the film.[36] The film team shot another version of the song with both Suriya and Hegde displaying joyful expressions and released it as a rehearsal video.[37][38] Later, the makers confirmed that the video was not part of the film and was shot and released solely for fans.[39]
Some common steps that are seen in every film of director Karthik Subbaraj are also seen in this song.[40][41] Sherif Master was asked to prepare a hook step that would go viral on social media.[42]
Reception
Srijony Das of Pinkvilla praised the song and called it a "foot-tapping number".[43] Atreyee Poddar of Indulge Express described it as a "vibe material".[44]The Statesman praised the song and stated, "The track has that perfect mix of upbeat rhythm and catchy choreography, making it the next big sensation for reels and dance covers."[45]
Raisa Nasreen of Times Now wrote "Composed by Santhosh Narayanan, who has also sung the song with The Indian Choral Ensemble, Kanimaa is set in a wedding backdrop, bringing to life the dance beats 90s weddings. Vivek has written the lyrics for this Kalyaana Kuthu number."[46] Rahul M of The Free Press Journal complimented the idea of the song and wrote "The song’s visuals feature a traditional Tamil wedding with people dancing joyously in celebration. It shows people dressed in vibrant costumes and displaying celebratory vibes."[47]
Other versions
The song was also released in Telugu as "Bujjamma", with lyrics written by Shyam Kasarla and in Hindi as "Anarkali" with lyrics written by Raqueeb Alam.[48][49] All the version were sung by Narayanan and The Indian Choral Ensemble.[50]
Impact
The song crossed 10 million views within few hours of its release and 20 million within few days.[51][52][53][54] Upon its release, the song started trending on internet.[55] The song received positive reception from audiences, praising the music.[56] The song soon started trending on several music platforms.[57]Suriya and Pooja Hegde's rolling step in the music video went viral and became a signature hook step and was recreated by many,[58] in short-video and social media platforms.[59][60][61] Hegde often recreated the viral portion of the dance in the film's promotions.[62][63][64] She performed the hookstep live with over 10,000 fans at the film's audio launch held on 18 April 2025 at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.[65]
Hegde's Sari hook step went viral in social media, and many recreated the signature step.[66][67] Hegde's expression was also praised by many calling her "expression queen" following the song's release with her dance moves drawing comparisons to her previous chartbusters like "Butta Bomma", "Arabic Kuthu" and "Ramuloo Ramulaa".[68][69] A critic from The Times of India noted the song "garnered attention for its catchy tune and Pooja Hegde's mesmerizing dance performance, which quickly became a viral sensation on Instagram reels."[70]
↑ Dudekula, Reema (27 March 2025). "14 million views in 4 days". www.tamilmurasu.com.sg. Archived from the original on 1 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
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