As with most things that go viral, I don’t think anybody, not even fans of Tamil movies, not even ardent fans of actor Dhanush (such as yours truly) saw this one coming. But over the past couple of weeks or so (Wunderbar Studios uploaded this video on YouTube on the 2nd of January), Rowdy Baby, a dance number from the film Maari 2 has crossed the borders of Tamil Nadu and India, swam across the seven seas and turned into a global sensation. As of right now, the video has close to 110 million views already. On top of that, there are also truckloads of YouTube channels, from various corners of the world, that have uploaded reaction videos to this song as well.
The video’s comments section is flooded with praises too, with many especially applauding the film’s supporting actress, Sai Pallavi for her kickass moves and infectious facial reactions.
One Malaysian dance enthusiast, Chi Kay, who enjoyed the heck out of the music video had this to say:
“The choreography caught my attention right from the start. I like how they balanced funny and quirky moves with the cool ones, which made it really entertaining to watch. The moves with the shoes, for instance, is particularly creative! I was so surprised when you told me they aren’t actually professional dancers per se, but actors first and foremost.”
When it comes to dance numbers in mainstream Tamil Cinema, the women are mostly used for their sex appeal. So it’s awesome to see a musical segment where the female co-star is given the opportunity to bust some sick moves alongside the male lead. To say that actress Sai Pallavi killed it would be an understatement. Praises should also be given to the choreographer of this song, Prabhu Deva, a mainstay in the industry who has been constantly pushing the envelope for the past two decades.
But while Rowdy Baby is getting most of the attention, we cannot ignore the first single of Maari 2, titled Maari Gethu. In contrast to Rowdy Baby, this is more of an edgy rural song (known as ‘Dappan Koothu’). It is here that we see actor Dhanush truly come to life — as one commenter put it “Dhanush eats electricity for breakfast.” This music video currently has close to 4 million views on YouTube.
Maari 2, the sequel to Maari is a larger than life gangster-comedy that is also an exciting play on genre tropes — think Thor: Ragnarok. It’s helmed by Balaji Mohan and stars Dhanush (one of the best actors working in world cinema today), Sai Pallavi and Tovino Thomas, with music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
