"Arabic Kuthu" is a 2022 Indian song and the first single in the soundtrack of the Tamil-language film Beast, directed by Nelson. Starring Vijay and Pooja Hegde, the film is produced by Kalanithi Maran under the studio Sun Pictures. The track is composed by Anirudh, who also sang the track alongside Jonita Gandhi, while the lyrics for the track were written by actor Sivakarthikeyan. The first single to be released from the album, being highly expected from fans, was delayed multiple times.
The single was released on Valentine's Day (14 February 2022). It subsequently became the most-viewed and liked South Indian song within 24 hours, garnering 25 million views within a short period, and also the fastest South Indian song to cross 50 million views. The lyrical video has crossed more than 500 million views and the music video crossed over 400 million views in YouTube. The music video also peaked at no. 1 on the YouTube Global Music Video charts.
Composition
This film marks Anirudh's third collaboration with Vijay after Kaththi (2014) and Master (2021), and with Nelson after Kolamaavu Kokila (2018) and Doctor (2021). Anirudh composed the tracks during mid-July 2021. In order to experiment with the film's music, he had composed this particular track in the style of Arabic music and featured lyrics in both Tamil and Arabic. The opening phrase, "Halamithi Habibo" translates to "I dreamed of my lover". Sivakarthikeyan wrote the lyrics to the track in mid-August 2021.
According to reports and as per the name, the track is a fusion Arabic music and Kuthu (a type of Tamil folk music). It also had mild influences of dance and pop music. The track was sung by Anirudh and Jonita Gandhi, who previously sung for "Chellamma" in Doctor. Anirudh, in his interaction with fans during a Facebook chat session, stated that the work on the first single had been completed and would be released later, and further clarified that all the updates regarding the film will be revealed post-completion of the film's shooting.
Music video
Background and production
The music video, a direct clip from the film itself, features Vijay and Pooja Hegde dancing in an Arabian set. The music video was choreographed by Jani Master. In a deleted tweet, Jani had announced that the rehearsals for the song might take place during mid-April 2021, and the song will be shot within seven days, starting from the first week of May 2021. However, shooting did not take place, due to Vijay's decision to halt shooting in concern with the rise in COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu and furthermore, Hegde had also been diagnosed with COVID-19. The song was shot at Gokulam Studios during September 2021. To promote the single, Nelson shot a promotional video for the track featuring Vijay, Anirudh, Sivakarthikeyan and himself in December 2021.
Synopsis
In the context of the film, the music video is placed during a wedding in which Preethi (Hegde) meets Veera (Vijay) and describes him as the ideal partner she wished for. After a brief interaction, the music video follows and then is followed by Veera assaulting a man at a wedding for playing riskily with his child, due to Veera's PTSD.
Marketing and release
The single was highly anticipated by fans, and was rumoured to be released on Anirudh's birthday (16 October 2021) and later scheduled for release on Diwali (4 November 2021), neither of these ended up happening. Makers stated that Sun Pictures' commitments to the release of Rajinikanth-starrer Annaatthe, and also the death of Puneeth Rajkumar insisted the makers not to release any update regarding the film on Diwali, which was posted on Ananda Vikatan's exclusive article about the film. The single was earlier planned to be released on New Year's Eve (31 December), and later to Pongal (14 January 2022), but could not be launched on that date.
The track was released on the occasion of Valentine's Day (14 February 2022), as Anirudh traditionally released singles on that date. The full music video was released on 9 May 2022, after the theatrical release of the film.
Reception
Audience response
Vijay and Pooja Hegde's rolling step in the music video went viral and became a signature hook step and was recreated by millions in many short-video and social media platforms. Hegde's #ArabicKuthuChallenge went viral in social media, and many recreated the signature step.