"Kurchi Madathapetti" is an Indian Telugu-language song composed by Thaman S, with lyrics by Ramajogayya Sastry, and recorded by Sahiti Chaganti and Sri Krishna, for the soundtarck album of the 2024 film Guntur Kaaram.[1] It was released on 30 December 2023 (released on YouTube as a lyrical video song) as the third single from the album, through Aditya Music.[2][3] The full video song, featuring scenes directly from the film, was released on 1 February 2024 on YouTube.[4]
"Kurchi Madathapetti" experienced large amounts of commercial success. Although it was released in December 2023, the song experienced large amounts of commercial success after the film's release in January 2024, and further more after the full video song was released in early-February 2024.[5] The song was at the number one on the Billboard India Songs and was featured on the chart for thirty-eight consecutive weeks.[6]
The song was also released in Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages with the same title and was included in the respective dubbed versions of the film. The hook-step, the dialogue rendition by Mahesh Babu, the dance performance of Sreeleela, and the vocals by Sahiti Changanti and Sri Krishna fueled the success and made the song viral across the internet.[7][8]
Production, lyrics and recording
The "Kurchi Madhathapetti" and the extended phrase became popular from a video that became viral and popular on the internet. In the video, a man used this phrase with an expletive word. There was an initial backlash from the audience to use such vulgar phrases in the lyrics.[9]
Critical reception
ETV Bharat stated that, "The latest song from Guntur Kaaram is a vibrant display of Mahesh and Sreeleela's dance prowess coupled with infectious rhythm", further calling it "all-encompassing musical piece".[10]The Hans India opined that the lyrics written by Ramajogayya Sastry evoke a sense of nostalgia with pharses like "Rajahmundry Raaga Manjari" and "Thooniga Nadumulona Thootaletti," reminiscent of the classic mass films from the 1980s, popularized by actor Krishna, father of Mahesh Babu.[11]
Music video
Background and production
Sekhar has choreographed the dance sequences.[12]Rashmi Gautam has denied rumours of being cast to perform in the song.[13] During an interview with The Times of India, Poorna told that she was hesitant about accepting the offer because of the weight gained after her pregnancy. She further told that she was prepared to face some negative comments about the song.[14]
"Kurchi Madhathapetti" was the fastest video song to reach 30 crore (300 million) views milestone in 133 days, surpassing the "Arabic Kuthu".[15] The full video song has over 43 crore (430 million) views on YouTube, while the lyrical song which was released first, has 12.5 crore (125 million) views.[16]
Impact
The hook-step performed by Mahesh Babu and Sreeleela received widespread popularity resulting in multiple recreated music videos on various short form video platforms such as Instagram Reels.[17][18] These recreations were also made by various celebrities.[19] The song was played during the game halftime in a National Basketball Association match at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States.[20][21] Pavaman Suraj of Pinkvilla called it "foot-tapping", with a particular praise for Sreeleela's dance in the music video, and included it in the "top 5 viral foot-tapping South Indian songs".[22]
