Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek: Anirudh Sastry on the choice of lyrics for The Devil’s anthem song

Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek: Did the team of The Devil choose the lyrics from an infamous viral Darshan audio clip in which he’s heard abusing his wife? Lyricist Anirudh Sastry weighs in…

Darshan in a still from the first single, Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek

When the first single from Darshan Thoogudeepa’s The Devil, Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek, came out, fans celebrated it to the hilt. They loved the Challenging Star’s styling and his swag in the song, and were more than pleased with Anirudh Sastry’s lyrics and Ajaneesh B Loknath’s composition. However, not long after, netizens began pointing out the ‘origin’ of the lyrics and that it does not come from a good place.

Choice of lyrics not intentional; suits situation in film

Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek, as it turns out, is something that Darshan had said in a leaked audio clip that went viral, in which he is heard abusing his wife Vijayalakshmi with the choicest expletives. Director Prakash Veer claims that he was not aware of this backstory to the lyrics when Anirudh sent him the version. He liked it and felt that it suited the character and the story. “It was only much later that I realized there’s more to the lyrics, but it was not intentional that we used that bit,” Prakash had said at the recent media briefing.

Speaking to Vishwavani on the sidelines of this event, Anirudh, who has written two songs for the film, added, “Every song in The Devil has been curated based on situations in the film. Darshan sir will be seen in multiple shades in the film, which is what I had to keep in mind while writing the song. It’s not just the case with Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek, but, for instance, Alohomora, as well. There are a lot of references in that song, as well as 2-3 different perspectives, all of which will become clear when the film releases,” he said.

Also read: The Devil: Darshan to be seen in more than 1 role? Director clarifies…

The lyricist-singer adds that the use of these particular words was meant with a positive intention, which would suit the film best and nothing else. The objective, he says, was definitely not to polarize audiences.

The Devil FAQs

Q. What was Darshan Thoogudeepa's last release?

A. Darshan Thoogudeepa was last seen onscreen in 2023's Kaatera , which is available on Z5 (via OTTplay Premium also).

Q. What is Darshan's next film?

A. Darshan's next is The Devil, which has him reuniting with Tarak maker Prakash Veer. The film had been announced as a December 12, 2025 release, but has now been advanced by a day. The film is being released in the actor's absence, as he is currently in jail in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case.

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