Sushmitha Bhat: Did not expect the song Tulasi to blow up the way it did

Two weeks ago, a video of a new single by Su From So composer Sumedh K dropped on YouTube. The song, based on the Sri Purandara Dasaru kruthi Elamma Tulasi, had been reimagined by Sumedh, featuring Sushmitha Bhat, best known for her role in the Mammootty-led Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse, as well as child artistes Pranvi Akshay and Akshan S Karkera. In the time since its release, Tulasi has already notched up close to 2.5 million views.

Sushmitha, who will soon be seen in the Kannada film Karavali, in which she is paired opposite Raj B Shetty says that the response to Tulasi has been truly unexpected. “We did not expect the song, Tulasi to blow up the way it did, but, of course, the entire team is very happy. It’s the true power of word-of-mouth publicity,” she tells Vishwavani.

Sushmitha Bhat on the idea behind the video of Tulasi

The actress, who worked on the choreography in the video, says that the reach the song has got is purely organic, as the team did not have budgetary allocations to run ads and promote the launch. The idea with the video was not to go by the romance in the lyrics, but to instead focus on a lonely young woman, who is then liberated once Lord Krishna comes into her life.

Also read: Dominic and the Ladies’ Purse’s Sushmitha Bhat on her Nanditha/Karthik twist in the thriller | Exclusive 

The team, says Sushmitha, is overwhelmed with the outpouring of love for the song. Most importantly, they are upbeat about comments in which audiences have tried to interpret the song and the visuals in their own way. For instance, one comment reads, “There comes a quiet moment when you realize the little girl and the woman are the same. At the beginning, as the boat moves through the mangroves, the woman drifts into her childhood memory, the day she saw him. Later, back home, she remembers again, as little girl running to meet him. And then it becomes clear: just like thulasi, she may seem alone, but she is not lonely. Even today, she lives in that moment, content in the memories where Lord Krishna still lives with her.”

As for Karavali, Sushmitha says that she took up the role to work with Raj. “More than the character, the time spent with Raj sir is very valuable. As an artiste, he gives a lot of pointers and as a human being, he is extremely good. Working with him would help me grow as an artiste,” she reckons.

Also read: Who is Raj B Shetty’s Maavera in Prajwal Devaraj’s Karavali? 

Tulasi FAQs

Q. Who is the artiste behind the viral song Tulasi?

A. Tulasi has been composed and performed by Sumedh K, better known as the music director of the superhit Kannada film, Su From So. It is based on a kruthi by Sri Purandara Dasaru. 

Q, Who features in the video of Tulasi?

A. The video of the song Tulasi features Sushmitha Bhat, Pranvi Akshay and Akshan S Karkera.