| "Kilimanjaro" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Kilimanjaro" is a Tamil song from the 2010 film Enthiran, directed by S. Shankar. The song was composed by A. R. Rahman, lyrics penned by Pa.Vijay and sung by Javed Ali and Chinmayi. The Hindi and Telugu version of the song have lyrics respectively written by Swanand Kirkire and Bhuvana Chandra. The song, based on the raga Karaharapriya,[1] is reputed for its use of tribal beats with a catchy chorus and with various musical experiments. It has been very well received by the global audiences and music lovers. Song shooting took place in Macchu Picchu in Peru.
The song has been composed on raga Karaharapriya. The song features African tribal percussions and vocals, which well suits the song situation. It is sung by noted duo Javed Ali and Chinmayi in all the three versions. Singer Chinmayi, who worked with the trio (Rahman, Sankar and Rajinikanth) in the song "Sahana", said it was "a Dream Come True" to sing again for Rajinikanth.[2] The additional vocal arrangements of the song is done by Clinton Cerejo.
The original title of the song is retained in all the three versions. The words "Kilimanjaro", "Mohan Jodaro" etc, originally included by Pa.Vijay, appears in all the versions.
The song was released as part of the soundtrack album of the film on 31 July 2010. Since then, the song has been topping the country charts, holding the no.1 position for many continuous weeks.[3][4]
The audio along with the entire soundtrack, broke all existing records in the Indian music industry, testified by its chart positions and digital downloads. Enthiran became the first album to reach the top of the US iTunes chart.[5] It also received excellent critical responses. It is often praised to be having the "usuall Rahman touch".[6]
The song is picturised on Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai singing a duet with a host of tribal dancers in the background. The song sequence was filmed at Macchu Picchu in Peru, making it the first Indian video to be picturised from the protected heritage site.[7] According to official sources, there were interventions from the Indian government to grand permission for the shooting, which was denied even for many international projects like Quantum of Solace.[7][8] It was choreographed by Raju Sundaram.