Kesariya (song)

"Kesariya" is a song by Indian singer-composer Pritam, featuring singer Arijit Singh. Written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and produced by Pritam, it was released as a single on July 17, 2022 via Sony Music India, and was featured on the soundtrack album of the 2022 Indian film Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva.

The song was also released in Telugu as "Kumkumala", in Tamil as "Theethiriyaai", in Kannada as "Kesariya Rangu" and in Malayalam as "Kunkumamaake". "Kesariya" peaked at #1 on Billboard India, and UK Asian charts. Song crossed over 500 million views on YouTube as of October 2023. In April 2024, the song surpassed 500 million streams on Spotify, marking the first Indian song to achieved this milestone.

Release
On 10 April 2022, the first single of the film's soundtrack, titled "Kesariya" was unveiled. Three days later, a teaser of the song was released. "Kesariya" was released on 17 July 2022. Official lyrical video was released on 22 August 2022, through YouTube. Dance mix of the song, recorded by Shashwat Singh and Antara Mitra was released on 1 October. Film version of the song was released on 9 December.

Music video
The music video features Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. It was choreographed by Ganesh Acharya. The music video was shot at Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and in River Ganges.

Critical reception
Bhavna Agarwal of India Today wrote "Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt present love ballad of the year". Hindustan Times wrote "Alia Bhatt promises to always stand by Ranbir Kapoor in their love anthem." ABP News wrote "the track showcases love-filled chemistry of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt".

Plagiarism
The Tune & Music composition of the song are lifted from laree chootee and a folk song called charkha from Pakistani composers. This is not the first time pritam the composer of kesariya has been accused of plagiarism. He is attributed to lifting over 60 songs from other composers in his career so far.

Other versions
The song was released in Telugu as "Kumkumala" with lyrics written by Chandrabose. The song was released in Tamil as "Theethiriyaai" with lyrics written by Madhan Karky. The song was released in Kannada as "Kesariya Rangu" with lyrics written by Yogaraj Bhat. The song was released in Malayalam as "Kunkumamaake" with lyrics written by Shabareesh Varma. Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam versions of the song was sung by Sid Sriram alongside Sanjith Hegde and Hesham Abdul Wahab.

Impact
The song received positive reception from audiences, praising the music. The hook step, performed by Kapoor and Bhatt, went viral on social media.

Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from YouTube.


 * Pritam – composer
 * Amitabh Bhattacharya – lyricist
 * Arijit Singh – vocal
 * Nikhita Gandhi – additional vocal
 * Ganesh Acharya – choreographer
 * Shadab Rayeen – mixing engineer, mastering engineer
 * Dhrubajyoti Phukan – sound design, music arrangement