Devi Shri Prasad: I was prepared for Pushpa 2’s Kissik’s comparison with Pushpa’s Oo Antava-OxBig News Network

Also read: Devi Sri Prasad takes a dig at Pushpa 2 The Rule producers at Kissik song launch

Despite the positive reception, a section of listeners have criticised the tracks on social media, especially targeting Kissik, a dance number featuring actors Allu Arjun and Sreeleela. Some dismissed it, claiming that Oo Antava, starring actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu, from Pushpa: The Rise was superior.

Addressing this, DSP responds, “I was totally prepared for the comparisons. We make hundreds of romantic songs, each one is different. There’s a certain direction we need to do depending on the actors, backdrop, whether the story is rural or urban… but for item songs, it is always compared to the previous ones. More so, when it is a franchise film. I had expected it to happen. However, this time I felt Kissik would pick up later, whereas Oo Antava did it quickly. The latter addressed the male gaze, whereas Kissik underlined the misuse of a girl’s photo. I have heard about actresses who feel photos have been taken from an indecent angle while in public.”

The Hindi version of the lyrics also faced some backlash from listeners. DSP explains, “I search for the essence of the nativity of the original language in which a song is created.” “Sometimes we go with similar-sounding words to make the song interesting. Maybe that’s what happened with Kissik. We just wanted to retain the original song’s lyrics’ feel,” he ends.