Mandya teen’s rendition of Kannada song raises questions on bullying

The song Hoovina Baanadante from the 2009 film Birugali, originally composed by Arjun Janya, has gone viral again — this time for an unexpected reason. A video of 17-year-old Nithyasree from Mandya, singing the song in her own style, has set social media buzzing.

While many found her rendition quirky, even endearing, others dismissed it as ‘cringe’, flooding the comments with memes and criticism. Some users argued that ‘real talent goes unnoticed while such videos get millions of views’. The clip has since been widely shared on Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and X, turning Nithyasree into an overnight viral sensation — for better and worse.

Facing the backlash, Nithyasree said she never meant to insult the song. She said, “I sang it in my own way, just for fun. I didn’t expect it to become such a big deal. The trolling has been very hurtful.” Amid the online debate, the song’s original composer, Arjun Janya, has defended her. Speaking to the media, he said, “If I ask any of my non-musician friends to sing, they’ll sing innocently in their own way. We shouldn’t judge someone for that. She’s not competing with anyone, hasn’t released an album, and is still very young. There’s no need to troll her.”

To underline his support, Arjun even performed Hoovina Baanadante in Nithyasree’s style at a recent event — a moment that itself went viral, earning applause for his gesture. The incident has now sparked a larger conversation about the double-edged nature of internet fame — where ‘cringe’ often trends, but the young voices behind it sometimes pay a heavy price

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