Yeshanagula: From Telangana Folk Roots to The Paradise
HYDERABAD: “Yeshanagula katta meeda yeshina uyyala…” did not originate with Nani-starrer The Paradise. The refrain existed in Telangana’s folk tradition decades before Anirudh Ravichander’s electronic production, Keerthy Suresh’s appearance and the song’s explosion on social media.
The song now serves as the second single from director Srikanth Odela’s The Paradise. Anirudh composed the music, while Kasarla Shyam wrote new lyrics around the traditional refrain. Telangana folk singers Addula Jangireddy and Prabha Bangarigalla provide the vocals.
The makers unveiled the song at Anirudh’s concert in Dallas on August 28, where Nani joined him on stage. The track arrived on August 29 and crossed 44 million YouTube views by September 2. The makers also claimed that it reached No. 1 on YouTube’s global charts.
The refrain predates the film
The origins of “Yeshanagula” remain less clear.
Available records do not conclusively identify Addula Jangireddy as the original author of the folk refrain. A 1990s Kamal Audio recording of Konte Kolatam carries the song as part of the folk repertoire. An online Kamal Audio listing also includes the song in a 2014 release featuring Jangi Reddy Sunitha.
A digital release titled Yeshnagula Kattameda Yesena Uyyalla credits Jangi Reddy Addula as lyricist and Arsid Lakshman as composer. Kamal Audio released that recording on December 1, 2014.
However, a later recording credit cannot by itself establish authorship of a song that may have circulated orally for years.
Kasarla Shyam has described the refrain as a traditional Telangana kolatam number popularised by Jangi Reddy. He has also said the filmmakers obtained permission from Jangi Reddy before using it in The Paradise.
The film version goes beyond the old recording. Shyam has added new verses around the familiar refrain, while Anirudh has created a contemporary arrangement around its folk core.
Telangana identity runs through the lyrics
The song carries a strong Telangana identity through its vocabulary, food references and images of rural domestic life.
At its centre stands a woman waiting for her patel — her man or husband. She watches the tovva, or path, hoping to see him return. The lyrics build her world through intimate details of rural household life.
They mention budda parakala koora, a curry made with tiny local fish, and budamatla buvva, evoking older food traditions. India Today also highlighted budda parakala koora as one of the details that roots the new lyrics in Telangana.
Shyam’s verses move from separation towards desire. The woman remembers wiping her lover’s sweat with the edge of her voile sari. She recalls their whispered conversations, the bedding he left behind and his smell lingering inside their small home.
These details do more than provide local colour. They place the song firmly inside a recognisable rural world.
Then comes ippasara.
Ippasara, uyyala and collective celebration
Ippasara refers to liquor traditionally made from mahua flowers. The drink, also known as mahua in several parts of India, forms part of the cultural practices of several Adivasi communities.
The reference shifts the song’s mood. The waiting woman moves from longing towards drinking, swaying and celebration.
The uyyala, or swing, also features prominently in Telangana folk music. Its repetitive cadence naturally lends itself to group singing and dancing.
“Katta” means a bund or embankment. However, available material does not conclusively establish “Yeshanagula” as the name of one specific geographical location.
Together, the language, food, drink, domestic details and folk rhythm give the song its distinctly Telangana character, even within a contemporary film soundtrack.
From village performances to YouTube and Dallas
Long before The Paradise, “Yeshanagula” had travelled through Telangana’s folk circuit. DJs, YouTube channels and short-form videos later introduced it to newer audiences.
Director Srikanth Odela reportedly knew the song from his childhood and wanted to use it in one of his films.
The Paradise has now taken that local journey much further.
Anirudh retains the recognisable folk refrain but surrounds it with contemporary percussion, programmed beats, synths and keyboards. The arrangement places an older Telangana melody inside a soundscape designed for cinema and social media.
The Dallas launch captured that transition. A Telangana folk number reached an international stage through Anirudh and Nani, with the crowd responding to a song whose roots lie far from the concert arena.
By September 2, the song had crossed 44 million YouTube views. The makers said it had also reached No. 1 on YouTube’s global charts.
Its journey is therefore bigger than a simple shift from an old folk recording to a new film song. “Yeshanagula” has travelled from oral tradition and village performances to cassettes, digital music, YouTube, short-form videos and, finally, a global film launch.
Today, “Yeshanagula” may be an internet earworm. But its deepest identity remains rooted in the Telangana folk tradition from which its refrain first travelled.
