Have you taken the Jimikki Kammal challenge? Here's all you want to know

Jimmy Kimmel and Shaan Rahman

Jimmy Kimmel and Shaan Rahman

When composer Shaan Rahman composed the song, Jimikki Kammal, for Mohanlal's Onam release Velipadinte Pusthakam, little did he know that it would find an ardent fan in Jimmy Kimmel. Until last week, the catchy number, sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Renjith Unni, had garnered popularity across India, thanks to the cover versions churned out by college students across the country.

However, its popularity peaked when a Twitter user shared a link to one of the cover versions with Kimmel, whose name sounds similar to the hookline of the Malayalam track. The American TV host-comedian retweeted the video saying that he loved it.

Mohanlal in still from the original song

About the wild popularity of his composition, Rahman says, "When the song released three weeks ago, I didn't expect it to get this kind of response. It became a rage in Kerala soon, but getting universal reception is overwhelming."

He adds that the first four lines have been an anthem in Kerala colleges for years. "The film's producer wanted me to weave the lines with the rest of the lyrics, which was a challenge. The song picked up in a big way post Onam. We'd organised a Jimmiki Kammal dance challenge. Every college student in Kerala was dancing to the song in no time," smiles Rahman.

Cover version of students from Indian School of Commerce

He thinks the students have been instrumental in making the song a talking point. "I owe its success to college students in Kerala. Their cover versions made the song universal. I love the one that features girls from the Indian School Of Commerce."

Ask him how it feels to have a fan in Kimmel and he laughs, "I was surprised with his reply."

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