Move over, Jamal Kudu. A new viral moment from the world of Hindi cinema is setting the internet on fire. Just as the frenzy around Bobby Deol's entry in Animal began to settle, Akshaye Khanna stepped in with an unforgettable swag-filled dance to the track 'Fa9la' by Flipperachi. His villainous smile and unbothered vibe in the film Dhurandhar have unequivocally claimed the song, making it the latest national obsession.
The Staggering Numbers Behind the Fa9la Frenzy
The data tells the story of a smash hit. Produced by DJ Outlaw, 'Fa9la' has amassed over 12.8 million views on YouTube. Its dominance on short-form video is even more impressive, with the hashtag garnering a colossal 2 billion views on TikTok. On Spotify, the song had already clocked 14 million streams by mid-December, cementing its status as one of India's most-consumed tracks. Social media is flooded with memes celebrating Akshaye Khanna's 'hotness quotient' and playful confusion over the Arabic lyrics, which most fans happily admit they don't understand.
Flipperachi on Creating the 'Vibe' and the Bollywood Breakthrough
Behind the viral sensation is Bahrain-based rapper Hussam Aseem, known as Flipperachi. He reveals that the song was conceived as a deliberate Khaliji and Indian fusion. "In Bahrain, there is a big Indian community, so we always like to mix cultures with Khaleeji music. We wanted to do something that had tabla," he explains. The word 'Fa9la' itself means a vibe. "Fa9la is a vibe you say that to the people, 'I have a vibe'. We made the vibe about dances, everything was done around that."
He credits the track's success to its creation of a cinematic moment. "People have formulas to make a hit, but it is the process of making a scene, a moment – that’s what made people attracted to it." Flipperachi was thrilled by Akshaye Khanna's natural performance. "Those are some boujee moves, and he went with it. I was told he asked if he could dance, and his entry was supposed to be villainous. The song has some villainous tunes, but it is actually a party song."
The Dhurandhar team specifically requested the track for that scene. "I thought people would not understand a word of the song, but it worked. We dropped it a year ago, but I didn’t know it would blow up like this in Bollywood," the rapper added, highlighting the blend of Arabic rap, hip-hop, and Khaleeji music with Indian influences.
From Bahrain to Bollywood: A Family Affair
The song's journey from the Gulf to the heart of Indian pop culture became personally clear to Flipperachi through his family. "My mother has Indian and Moroccan staff, and they kept telling her your son is popular in Bollywood now. She asked me, 'Why are you popular in Bollywood?' That’s when I knew how far it had travelled," he shared, describing the classic 'ghar ki murgi daal barabar' phenomenon where global recognition precedes local acclaim.
With fame knocking, Flipperachi is eyeing future collaborations in India. "We are in talks of coming to India soon. I would like to collaborate with someone like Badshah and a Punjabi artiste – something new and engaging. I’m also looking forward to meeting Akshaye Khanna and probably doing a dance with him." As 'Fa9la' continues to trend, this cross-cultural viral wave shows no signs of slowing down, proving once again that music truly knows no borders.
