Gilbert Chettiar and Siddharth Basrur’s ‘Udd Jaa’ Chronicles B-Boy Tornado’s Journey

With breakdancing heading to the Olympics for the first time in Paris this year, Mumbai’s B-Boy Tornado aka Ramesh Yadav was among the top contenders who was representing Indian at qualifier events including the Asian Breaking Championship 2023 in China.

His journey of determination and grit is captured in a new song “Udd Jaa,” sung by rocker Siddharth Basrur with composer Sam Chandel and lyricist-producer Gilbert Chettiar. Released via Chettiar’s Lafzon Music platform, the spirited song also includes producer Sid Paul on guitars, plus a music video directed by filmmaker Darshan Mandaliya that recreates B-Boy Tornado’s life and journey to becoming one of the most recognized breakers in India.

From embarrassments to challenges to finally proving his worth, the video for “Udd Jaa” mirrors the resolve that B-Boy Tornado has brought to his craft. A press release for the song states that Chettiar – who is often driven to explore themes of love and relationships – wrote the lyrics for “Udd Jaa” with an intention to reflect the “authenticity and depth” of B-Boy Tornado. “Through his verses, Chettiar not only captures the essence of Yadav’s resilience and determination but also invites listeners to embark on a transformative journey of their own,” the press release adds.

Tornado, who was crowned B-Boy Champion at the Red Bull BC One Cypher India 2019, was aiming to represent India at the Paris Olympics 2024. He finished 16th in the pre-selection stage at the Asian Breaking Championship 2023 in Hangzhou, China, but ultimately lost to B-boy Lilbom of Japan, unable to make it to the round-robin stage of the qualifier event.

Nevertheless, he was one among five Indians who were vying for a spot to compete in Paris. To laud the journey so far, Basrur brings his distinctively charged-up vocals in Hindi. The press release says about Basrur teaming up with Chettiar, “Together, they paint a vivid portrait of Yadav’s ascent to greatness, leaving an indelible impression on the hearts and minds of all who listen.”

With Chettiar based in London, Lafzon Music has been putting out music since 2020, with their debut release “Yeh Waqt Bhi” by singer Rohan Sequeira. Several singles have released since then.

Basrur, for his part, lends his voice to “Udd Jaa” after a few stellar film music projects, including “Shaitaan Theme” for the supernatural horror movie Shaitaan composed by Amit Trivedi, plus “Pyara Mera Veera” with fellow artist Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, composed by Amrit Ramnath for the Malayalam movie Varshangalkku Shesham.

Watch the video for “Udd Jaa” below.