A wink and a shy but mischievous smile by Malayalam actress Priya Prakash Varrier in a 28-second clip from a film song have turned the 18-year-old into an internet sensation.
Priya, who features in the clip from “Manikya malaraya poovi” — a song from her forthcoming Malayalam film debut “Oru Adaar Love” — has, in her own words, become a “national trend” on social media.
The song was launched online on February 9. It garnered almost 10,000,000 views on YouTube until Tuesday evening.
She registered on Twitter only earlier this month and has already garnered a following of 60,000. On Instagram, she has got 2.5 million followers, and got a blue tick. She also has a verified official Facebook page.
Priya, who belongs to Thrissur in Kerala, is ecstatic.
“Can’t believe this, #NationalTrend. Thank you so much for your love and support,” Priya tweeted on Monday as she shared a snapshot of Twitter’s viral trends.
Thank you guys for all the love n support… Though I can’t reply each n everyone I will try to reach out to you as best as I can… Keep showering your love https://t.co/c2zUH7zHze
— Priya Prakash Varrier (@priyapvarrier) February 12, 2018
Her expressive eyes, innocence and smile in the clip wherein she gets flirty with her co-actor, have done the trick.
Telugu film actor Allu Arjun tweeted: “The cutest video I have seen in recent times. The power of simplicity. Love it!”
Theeeee Cutesttt Video I have seen in recent times . The power of simplicity . Love it ! #ManikyaMalarayaPoovi #OruAdaarLove . pic.twitter.com/mU6jA5hFVs
— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) February 12, 2018
He was among the several others who noted the video for its old world charm of romancing with the eyes.
As the video clip went viral, Twitter was filled with memes capturing the funny side — some involved Gautam Gambhir, Ravi Shastri, Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and even Katrina Kaif.
One tweet read: “Priya Prakash Varrier gave all types of expressions in that two minutes that Katrina Kaif couldn’t give in her entire Bollywood career.”
Priya’s debut film, releasing next month, is written and directed by Omar Lulu, and produced by Ousepachan Vaalakuzhy under the banner of Ousepachan Movie House. It stars a bunch of newcomers and has music by Shaan Rahman.