![Nesamani](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Nesamani.png)
Pray for Nesamani (sometimes spelled Naesamani) is an
internet meme that began trending on social media platforms in May 2019. It is based on the fictional character Nesamani from the Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
drama film
''Friends'' (2001). Nesamani was played by actor
Vadivelu
Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the ...
, whose image is used in many of the memes attached to the
hashtag ''#Pray_for_Nesamani'' and a series of related hashtags.
It became the top trending hashtag on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
in India during the week, beating ''#ModiSarkar2'', which was previously the nationally top trending hashtag referring to the recent
2019 Indian general election
General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter ...
and the
23rd Ministry of the Republic of India.
Background
''
Friends'' is a 2001 Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
-language drama film directed by
Siddique. The film is a remake of the director's own
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
-language film
of the same name which released in 1999. The supporting character Nesamani's scenes form a comedy
subplot
In fiction, a subplot is a secondary strand of the plot that is a supporting side story for any story or for the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or thematic significance. Subplots often involve supporting c ...
in the film.
Nesamani, played by
Vadivelu
Kumaravadivel Natarajan (born 12 September 1960), known professionally as Vadivelu, is an Indian actor, comedian and playback singer, having acted in supporting and lead roles in Tamil cinema. He gained widespread acclaim in Kollywood in the ...
, receives a painting contract at a
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...
palace. He and his employees are joined by his assistant Gopal (
Charle), his nephew Krishnamoorthy (
Ramesh Kanna), and Krishnamoorthy's friends Aravindan (
Vijay) and Chandru (
Suriya) who join as
apprentices
Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...
. Nesamani constantly yells at Krishnamoorthy and his friends for their poor workmanship and for unwittingly landing him in mishaps which run him the risk of losing the contract. In the midst of one of Nesamani's angry outbursts, Krishnamoorthy accidentally drops a hammer from above which lands on Nesamani's head. Although Nesamani is knocked out from initial impact, the friends eventually revive him. A fed up Nesamani bans the three friends from assisting in any further work.
Vadivelu, known for his career as a comedic film actor, is a
celebrity
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
in the Indian state of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
and has been the subject of several memes among Tamil-speaking internet users.
Many of his past performances and dialogues, including those from ''Friends'', were incorporated in several other social and political memes.
Trending
Trending of the hashtag started on 27 May 2019 from a page on
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
called Civil Engineering Learners, where a user posted a photo of a
hammer and asked its followers "what is the name of this tool in your country?". One user replied with the comment "Suthiyal", the
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
word for hammer, and recalled the scene from ''Friends'' adding without providing context that "contractor Nesamani's head was broken... with it". Another commenter who understood the reference joined in the joke and replied, "Is he ok?". The conversation regarding Nesamani in the comments section expanded as users created and posted memes captioned "Pray for Nesamani". The memes featured screenshots of the scene of Vadivelu portraying Nesamani after the impact by the hammer. The images were coupled with fictitious screenshots of Twitter posts from world leaders and organizations expressing concerns and condolences for Nesamani. The memes were instantly
viral on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
and
Instagram.
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
links of the scene where the hammer falls on Nesamani were dubbed as "
CCTV footage of Krishnamoorthy attacking Nesamani".
The hashtag ''#Pray_For_Nesamani'' became the top trending hashtag on Twitter in India during the week, beating ''#ModiSarkar2'', which was another nationally trending hashtag regarding the recent
2019 Indian general election
General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter ...
and the
23rd Ministry of the Republic of India.
Related hashtags, including ''#nesamani'', ''#contractor_nesamani'', ''#arrest_krishnamoorthy'' and ''#we_stand_with_govaalu'', the latter two referring to the characters Krishnamoorthy and Gopal, also became popular.
Celebrities, including
Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh (born 3 July 1980) is a member of parliament in Rajya Sabha and an Indian retired cricketer and cricket commentator, who played for the Indian national cricket team from 1998 - 2016. Singh was a right-arm spin bowler. In India ...
,
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin () (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a bowling All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-break, he plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cric ...
,
Siddharth, and
Samantha Akkineni
Samantha Ruth Prabhu (formerly: Samantha Akkineni; born 28 April 1987) is an Indian actress who mainly works in Telugu and Tamil film industries. She is a recipient of several awards, including four South Filmfare Awards, six South Indian ...
, took part in the joke by including the hashtag in their posts on their social media pages.
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainme ...
South and
Amazon Prime Video India posted video links to the scene in the film. Other corporate organizations who created Pray for Nesamani memes include the
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is an Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 2008, the team plays its home matches at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The team is owned by India ...
,
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
India,
AirAsia India
AirAsia India is an Indian low-cost airline headquartered in Bangalore (Bengaluru), Karnataka. The airline was a joint venture between Tata Sons and AirAsia Bhd. Tata Sons currently holds 100% stake in the airline, after AirAsia Bhd sold its ...
,
Nippon Paint
is a Japanese paint and paint products manufacturing company. It is the fourth largest paint manufacturer globally based on revenue in 2020.
History
The company, was founded in 1881 by Jujiro Motegi under the name Komyosha(Yamato Jujiro Shot ...
India and
Amul.
The
Chennai Metropolitan Police
The Greater Chennai Police, a division of the Tamil Nadu Police, is the law enforcement agency for the city of Chennai in India and the surrounding area. The city police force is headed by a Commissioner of Police and the administrative contr ...
used the hashtag to promote helmet use while operating
two-wheelers.
Reaction
Initially unaware, Vadivelu was notified by ''
The News Minute
''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Dhanya Rajendran, Chitra Subramaniam and Vignesh Vellore in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, An ...
'' and responded to the memes saying, "This entire trend is a victory given by God, a victory for the movie's director
Siddique and the victory for the people who enjoy my comedy."
While the memes were viral in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
and largely recognized among the
Tamil diaspora
The Tamil diaspora refers to descendants of the Tamil immigrants who emigrated from their native lands (Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Sri Lanka) to other parts of the world. They are found primarily in Malaysia, Arab states of the Persian Gulf, ...
, it led to confusion among the rest of India and Internet users around the world who were unfamiliar with Vadivelu or the film.
Political impact
''
The New Indian Express
''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'' noted that the viral nature of ''#Pray_For_Nesamani'' on Twitter may have been a race to dethrone the hashtag #''ModiSarkar2'' from the top position of trending topics. The latter was used in online commentaries and discussions pertaining to the
2019 Indian general election
General elections were held in India in seven phases from 11 April to 19 May 2019 to elect the members of the 17th Lok Sabha. Votes were counted and the result was declared on 23 May. Around 912 million people were eligible to vote, and voter ...
, in which
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
was
re-elected for a second term as the Prime Minister of India. Some Twitter users taking part in the Pray for Nesamani trend added the prefix Contractor to their display names and encouraged others to do so. The act of prefixing Contractor to their names was in reference to Modi and the supporters of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
who incorporated
Chowkidar, the
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
word for watchman, in their Twitter display names during the election campaign.
References
{{Reflist
Internet memes
2019 works
Internet memes introduced in the 2010s
Internet memes introduced in 2019
Internet memes introduced from India