Yashraj Mukhate on going from 10k followers to 2 million: 'Anurag Kashyap DM-ed me'

Yashraj Mukhate, the memelord musician behind viral tracks such as Rasode Mein Kaun Tha and Pawri Hori Hai, has spoken about his journey.

Musician Yashraj Mukhate, who became an overnight sensation with his Rasode Mein Khaun Tha video, has recalled the attention he received from celebrities and regular folk alike. The video quickly went viral at the height of the coronavirus lockdown last year.

The image is a screengrab from the video shared by Yashraj Mukhate. (Instagram/@yashrajmukhate)

Speaking to the Humans of Bombay Instagram page, Yashraj said that it was his first piece of work that his parents saw.

He said, "Aai–Baba weren’t on social media, so they’d wonder what I was doing all day. I wanted to wait till I could show them a Yashraj Mukhate original. Then I saw Kokila Ben’s video–I worked on the audio for a day and posted it online the next day. I switched off my phone after, I had to work on a deliverable."

He continued, "When I switched it on in the evening, it was ringing off the hook! Smriti Ma’am shared my video, Anurag Kashyap sir DM’d me saying, ‘Good work’! It was a lot to process. Aai immediately got a kala dhaga & tied it on my wrist! Finally Aai-Baba saw my work!"

He said that for a week, he 'couldn't sleep'. "A year back, I was struggling to reach 10k followers for the swipe up feature, but just a day before, I crossed 2 million! My friends still laugh about the fact that out of everything, it’s the ‘rasoda video’ that went viral; but life is unpredictable!"

Yashraj said that he was expecting the buzz around him 'to die down', but several other of his songs have also become quite popular. "We all know how social media works, but small surprises in the form of Tapsee Pannu recreating Biggini Shoot or Raveena Tandon ma’am making a reel on ‘Tommy’ keep me going!"

After the success of the Rasode Mein Kaun Tha video, Yashraj's songs plucked from moments in reality shows Emotional Atyachaar and Bigg Boss became almost as popular. He most recently put his own spin on the Pawri Hori Hai meme.