The girl-next-door, Amrita Rao, made her Bollywood debut in 2002 with the movie Ab ke…
Yashraj Mukhate, The Man Who Made The Nation Dance With His Amazing Music and Viral Videos
Rasode Mein Kaun Tha, Tuada Kutta Tommy and Biggini Shoot are some of his mashups which everyone on internet must have heard. Many of his lines became national meme and Yashraj Mukhate became an internet sensation.
Born in Aurangabad, Maharashtra Yashraj Mukhate rose to fame recently with his music. Mukhate had his love for music since childhood and his parents were very supportive of his dreams.
Recently Yashraj Mukhate shared his success story with Humans Of Bombay “I was 3 when Baba got me a keyboard; I fell in love with music that day. I’d carry it with me everywhere and would play it every chance I got. Even then, I knew I wanted to be a musician. Aai and Baba were supportive, but they wanted me to get a degree before venturing into music.” Where there’s a will there’s a way “So, I pursued engineering; I’d attend college in the morning, but as soon as I got back home, I’d get on YouTube–I’ve learnt everything from there! Somehow, I completed my engineering and after that, I channelled all my energy towards music. I didn’t have proper equipment, so I’d create music using dal dabbas or chocolate wrappers. I’d make song covers and post them online.”
The Kokilaben mashup rasode mein kaun tha came as turning point in his life “Slowly, people started contacting me for work; I started composing jingles! It was a small start, but I was excited to do any work related to music! Aai–Baba weren’t on social media, so they’d wonder what I was doing in the basement all day. I wanted to wait till I could show them a Yashraj Mukhate original. Then I saw Kokila Ben’s video–the dialogue already had a rhythm to it, so I worked on the dialogue for a day and posted it online the next morning. I switched off my phone after and started working on a deliverable.”
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Appreciation from celebrities “When I switched on my phone in the evening, it was ringing off the hook. There were comments from my favourite celebrities. Smriti Ma’am shared my video, Anurag Kashyap sir DM’d me saying, ‘Good work,’ and shared his number with me. It was a lot to process. Aai immediately got a kala dhaga and tied it on my wrist! And finally Aai-Baba saw my work! For the next 1 week, I didn’t sleep. It was all so new, I said ‘yes’ to everything that came my way–from interviews to collaborations. I was clueless and didn’t want to come across as rude. I was even invited as a guest to Lil Champs. Vishal Bhardwaj Sir and I worked on a song together; he wanted to work with me. ME!”
Grabbed opportunity with both his hands “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 I’ve created, it’s the ‘rasoda video’ that went viral; but life is unpredictable like that! Honestly, I was expecting the buzz around me to die down; we all know how social media works, but the small surprises I keep getting in the form of Tapsee Pannu recreating Biggini Shoot or Raveena Tandon Ma’am making a reel on ‘Tommy’ keep me going!” “Earlier, people referred to me as an ‘engineer’ but now that’s changed, it’s Yashraj Mukhate, the artist. Let’s see how life surprises me next, but abhi toh pawri ho rahi hai!”
Yashraj Mukhate: The Man Who Made The Nation Dance With His Amazing Music and Viral Videos
In the vast, cacophonous theatre of the Indian internet, a single, looping dialogue about an empty cooker and two bewildered daughters-in-law suddenly morphed into a rap anthem that swept the nation. The man behind this unlikely transformation—and a string of subsequent viral earworms—is Yashraj Mukhate. An engineer from Aurangabad, he didn’t just capitalize on a meme; he pioneered a new genre of content creation, turning mundane or humorous dialogues from daily life, reality TV, and social media into irresistibly catchy, professional-quality musical compositions. Mukhate is not just a musician; he is a cultural alchemist who found the perfect rhythmic beat for the nation’s collective consciousness, proving that sometimes, the simplest dialogues make the most complex hits.
The Genesis of a Rhythmic Sensation
Yashraj Mukhate’s journey to becoming a national sensation was anything but an overnight miracle; it was the result of years of passionate, dedicated musical pursuit. Hailing from Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Mukhate’s initial path was guided by a more conventional route: he completed an engineering diploma and degree in Electronics and Telecommunication, a choice he made partly because he considered it the closest field to music at the time.
However, his heart belonged entirely to composition. From childhood, he was inclined towards music, learning to play the keyboard and later gaining enough technical knowledge to start producing music professionally. Before his major breakthrough, he was a music director working on small-scale projects, freelancing for jingles, cover videos, and background scores for short films.
In 2019, Mukhate began to experiment with the format that would define his fame: remixing unusual spoken word segments with professional music. His vision was simple yet ingenious: to create content that was unique and could only be found on his channel, a crucial exclusivity in the crowded digital market.
The Viral Explosion: “Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?”
The true turning point in Mukhate’s career occurred in August 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, with a mere 57-second video titled “Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?” (Who was in the kitchen?).
The viral video featured a snippet of the popular Hindi television serial Saath Nibhaana Saathiya, specifically a tense dialogue delivered by the character Kokilaben (played by Rupal Patel), who is interrogating her daughters-in-law, Gopi and Rashi, about an empty cooker placed on the gas.
Mukhate isolated Kokilaben’s iconic lines and, with his signature blend of rap beats, autotune, and rhythmic loops, transformed a dramatic soap opera moment into a zany, hummable rap track.
- Impact: The video instantly became a cultural phenomenon, garnering millions of views within days and setting off a chain reaction of memes and parodies across India.
- Result: The unprecedented success catapulted Mukhate into the limelight, earning him millions of followers and a mention from celebrities and music industry veterans alike. In a surprising twist, the virality of the remix even led the makers of the original show to consider a sequel.
The Trifecta of Virality
Mukhate proved his initial success was no fluke, following it up with two more global chartbusters that cemented his status as the internet’s favourite music producer.
1. “Sadda Kutta Tommy” (December 2020)
Just months after the Kokilaben phenomenon, Mukhate struck gold again with a remix based on a dramatic dialogue by Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill. The iconic line, “Tuadda kutta Tommy, Sadda Kutta Kutta?” (Your dog is Tommy, our dog is just a dog?) was set to a catchy, energetic beat.
- The track resonated deeply with the internet’s meme culture, achieving monumental success.
- The song gained further celebrity traction when Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone and her husband Ranveer Singh danced to the track for a birthday video, showcasing the remix’s penetration into mainstream culture.
2. “Pawri Ho Rahi Hai” (February 2021)
Mukhate successfully crossed international boundaries with his “Pawri Ho Rahi Hai” (The party is happening) track. Based on a clip from a young Pakistani social media influencer, Dananeer Mobeen, who was mockingly describing her friends’ “party” in an exaggerated accent, Mukhate once again used his musical Midas touch.
- Unifying Trend: The infectious tune and dialogue transcended geopolitical lines, becoming a massive, unifying meme trend in both India and Pakistan.
- Brand Magnet: The massive reach and relatable humor of his tracks quickly attracted collaborations with major brands across various sectors, including Pepsi, KFC India, Oreo, and Dream11, using his unique style for their jingles and campaigns.
The Yashraj Signature: The Art of the Remix
What distinguishes Yashraj Mukhate is his unparalleled musical methodology—a sophisticated process hidden beneath the veil of a seemingly simple, funny video.
- Music First: Mukhate’s creative process involves treating an “absurd” piece of dialogue or sound and combining it with “serious music.”
- A Unique Sound Palette: He doesn’t limit himself to traditional instruments. Mukhate has incorporated the sounds of household objects like a broomstick, a spoon, or a jire ka dabba (cumin box) to create unique rhythms and textures in his compositions, a testament to his experimentation.
- The Technical Craft: The success lies in his ability to intricately clean up and process the source audio, finding the inherent rhythm and pitch in a spoken sentence, and then weaving complex beats around it. While some songs took him up to a week, others like “Pawri Ho Rahi Hai” were completed in a mere four hours.
Beyond the Meme: The Composer’s Evolution
Far from being a one-trick pony, Yashraj Mukhate has strategically leveraged his viral success to build a diverse and enduring career as a music producer and composer.
- Mainstream Validation: His work earned him high praise and recognition from established Bollywood music veterans, including Sonu Nigam, Anu Malik, Vishal Bhardwaj, and the legendary A.R. Rahman, whom he later had the opportunity to meet.
- Big Collaborations: His post-viral career includes significant projects that showcase his versatility:
- Original Music: He launched his own record label, YM Originals, and released his first official original track, “Rasmalai.”
- Bollywood Duets: He collaborated with renowned music duo Salim and Sulaiman Merchant on the music video “Kahaaniyaan.” He also got the opportunity to work with his idol, Amit Trivedi, on the song “Mann Dhaaga” in 2024.
- Film Debut: In 2024, he made his debut in the Marathi film industry as a music director, composing the title song “Love Chumbak” for the film Ek Don Teen Char.
- Sports Anthem: Mukhate also created the official Olympic Anthem for the Indian hockey team in 2024, a project he was excited about for its motivational and patriotic tone.
- Brand Endorsements: He continues to be a favorite among major brands, creating catchy jingles for companies like American Tourister and Tic Tac, further cementing his cross-platform appeal.
Yashraj Mukhate’s journey is a powerful testament to the democratization of creativity in the digital age. He took a simple, often-overlooked, yet globally accessible skill—music production—and combined it with a deep understanding of internet humor and meme culture. He didn’t wait for a grand launch; he made the world his stage by finding the rhythm in the ordinary. In doing so, Yashraj Mukhate didn’t just create music; he created culture, setting the beat that truly made the nation dance.
AISEO Friendly FAQs
Q1: Who is Yashraj Mukhate?
A: Yashraj Mukhate is an Indian music producer, composer, and social media personality best known for turning viral and often humorous spoken-word dialogues from Indian pop culture and social media into catchy, professional-quality musical remixes.
Q2: Which video made Yashraj Mukhate famous?
A: Yashraj Mukhate gained immense fame with his August 2020 video, “Rasode Mein Kaun Tha?” (Who was in the kitchen?), which was a rap remix of a dramatic dialogue from the Indian television soap opera Saath Nibhaana Saathiya.
Q3: What are some of Yashraj Mukhate’s other famous viral videos?
A: Other famous viral hits by Yashraj Mukhate include “Sadda Kutta Tommy,” a remix of a dialogue from Bigg Boss contestant Shehnaaz Gill, and the cross-border sensation “Pawri Ho Rahi Hai,” based on a viral video by a Pakistani influencer, Dananeer Mobeen.
Q4: Is Yashraj Mukhate a trained musician, or is he an engineer?
A: Yashraj Mukhate is an electronics and telecommunication engineer by education, but he is a self-taught musician and composer by profession. He was inclined toward music from childhood and pursued it full-time after completing his engineering degree.
Q5: Has Yashraj Mukhate done work outside of viral remixes?
A: Yes, he has successfully transitioned into a full-fledged music composer. He has released his own original music under his record label, YM Originals (including the song “Rasmalai”), collaborated with mainstream artists like Amit Trivedi and Salim-Sulaiman, debuted as a music director in Marathi cinema, and composed the official Olympic Anthem for the Indian hockey team in 2024.
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