From learning to play the guitar by watching videos online to becoming an overnight sensation with her rendition of Manike Mage Hithe, Yohani has come a long way indeed. Recently, the Sri Lankan music artiste toured multiple Indian cities and even made an appearance on the reality show hosted by Salman Khan for her popular track. In an exclusive interview with Bombay Times, the 28-year-old Sri Lankan singer-composer talks about how Amitabh Bachchan’s tweet about her song changed things overnight, her music, being a sportsperson and more. Excerpts:

I was in the Western brass band and I played the trumpet and French horn, but back then, I was more into sports. I tried my hand at polo, swimming, synchronised swimming, Wushu and many other things. My parents pushed us to do many extracurricular activities. My mother enrolled me for piano classes, and that is how I got into music. Then, I picked up a guitar and learned how to play by watching videos online.

Yes, we were all quite frustrated with the Coronavirus pandemic, and I was experimenting in my studio with my instruments. Manike has always been a favourite of mine and I thought of making a TikTok video of it. Chamath came across this and invited me to do an official cover of it.

I think it happened in stages. When the song first reached 25 million views, we were all very excited. Then one day, Amitabh Bachchan tweeted about my song, and things changed overnight.

I am still adjusting to it. I’m humbled by the love and support. I’m also very grateful that we could tour India and perform for a live audience. They loved the music we played. Even though I was introduced to many people with Manike, I’m proud that I have a repertoire to perform for a live audience. I hope people like my upcoming music as well.

We watch a lot of Hindi movies in Sri Lanka. We grew up watching Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan and often sing songs from Hindi films, too. I can’t describe what I felt when I got the opportunity to be a part of Shiddat’s new track. I had to learn the words and pronunciation in a day. I think I have to learn the language a lot more, and I am working on it. I look forward to doing singing more Hindi songs.

I admire A R Rahman a lot. The music that he created even a decade or two ago still feels fresh. I was listening to a playlist of his songs the other day, and each composition is so complex and beautiful. I grew up listening to his music and I still listen to it. It would be a dream come true to work with him one day. I also like Badshah, Divine, Honey Singh and Neha Kakkar; I feel a certain connection with them. I guess you could say that their vibe is great.

Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; February 11, 2019)

Dressed in a statement-making printed yellow jacket and funky sunglasses, Ranveer Singh is in a hurry to reach somewhere. And since mine is the last interview for the day, he wants to know how much time it will take. While his manager says 10, I tell him I want 15 minutes and he sweetly obliges. The young superstar, who has had a phenomenal run at the box office last year with his two releases Padmaavat and Simmba crossing over Rs 200 crore each, is now gearing up for his upcoming film, Gully Boy. Exuding confidence and charisma, the 33-year-old tells us how he transforms himself for his roles, wife Deepika Padukone’s reaction to his look in the film and more.

You sported a muscular physique for Simmba and in Gully Boy, you have a lean look. How important is physical transformation for you while approaching a role?
Growing up, I’ve admired actors, who have the ability to transform themselves completely, to the extent that they change the way they walk, talk, etc. Also, I am trying to establish myself as a versatile actor and after two films like Lootera and Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela in 2013, Dil Dhadakne Do and Bajirao Mastani in 2015, that happened to some extent. And, now, this talk about me being versatile has gained momentum. It’s heartening because I have endeavoured towards that consciously. Actors like Daniel Day-Lewis and Christian Bale are my heroes. I’ve always aspired to be like that — putting on all that muscle mass for Alauddin Khilji (Padmaavat) or Simmba and losing all that for Gully Boy. For me, a part of the process always begins with physical transformation, which is the first step to start feeling like the character.

Fortunately, I have a median body type — six feet tall, 75 kilos — so if I put on 10-15 kilos, I can look really big and if I lose five kilos, I can look tiny. My body allows me that advantage. Next, I’m going to transform myself to look like the living cricket legend Kapil Dev. Everybody has a blueprint of him, which I have to match. It is the biggest challenge for me now.

For Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, you had cut yourself off from everyone and stayed in isolation. What was your prep for Gully Boy?
Each director has a different approach and even I approach each part differently. Sometimes, one has to do extreme things like go into isolation for two-three weeks. Other films have different processes. For Gully Boy, I spent lot of time with writer-director Zoya Akhtar, and with the rappers. I hung out in their environment and did multiple workshops and readings with my co-actors, individually as well as in a group.

With this movie, you have turned a rapper and become the new hip-hop artiste. How did that come about?
I am extremely happy that my vocals have been accepted. It’s really a big deal for me. I didn’t expect this to happen — Apna Time Aayega becoming No.1! It was important for me that I give my vocals because the film and the story is such. It’s about an underdog, the journey of a boy trying to become a musician. For me, it was significant, but Zoya was unsure about me lending my vocals. She said it’s a proper music album and if you are not good enough, I won’t use you because you are not an actual rapper. She took my test. I sang Naezy’s version of Meri Gully Mein. Divine bhai was there guiding me and giving tips. Only after I passed my test did Zoya agree. So, it was not a given that I would sing, I had to qualify.

You are doing a film with Alia Bhatt for the first time, but you have already done ads with her. How was it working with her?
Yes, those ads had made our jodi popular even before our film came. Alia is a mind-blowing actor. She has put in such strong performances in the few films she has done within a short span. She has achieved so much at such a young age. Her dedication, work ethics and passion are admirable. Besides, she has natural talent, and is a born actor. She is stupendous in the film — the way she seamlessly appears as the character and has picked up the language. She has an emotive intelligence. She’s a warm and lovely person to work with. I hope this is the first of many collaborations with Alia. When I am acting with her, she makes me look good. She performs so well that I react to what she is doing and my performance becomes good.

Before Simmba when Deepika Padukone saw the rushes of the film, she said you looked hot. What’s her take on your look in Gully Boy?
(Smiles) She says I am looking the hottest. She loves my look in Zoya’s films as the latter ensures that my hair is short, and there’s no facial hair. Mooch, dadhi, kuchh bhi nahin. So, Deepika loves the way I look in Dil Dhadakne Do and Gully Boy.

You have shown a great flair for comedy in Simmba. How about doing an out-and-out comedy?
I am very keen to do an out-and-out comedy. I urge you to write about it, so that some writer, filmmaker or director reads it and approaches me. Please underline that I want to do comedy!

What kind of comedy do you like?
I like all kinds of comedy — situational, slapstick, and even brainless comedies. I want to do something fresh. There’s an American film Napoleon Dynamite (2004), a small film that redefined the syntax of comedy. For that matter, even Zoolander (2001), did the same, at least, in my interpretation. Yeah, so I would like to do something that has never been done before in comedy.

Gully Boy director Zoya Akhtar on why the inspiring story of the two underground rappers moved her to make a movie that she hopes will change the rap scene
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; February 10, 2019)

It was while editing her 2015 film, Dil Dhadakne Do, that director Zoya Akhtar's editor Anand Subaya made her watch the video of young rapper Naezy's song, Aafat. "I was like 'this is legit!' I just wanted to meet him." So she called up musician Ankur Tiwari, who used to work at MTV Indies at the time, and asked him to arrange a meeting. "He came over to Ankur's house and Reema [Kagti, the writer of the movie] and I chatted with him for hours."

Cut to a few days later, when she went to the erstwhile BlueFROG to watch Naezy perform. It was there that she met Divine, an upcoming rapper then who had then opened for Naezy. "I went backstage and my reaction was 'who you!!!' He was such a kid when I first met him. I asked him to come over to meet Reema and me as well, and that too, ended up being a five-hour meeting," says Akhtar.

Today, Divine could be considered the biggest rapper in India, after his stint with Sony Music, with whose support he released Jungli Sher, that catapulted him to mega fame. Naezy, who is considered one of the pioneers of the Indian underground hip hop scene, went off the grid for a few years, but is back on the scene now.

Four years later, those meetings have culminated into Gully Boy, inspired by their stories but not a biopic, which releases on February 14. It tells the story two Mumbai underground rappers trying to make it, and stars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt. Akhtar says she did listen to hip hop artists like Tupac and Eminem, but had never interacted with the Indian scene ever before.

"Both Naezy and Divine have very distinct styles - their singing, writing, flow is different. What's common is that they both are from the minority community and have come from hard places. But, Naezy grew up with a lot of family, while Divine didn't. What was also appealing was that they speak the truth, and they engage with their socio economic space - they really speak for a lot of people."

For Akhtar, who has been vocal about the #MeToo movement, what was most attractive though was that she thinks both the rappers are hard-core feminists. "I don't think they know the word. But it's in the way they talk about women, and also in the way they don't talk about them. There is also no cynicism in them, and they are all about making a change."

But the story finally shaped up when Akhtar sat down with Kagti to write it out. "You have to create the drama, juice it - there needs to be a girlfriend. It's not a biopic, but it couldn't be authentic without them. We just kept doing drafts after drafts, and kept developing it further." She also spent a lot of time in the gullies to get the tapestry of her movie right. "I have been there before. I worked on Meera Nair's Migration, which I wrote and have done ads there as well. At the end of the day it depends on your aesthetic, and your eye, and your design team."

For Akhtar, though, the point of the movie was to also get some attention to the indie music scene, which she feels is grossly neglected. "I hope after the movie, there is an interest in the music scene that doesn't depend on a star. I hope the rap scene grows. I hope the boys get whatever they want, but remain as authentic and true as they are. I hope they don't have to sell out, but still get the perks of everything. And in the end, I hope people understand the importance of the art, and how vital it is for society. That's what I hope," she says.


Zoya Akhtar with Divine on the sets of Gully Boy

Crediting Ranveer Singh's observant nature for his powerful act, Naezy deconstructs how actor transformed into rapper for Gully Boy
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; January 25, 2019)

Naezy is glad that Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy is bringing rap, which has become a subculture unto its own in the past few years, into the mainstream. While the drama — loosely inspired by Divine and Naezy — sees Ranveer Singh as a street rapper, the artiste clarifies at the outset that the film is not a biopic.

"If you pick up any rapper in Mumbai, our struggles are similar. There are certain instances that have been taken from my life, but some parts have been fictionalised too," says Naved Shaikh, who burst on to the rap scene in 2014 as Naezy.

Involved with the Alia Bhatt starrer since its inception, the artiste says that Singh began his prep months before the project went on floors — the actor would often meet him to gain insights into the world of music.

"We would constantly speak about the indie scene in India. Ranveer has rapped earlier, so that made things easier for him. Apart from that, he is a great observer. He would study us — from our body language, to how we create lyrics for our songs and the kind of language we use in them. When you look at him in the film, it feels as if he has become one of us."

In his bid to stay in character, Singh would apparently tune into Divine and his creations. "He would play my track, Aane De, on loop during the shoot, besides other rap songs composed by Divine and me. Once Ranveer would set foot on the set, he was completely in the zone."

Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 22, 2019)

In the days since Gully Boy’s first track — Apna Time Aayega — dropped online, Ranveer Singh has wowed fans with his rapping skills in a way that only he can. Now, mid-day has learnt that the actor is set to showcase his newly-acquired talent along with professional musicians at a concert in Byculla. Come January 24, the makers will host a gig to mark the music launch of Gully Boy.

The evening will see Singh take to the mic to croon the tracks along with rappers Divine and Naezy (below), whose lives are the inspiration behind the Zoya Akhtar-directed venture.

Says the director, “It will be an electric evening. We are excited about the music launch as we will have our artistes performing at the gig.” She adds that the concert was a brainchild of producers Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar. “There is no other way to drop this album than to slam it live,” exclaims Akhtar, whose film trains the spotlight on the underground rap scene of the country.

While leading lady Alia Bhatt will host the event, rappers — including D–Cypher, Beat Raw, D’evil, MC Altaf, Rahul Raahi, Nexus and SpitFire, among others — will hit the stage.

Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; January 15, 2019)

No sooner had Zoya Akhtar roped in Ranveer Singh for Gully Boy than rumours suggested that the actor will be heard rapping in the musical drama. As Singh wins appreciation for his rapping skills in Apna Time Aayega that dropped online yesterday, mid-day has learnt that the actor trained with rappers Divine and Naezy for 10 months before recording his first number for the film.

A source informs that Singh has crooned four songs, including a reimagined version of Divine and Naezy’s hit Meri Gully Mein. “Though the songs could have easily been sung by professional rappers, Ranveer thought lending his voice to them would render authenticity to his character. He worked for 10 months on his singing skills by exchanging notes with Divine and Naezy, among other rappers. The two helped him understand which words to emphasise on, and how to make the singing more impactful,” says the source.

Singh points out that it was imperative to express his character’s emotions through the songs. “I play a quiet character who channelises his rage in his music. To construct a performance by being reactive to my surroundings took months of prep.”

Nandita Das on creating promo videos with influencers whose free speech was curtailed
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 14, 2018)

It is no coincidence that director Nandita Das has timed the trailer release of Manto - the biopic on celebrated writer Saadat Hasan Manto who was the flagbearer of freedom of speech - for Independence Day. In keeping with the film's theme, the makers launched a series of videos yesterday featuring several influencers whose free speech has been challenged in the past.

The series features stand-up comic Tanmay Bhat whose AIB roast in 2015 had landed him in legal trouble, Malishka Mendonsa who was sent a notice by the BMC after she poked fun at the civic body's ill-preparedness during monsoon last year, rapper Divine and social media influencer Saloni Chopra, among others.

Das says that the video, which sees the youngsters with tape on their mouth, will emphasise the frustration one feels to have their freedom of speech curtailed. "It was Viacom18's [producer] idea to rope in influencers. Manto is for anyone who believes that truth matters, and seeks courage to uphold it."



Divine in the video, Saloni Chopra and Tanmay Bhat

Mohar Basu and Benita Fernando (MID-DAY; February 8, 2018)

His intense rendition of Alauddin Khilji behind him, Ranveer Singh has already transformed into a rapper from the slums of Mumbai for Gully Boy. The actor, sporting a skinny frame, shot for the first song of the Zoya Akhtar-directed film in Dharavi over the last five days. Considering the drama is loosely based on the rise of rappers Divine and Naezy, Akhtar decided to include their popular song, Mere Gully Mein, in the narrative.

Choreographed by Bosco Martis, the fast-paced track sees Singh attempting B-boying for the first time. A unit hand reveals that the actor underwent rigorous rehearsals over the past two weeks to pick up the dance form. “Ranveer has always been a smooth dancer. But Zoya was certain that he needed to be well-versed with B- boying as he would be matching steps with professional dancers in the number.”

The source further adds that Martis handpicked 15 dancers from four different B- boying crews for the shoot. “The song was shot in Anna Nagar, a bunch of shanties behind Dharavi’s Kamarajar School. Aged between 12 to 20, the boys were thrilled by Ranveer’s enthusiasm for B-boying and aced the cypher (forming a circle) sequence.”

While the shoot resumes on Sunday, the unit was clocking in close to 12 hours on the set over the last few days. “Ranveer used the opportunity to study the locals of Dharavi and pick up their lingo. The locals are over the moon that a film is being shot in their area.”