Sri Lankan artiste Yohani’s popular composition Manike became an internet sensation when it was released during the pandemic. The song became so popular that the makers of Thank God decided to feature it in their film and filmed it with Nora Fatehi and Sidharth Malhotra.
Speaking exclusively to The Free Press Journal an elated Yohani shares, “After the original version became a hit, I came down to meet T-series. I recorded the new version perhaps five times. Nora, Tanishk Bagchi and director Indra Kumar came to hear it. I didn’t meet Sidharth till then. Ganesh Hegde has done the choreography and it was a great exposure for me. This is the first time ever that a Sri Lankan song has made it to Bollywood.”
Yohani, who became an overnight sensation during the pandemic thanks to her chartbusting mega hit, sheds light on her journey. “The journey has been amazing so far. I came to Sri Lanka in 2019 to start my music career and Manike happened in 2021 and in 2022, I am here in Mumbai promoting my song. The success was pretty fast I would say and I would enjoy every bit of it,” she explains.
Talking about the idea of Manike, Yohani reveals, “The original video of Manike is quite simple. Since I had nothing to do in the pandemic, I made this video and recorded it at home, not even in the studio. From that to this is a big jump for me. I am overwhelmed with the response that’s coming towards me in Sri Lanka and now in India.”
Opening up about being a social media star, she says, “Social media lets you become an individual star if you use it properly. It has both goods and bads but if you focus only on the good part, it’s great. It has become easier to put out your creativity to the world.”
On a parting note, she concludes, “Now since Manike gave me huge success, I wonder how I am going to live up to expectations or sustain further. From the beginning I have told myself that it is okay to fail at times. I have done so many songs before but only Manike got popular so I am okay with failure too.” Thank God is slated to hit screens on October 25.
