Anirudh Ravichander facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anirudh Ravichander
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| Born | 16 October 1990 Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
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| Years active | 2011–present |
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Anirudh Ravichander (born October 16, 1990), also known simply as Anirudh, is an Indian music composer and singer. He mainly creates music for Tamil films, but also works in Hindi and Telugu movies. He has won many important awards, including two Filmfare Awards South and ten SIIMA Awards.
His very first song, "Why This Kolaveri Di", was for the 2012 film 3. This song became incredibly popular all over the world, getting over 450 million views on YouTube. Later, director A.R. Murugadoss chose him to compose music for Kaththi (2014), which starred Vijay. This film included another huge hit song called "Selfie Pulla". The music for Kaththi was Anirudh's most famous work until he was asked to compose for Rajinikanth's film Petta in 2019.
In 2016, Anirudh signed a special deal with Sony Music. This deal helps him release his own independent music and organize live concerts. In the same year, he even worked with famous DJ Diplo on a remix of Major Lazer's popular song "Cold Water".
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About Anirudh
Anirudh Ravichander was born to Indian actor Ravi Raghavendra and classical dancer Lakshmi Ravichander. He is related to superstar Rajinikanth, who is his uncle. Anirudh's great-grandfather, K. Subramanyam, was also a filmmaker back in the 1930s.
Anirudh studied at Loyola College in Chennai, graduating in 2011. He says this was a backup plan in case his music career didn't work out. He learned to play the piano at Trinity College of Music, London. He was also part of a music band that played different styles of music together. Anirudh also got a diploma in sound engineering from Soundtech Media Audio Engineering Institute in Chennai. When he was in school, Anirudh and his band took part in a TV reality show. The famous musician A. R. Rahman was a judge, and Anirudh's band was one of the winners.
Anirudh's Music Journey
Early Success (2011–2012)
Anirudh started his journey as a music composer with his cousin Aishwarya R. Dhanush's first movie, 3, which starred Dhanush. He had already composed background music for Aishwaryaa's short films, and she was impressed enough to ask him to work on her big movie.
In November 2011, a song from the film, "Why This Kolaveri Di!", was accidentally shared online. Because it became so popular so quickly, the film's team decided to officially release it on November 16, 2011. The song became an instant hit on social media because of its fun "Tanglish" (a mix of Tamil and English) words and catchy dance beats. Soon, it was the most searched video on YouTube in India and a huge online trend across Asia. YouTube even gave the video "Gold Medal" and "Silver Medal" awards for getting so many views in a short time.
The song had a South Indian folk rhythm. It used instruments like nadaswaram, shehnai, saxophone, and drums, mixed with guitars, keyboards, and electronic sounds. The singing style was like traditional Tamil folk music. The lyrics were about the main character feeling sad after his girlfriend left him, and he sings it in a funny, slightly confused way. Anirudh shared that the director wanted a lighthearted song about failed love, and he composed the tune in just about 10 minutes!
The rest of the songs from the album were released in December 2011 and also received great reviews. Critics said Anirudh showed a lot of variety in his very first album. He also received praise for the background music in the film. For his work on 3, he won the Vijay Award for Best Find of the Year. He also worked on the Telugu version of the film. After this, Anirudh teamed up with Dhanush to create a song called "Sachin anthem" to celebrate cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.
Growing Popularity (2013–2015)
Anirudh then sang and composed a song called "Kanave Kanave" for the Tamil film David. This song was very well-received. His next album was for Ethir Neechal, which also got positive reviews. Anirudh was the first to bring rappers like Yo Yo Honey Singh and Adhi from Hiphop Tamizha into Tamil film music. The background music for Ethir Neechal was so popular that Sony Music India released it separately on YouTube.
His next soundtrack, Vanakkam Chennai, came out in July 2013 and quickly became the top album on iTunes India. Anirudh felt it was his "best work" at the time and sang in six of the seven songs himself. For the song "Oh Penne", he worked with Vishal Dadlani for the first time in Tamil music. He also made a special international version with British singer Arjun. Another song, "Chennai City Gangster", featured him with Adhi of Hiphop Tamizha and British Indian rapper Hard Kaur. Critics said Anirudh had a "hat-trick" of successful albums.
In September 2013, he was asked to compose the background score for Selvaraghavan's fantasy film Irandam Ulagam. Anirudh was happy to work with Selvaraghavan early in his career. Even though the film didn't do well at the box office, Anirudh's music was praised.
Anirudh's next film was Velaiyilla Pattathari, which featured veteran singer S. Janaki and Dhanush. The music received positive reviews and the film was a big hit. Anirudh's background music was also highly praised, with critics saying he "created magic once again." He won the Filmfare award for best music director for this film.
His next movie was Maan Karate, starring his close friend, Sivakarthikeyan. This album quickly topped the iTunes chart. It had a great mix of different music styles, from the sweet "Un Vizhigalil" to the lively "Royapuram Peter Kuthu." The film was a box office success, and critics noted that Anirudh's music made the film even more exciting.
A.R. Murugadoss then signed him to compose music for Kaththi, starring Vijay. This became Anirudh's most important album until he worked on Rajinikanth's Petta in 2018. He composed the film's main theme music very quickly. He also worked again with Adhi of Hip Hop Tamizha and Vishal Dadlani. Anirudh recorded songs with famous singers K. J. Yesudas and Vijay for the first time. He also created a popular "love kuthu" song called "Selfie Pulla," sung by Vijay and Sunidhi Chauhan, which became a huge hit. The album received positive reviews and topped the iTunes India Charts. Critics said it was one of the best soundtracks for a Vijay movie in recent times. Anirudh's background music also received praise, and the film became one of the highest-earning Tamil films ever. He won many awards for his work on Kaththi.
For the third time, Anirudh worked with his friend Sivakarthikeyan on the film Kaaki Sattai, produced by Dhanush. The album received mostly positive reviews. In early 2013, it was announced that Anirudh would act in Vignesh Shivan's Naanum Rowdydhaan. However, he decided to focus on music composing and instead worked on the soundtrack for the film, which then starred Vijay Sethupathi. He also composed music for Aakko, a film by new filmmakers. Anirudh scored music for Maari, another project with Dhanush. The music was well-received, and the song "Don'u Don'u Don'u" became extremely popular. He also received praise for his work in the Vijay Sethupathi film Naanum Rowdydhaan, winning many awards. He released a single from the movie Aakko called "Ennakenna Yaarum Illaiye" on Valentine's Day in 2015. He also composed for his first Ajith Kumar film, Vedalam, directed by Siva. While the music received mixed reviews, the song "Aaluma Doluma," which uses North Madras slang, became very popular. Anirudh ended the year with Thangamagan, starring Dhanush, which also received positive reviews for its music.
Wider Recognition (2018–Present)
In 2018, Anirudh made his debut in Telugu films with Agnyaathavaasi, which was well-received. Next, he composed for Suriya's Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, a remake of Special 26. After that, he composed for Nayanthara's Kolamavu Kokila, which was praised for being unique.
His next big project was Petta, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring his uncle Rajinikanth. The full album for Petta was released on December 10. His next project was Nani's Telugu film Jersey. He later composed for Gang Leader, which was his second time working with Nani. After that came Darbar, directed by AR Murugadoss. He also composed the title track for Dharala Prabhu, which was a success.
In 2020, he worked with Vijay for the second time in Master, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The first song, "Kutti Story", sung by Vijay himself, was greatly praised and became popular worldwide for its Tanglish lyrics. The second song, "Vaathi Coming", sung by Gana Balachander, became an instant viral hit everywhere. He also worked on the soundtrack of Doctor, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The first song "Chellamma" was a hit among young people, getting over 100 million views on YouTube. In 2021, he worked with Vijay for the third time in Beast, also directed by Nelson. The first song "Arabic Kuthu" was a mix of Arabic phrases and Tamil verses. This song set a record for the most-viewed and liked South Indian song within 24 hours, and it is currently his most-viewed single with over 500 million views.
His work in Vikram was his first release with Kamal Haasan, though they first worked together on Indian 2 (which was released in 2024). The first song from Vikram, titled "Pathala Pathala", received millions of views. He also composed for Sivakarthikeyan's Don and Vijay Sethupathi's Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal. After a short break, he returned to compose for Dhanush with Thiruchitrambalam. The first song from Thiruchitrambalam, "Thaai Kelavi", was released on June 24, 2022. Its lyrics caused some discussion, with a social activist asking for changes, saying they disrespected elderly people.
After A. R. Rahman turned down an offer, Anirudh was chosen to compose for director Atlee's Hindi film Jawan, starring Shah Rukh Khan. A preview featuring Anirudh's music was released in June 2022. Jawan is Anirudh's first full-length Hindi film as a composer, as his earlier Hindi films David and Jersey only had one song or reused music. He then composed the soundtrack for Leo, which was his fourth time working with Vijay and third time with Lokesh. The song "Bloody Sweet" from the two-minute promo video for Leo was released on February 3, 2023, and has gathered 76 million views, making it his highest. He also composed music for Rajinikanth’s 169th film, Jailer, directed by Nelson. This film marks Anirudh’s third collaboration with Rajini and fourth with Nelson.
In 2024, he composed music for N. T. Rama Rao Jr.'s Telugu film Devara. He is also set to work with Ajith Kumar for his 62nd film Vidaamuyarchi, which will be his third time working with Ajith.
Awards and Honors
Anirudh has won many awards for his amazing music. Some of his notable wins include:
- Filmfare Awards South
- SIIMA Awards
- Edison Awards
- Vijay Awards
- Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards
- Zee Cine Awards Tamil
- Mirchi Music Awards South
He has been recognized for Best Music Director, Best Male Playback Singer, and even for specific songs like "Why This Kolaveri Di" and "Arabic Kuthu" which became huge hits.
Images for kids
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Anirudh Ravichander at Audi Ritz Style Awards 2017
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