Raftaar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Raftaar
Raftaar on the sets of Dance India Dance in 2019
Born	Kalathil Kuzhiyil Devadasan Dilin Nair (1988-11-16) 16 November 1988 (age 36) Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Occupation	Rapper Singer Music Producer Lyricist Music Composer Dancer Actor TV Personality
Years active	2008–present
Spouse(s)	Komal Vohra ​ ​ (m. 2016; div. 2022)​ Manraj Jawanda ​ (m. 2025)​
Musical career
Genres	R&B Pop Urban Hip-Hop Desi hip hop Bollywood
Labels	Sony Music India Kalamkaar Zee Music Company Mass Appeal India
Associated acts	Badshah KR$NA Ikka Manj Musik Karma Salim–Sulaiman Rashmeet Kaur Yunan Harjas Harjaayi Shah Rule Yo Yo Honey Singh
Past members	Yo Yo Honey Singh Badshah Ikka Lil Golu Alfaaz J Star Money Aujla Leo Grewal Ninja

Dilin Nair (born 16 November 1988), known by his stage name Raftaar, is a famous Indian rapper, songwriter, music producer, and TV personality. He is well-known for his work in Hindi, Punjabi, and Haryanvi music. Raftaar was one of the first rappers in India to become very popular in the mainstream music industry.

Early Life and Family

Dilin Nair was born on November 16, 1988, in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala. His parents were from Kerala but lived in Delhi.

Raftaar married Komal Vohra in December 2016. Komal is the sister of Indian TV actors Karan Vohra and Kunal Vohra. They separated in 2020 and their divorce was finalized in October 2022. In January 2025, Raftaar married fashion stylist and actress Manraj Jawanda in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. They had both traditional Malayali and Sikh wedding ceremonies.

Raftaar's Music Journey

Raftaar started his career as a dancer. In 2011, he appeared on the reality TV show Dance India Dance with his friend Manik. He began rapping in 2008 with Lil Golu and Ikka, sharing their songs online.

Early Music Groups

Raftaar, Lil Golu, and Ikka later joined a group called "Mafia Mundeer" with Yo Yo Honey Singh. However, Raftaar left the group because of disagreements over who got credit for songs. He then formed a new group called 'The Titans' with Badshah and Sachit Takkar (Sachh). They created many songs for the Punjabi music industry and Bollywood.

Raftaar was supported by Ankit Khanna, who helped him join the Punjabi music band RDB. After RDB members went their separate ways, Raftaar worked with Manjeet Ral, who is now known as Manj Musik. Raftaar started his solo career in 2016 after signing with Zee Music Company.

Rise to Fame

Raftaar became very famous after releasing his song "Swag Mera Desi" in 2013 with Manj Musik. This song won the Best Urban Song award at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards in 2014.

In 2017, Raftaar started making music for the Bengali film industry. He also created his own record label called KALAMKAAR with Ankit Khanna. They signed many talented artists like KR$NA, Rashmeet Kaur, and Karma. In May 2018, he released his first album, Zero To Infinity.

TV Shows and Recent Work

In 2019, Raftaar worked with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan for a dance event. In the same year, he became a judge on popular reality shows like MTV Hustle, Dance India Dance, and MTV Roadies.

In 2020, he released his second album, Mr. Nair, which featured artists from his KALAMKAAR label. Over the next few years, Raftaar continued to work with many rising Desi hip-hop artists. He released his own projects, including the EPs HARD DRIVE Vol. 1 in 2022 and HARD DRIVE Vol. 2 in 2024. He also released a collaborative EP called PRAA with Prabh Deep in 2023.

In 2024, he was a guest judge on India's Got Latent and returned to judge the fourth season of MTV Hustle. In 2025, he participated as a contestant in the reality show The Traitors.

Albums and EPs

• Zero To Infinity (2018)
• Mr. Nair (2020)
• HARD DRIVE Vol.1 (EP) (2022)
• PRAA (EP) (2023)
• HARD DRIVE Vol.2 (EP) (2024)

Film Music

Raftaar has also created and sung many songs for Bollywood and other Indian films. Some of his notable film songs include:

• "Tamanchey Pe Disco" from Bullet Raja (2013)
• "Whistle Baja" and "The Puppy Song" from Heropanti (2014)
• "Dhup Chik" from Fugly (2014)
• "Warna Gabbar Aa Jayega" from Gabbar Is Back (2015)
• "A Flying Jatt Title Track" from A Flying Jatt (2016)
• "Dhaakad" from Dangal (2016)
• "Go Pagal" from Jolly LLB 2 (2017)
• "Sadda Move" from Raabta (2017)
• "Mantoiyat" from Manto (2018)
• "Thalaiva In Charge" from Darbar (2020)
• "Main Sherni" from Sherni (2021)
• "Janhit Mein Jaari Title Track" from Janhit Mein Jaari (2022)
• "Yentamma" from Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023)
• "Aisa Main Shaitaan" from Shaitaan (2024)

Television Appearances

Raftaar has been a part of several television shows:

• Dance India Dance Doubles (2011) - Contestant
• Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded (2015) - Contestant
• Roadies Xtreme (2018) - Gang Leader
• Roadies: Real Heroes (2019) - Gang Leader (his team won!)
• Dance India Dance: Battle of the Champions (2019) - Judge
• MTV Hustle (2019, 2024) - Judge
• Roadies: Revolution (2020) - Gang Leader
• Bajao (2023) - Actor (played Babbar)
• India's Got Latent (2024) - Guest Judge
• The Traitors (2025) - Contestant