Sohail Sen facts for kids

Sohail Sen (born on June 24, 1984) is a talented Indian film composer, musician, and singer. He is well-known for his work in Bollywood movies. Sohail started his journey as a film composer with the Hindi movie Sirf in 2008.

He became famous for his amazing music in What's Your Raashee? (2009). He also created popular songs for movies like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ek Tha Tiger, and Gunday.

Early Life and Musical Roots

Sohail Sen comes from a family of musicians. His family has been working in the film industry for four generations! This means music runs in his blood. His father, Sameer Sen, who is part of the music director duo Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen, was a big inspiration for him. Sohail was also inspired by his grandfather, Shri Shambhu Sen, who was a singer.

Learning Music from a Young Age

Sohail started learning music when he was just six years old. He first learned to play the tabla, which is a type of drum. Later, he learned many other instruments like the piano and various percussion instruments. He studied classical music with his grandfather.

Sohail began his career as a music director very early, at the age of thirteen. He composed music for a TV movie called Roshni. A famous singer named Kavita Krishnamurthy sang for it. After this, he spent nine years helping his father. This helped him become even better at composing music for films.

Sohail Sen's Film Career

Sohail Sen officially started his career as a film composer in 2008. His first movie was the Hindi film Sirf. However, this movie was delayed and its music did not get much attention. He also composed music for The Murderer in 2009, which also went unnoticed.

Breakthrough with What's Your Raashee?

In 2009, Sohail got a big chance in his career. The famous director Ashutosh Gowariker asked him to compose music for his film What's Your Raashee?. Ashutosh Gowariker first wanted another famous composer, A. R. Rahman, but Rahman was busy with Slumdog Millionaire.

Sohail had always wanted to work with Ashutosh Gowariker. His father knew the director, so Sohail asked his father to arrange a meeting. Ashutosh liked Sohail's music when he heard it at Sohail's studio. A few weeks later, Sohail got the exciting news: he was chosen for the project! It was a dream come true for him.

The Challenge of 13 Songs

Sohail was thrilled, but then he learned there would be 13 songs in the movie! There was one song for each of the 12 zodiac signs, plus a final song. This was a huge challenge because it's rare to have so many different songs in one film. It was also hard to make each song unique for its zodiac sign and then combine all those feelings into the final song. Sohail took on this challenge, and it took him over a year and a half to create all the music.

The soundtrack for the film came out in August 2009. Even though the movie's box office success varied, the music received mostly good reviews. Bollywood Hungama called the album "interesting" and "an experience not to be missed." BBC Music praised Sohail, saying he could "successfully compete with the best in Bollywood." Sohail not only composed the music but also sang most of the songs himself.

Continued Success in Bollywood

In 2010, Ashutosh Gowariker worked with Sohail again for his historical film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey. This movie was about the Chittagong Uprising of 1930. The music for this film also received good reviews.

In 2011, Sohail had a big release with Yash Raj Films, a major film company. The movie was Mere Brother Ki Dulhan. The music was loved by both critics and the public. Songs like "Dhunki," "Isq Risk," and the title track became very popular.

In 2012, Sohail took over as music director for Salman Khan's film Ek Tha Tiger. The original composer, Pritam, was busy. The soundtrack for Ek Tha Tiger received excellent reviews from everyone.

In 2014, Sohail worked again with director Ali Abbas Zafar for the movie Gunday. This film starred famous actors like Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Irrfan Khan. Sohail composed the music for the Hindi version of Gunday. Another composer, Bappi Lahiri, created the Bengali songs for the film, as it was also released in Bengali. This was the first time Bappi Lahiri worked with Yash Raj Films.

Sohail Sen's Music Discography

Sohail Sen has composed music for many films. Here is a list of some of his work:

Awards and Recognitions

Sohail Sen has been recognized for his musical talent with several awards and nominations.