ADITI SARAWAGI
MULTILINGUAL
MUSICIANS IN
INDIA
W
ith
music
pervading
every nook
and cranny
of the country, there are artists in
every lane of every city. If one’s work
is good, they will inevitably reach a
global audience. Having no language
barrier is one of the most beautiful
aspects of music and there are some
artists who create beautiful music
in multiple languages such is the
depth of their talents. Here’s listing
some artists who have made us fall in
love with music which we may or may not understand.
When it comes to Indian music directors, the first name
which comes to mind has to be that of A.R.Rahman. In
any genre, he is the best our country has seen, reaching
out to a global audience. When it comes to multiple
languages, once again he has redefined contemporary
Indian music and has composed music for Tamil,
Malayalam, Hindi as well as English musicals. Be it
Bombay and Roja in Tamil, Dil Se and Rockstar in Hindi
or the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire in English,
Rahman was one of the first ones to perform equally well
in all languages, the true musical genius that he is.
One of Bollywood’s most successful music directors
Himesh Reshammiya is also one such artist who has
composed for over a hundred films including those in
Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu,
Bhojpuri, Marathi and even English. Critically acclaimed
musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are also known for their
contributions in multiple languages including Kamal
Hassan’s Vishwaroopam and Aalavandhan in Tamil.
One musical pair which has to be mentioned when it comes
to making beautiful music in whichever language they touch
is Ajay-Atul. Starting out in the Marathi industry with
hits like Jatra and Restaurant, they even dabbled in Tamil
movies and have a strong presence in the Hindi music
industry with blockbuster albums in Agneepath, Singham
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and Zero. Their Sairat in Marathi and Agneepath in
Hindi has won them several awards as well. The whole
fraternity is aware of the brilliant work by Vishal-Shekhar
in the Hindi film industry but not many know that they
have also dappled in Telegu and Marathi films as well.
Bengal has a rich cultural heritage and how can a Bengali
artist stay behind when it comes to any artistic list.
Anupam Roy has worked as a music director in Bengali
films like Autograph and Hemlock Society with melodious
soundtracks but what sealed his deal in the Hindi film
industry has to be the soundtrack of the film Piku whose
songs are still a favourite. Shantanu Moitra is another
Bengali artist well known for his work in award winning
films like Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai and Pink. One
can also not forget the brilliant Bappi Lahiri who is behind
several successful Hindi soundtracks like Namak Halal,
Himmatwala amongst several others and has also produced
tracks for Bengali films like Amar Sangi and Pronomi
Tomay. He also has a few Tamil films under his belt.
Young musicians know that the reach of the internet is such
that people from all over the country will listen to their
music if its good. One such artist is everyone’s favourite
Amit Trivedi. He has not only composed hugely popular
soundtracks from WakeUp Sid, Aisha, English Vinglish,
Lootera, and Queen amongst others; he has also composed
tracks for Malayalam, Telegu, Tamil,
Kannada and Marathi films as well.
He is a true multilinguistic for sure!
Anirudh Ravichander is another
young artist who has created waves
in the South Indian music industry
but also has a Bollywood presence
with composing the soundtrack for the
Dhanush starrer 3. He is the man behind
the viral song Why This Kolaveri Di and
is also behind
few singles
in Hindi.