Anuj comes from a family of educators. His father, Yogendra Gurwara, and mother, Jyoti Gurwara, are educationists and run a school, Sherwood Public School, Hyderabad.
Anuj did his schooling in Sherwood and later, graduated in Psychology and Advertising from Nizam College, Hyderabad.[1] He was an active part of Arts and Music in school and college.
Career
Anuj started his career working as a copywriter and content developer for various design firms and advertising agencies. After a short stint with a theatre group, he decided to pursue a career in entertainment.
Singer
In 2009 Anuj debuted as playback singer for Tollywood, not knowing how to speak Telugu. Under the direction of M. M. Keeravani, he sang a song, "Panchadara Bomma", for the Telugu film, Magadheera, one of the highest-grossing Telugu films ever. Along with the success of the film, the song, Panchadara Bomma, grew to be a massive hit and established Anuj as a fresh new voice in the world of music.[2][3][4][5]
S. S. Rajamouli, the director of Magadheera, stated in an article - "I opine that Panchadara Bomma is the best song in my career".[6] The song was also declared Top Telugu Song of the year 2009 by various media channels, including newspapers, FM radios and television channels, winning awards across various platforms.[7][8]
The song "Panchadara Bomma" is said to have singularly generated revenues of over Rs 30million from mobile phone ringtone downloads, which is said to be a record that no other song in Telugu cinema has yet matched.[9][10]
Panchadara Bomma also earned Anuj his first ever Filmfare trophy. He was awarded Best Male Playback Singer in a star-studded ceremony in Chennai on 7 August 2010.[11] Anuj's Hindi singing debut happened in 2012, in the form of Makkhi, the dubbed version of the superhit Telugu film, Eega. Apart from singing two songs in then film, he also penned the lyrics for two songs.
In 2019, Anuj released his first ever independent single - Amma Bawa - India's first ever Hyderabadi (Deccani/Dakhni) Pop Song. Composed by Sanket Sane, Anuj wrote and sang the song and released it on Times Music YouTube channel. The song went on to cross the 2 million views mark on YouTube within 9 days of its release, becoming a runaway hit.[12][13]
Live Performances
Anuj has been actively performing in India and abroad at various corporate shows and public events after his award-winning singing debut.
He has performed across the United States of America to packed audiences. Invited by the Indian associations in various cities, he has set benchmarks with his energetic and fun performances in New York, New Jersey, Washington DC, San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Detroit, Dallas, San Antonio, Columbus, Philadelphia, Chicago, Bloomington, etc.
Anuj has also performed in Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Kuwait, Istanbul, France, Hong Kong and other countries.[14][15]
Master of Ceremonies
Being an RJ and an actor, Anuj diversified himself as an MC. From hosting formal events to large parties and concerts, Anuj has established himself as one of the most popular Master of Ceremonies. He has hosted events, big and small, for a large number of corporate companies and Event Managers.[citation needed]
Anuj's understanding of the pulse of an event, appropriate sense of humor, smooth integration of various elements, personalised involvement with the crowd and respect to the theme of the event, has made him a preferred MC for various kinds of events.[16][17]
He hosted the Times Food & Nightlife Awards in 10 cities across India from 2010 to 2020. Anuj was also the MC for all show launches of Sony TV from 2017 to 2022.
Actor - Film and Theatre
In 2003, while pursuing acting, Anuj auditioned and bagged the role of a call-centre supervisor in Nagesh Kukunoor's Hyderabad Blues 2.[18] After this, Anuj auditioned for Sekhar Kammula. Sekhar had won the National Film Award for his directorial debut in Dollar Dreams. He cast Anuj as the 2nd lead for his film Anand, which released in 2004. Anand was a massive hit and Anuj received good reviews for his part.[19]
He has been an active theatre actor in Hyderabad since 1999, as part of various Theatre productions. He has showcased his talent as an actor and received positive reviews for his performance.[22][23][24][25][26][27]
Anuj's theatre production - The Open Couple, which he acted in and co-produced as well, earned nominations in five categories at the prestigious Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards 2014, including a Best Actor nomination for him.[28] After performing across the country,[29] the play was also invited to be a part of the National Centre for the Performing Arts' Cheer! Comedy festival, where they performed to a sold-out audience.[30]
In 2005, Anuj auditioned for All India Radio. He was selected and started hosting music-based shows on Yuvavani. Following All India Radio, Anuj worked for Radio Biryani, a private radio program setup that aired on the AIR frequency.[31][32] That year, Anuj was awarded Best RJ (Hindi) for his show, Naach Meri Jaan.[33] Anuj's joined Radio City 91.1 FM in 2006. The station was setting up in Hyderabad, one of the first private FM stations in the city.[34]
Anuj began hosting an evening drive time show, Recharge, six days a week, from 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm. He played popular Hindi music and maintained high energy, wit and humor throughout the three hours. The show was a hit right in its early days. It struck a chord with the evening listenership that would drive back from work, and as Anuj would say, "recharge" their batteries on their way home. Anuj enjoyed immense popularity through the show. The name stuck with him and he is fondly called RJ "Recharge" Anuj to this day. Anuj shifted to the 5:00–9:00 pm time slot after a year, yet, commanded a dedicated listenership in Hyderabad.
Owing to his personal connect and popularity with listeners, he was awarded "No.1 RJ across All-India Radio City" for the year 2006–07. Anuj was soon shifted to the morning show, The Radio City Breakfast Show, from 7:00 am to 11:00 am, where he, with Shraddha, gave a fun and energetic start to the day. The chirpy, positive and friendly banter between them had Hyderabad tuned in every morning. In February 2008, Anuj was awarded "India's Best Radio Host for 2007-08" in a nationwide search.[35]
Anuj quit Radio City in July 2008, after the station changed its language mix to a more regional sound.
Podcast
In 2021, Anuj published his own podcast - EdTalk with Anuj! A talk-show series focused on conversations around the Education system in India.[36]
He is also the voice of Bhoot Bhulaiya - a horror podcast released in 2023. Produced by Kommune, it is based on stories by Jatin Bhasin.[37]
Television (VJ)
In February 2006, Anuj became a VJ with SS Music. He won the VJ Factor 2, a hunt for VJs in South India. Out of about 5000 people who competed, Anuj was one of the four winners.[38][39] It was a short-lived role as Anuj got an opportunity in Radio City, Hyderabad soon after.[40]
Travel show host
Anuj hosted a travel-based television show called Road To Paradise, on Travel Trendz TV,[41] in 2011. The show, in English and Hindi, was based on an adventure-exploration theme, where Anuj rode a bike across India, followed by two cameras, exploring hidden locales, tourist spots, music, dance, food and culture.[42]
Voice work and writing
Anuj Gurwara is a freelance voice-over artist and script writer for various ad films, radio spots, documentaries, films, training modules and e-learning projects. In 2009, Gurwara became part of India's first ever PlayStation 2 game, Hanuman, as the voice of Hanuman in Hindi and English.[43] He also regularly dubs for characters in films.
As writer and dubbing incharge, one of Gurwara's major projects was the entire language conversion of the Telugu film Eega into its Hindi version, Makkhi. Anuj was responsible for writing the Hindi version of the film, casting voice actors as well as directing the entire dub of the film, apart from dubbing for the main lead, played by Nani. Anuj also sang two songs, while debuting as lyricist for two songs.[44]
Makkhi was a highly successful film, and Anuj received praise and reviews for its high-quality dubbing.[45][46]
Anuj is the official Hindi voice of the Marvel Superhero Falcon. He has dubbed for Falcon's voice in all of Marvel superhero films where the character appears.
He occasionally writes columns for newspapers as well.[47]
57th Filmfare Awards South Award (Best Singer)[48] MAA TV's CineMAA Awards (Best Singer) South Scope Cinema Award (Best Singer) Big 92.7FM Music Awards (Best Singer) Big 92.7FM Music Awards (Song of the Year) Mirchi Music Awards (Song of the Year) Radio City 91.1FM Awards (Best Singer) Radio City 91.1FM Awards (Song of the Year) Aalapana Music Awards (Best Singer)
The Hindi dub was titled Makkhi. Anuj was also the Dubbing Director, Script Writer, Lyricist, and Playback Singer in the Hindi version. Hindi dubbing performed alongside Sravana Bhargavi, who voiced Samantha Akkineni as Bindu, and Sudeep, who voiced himself as Sudeep in Hindi.
Ghantasala Venkateswararao, known mononymously by his surname as Ghantasala, was an Indian playback singer and film composer known for his works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada cinema and also in Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu and Hindi language films. He is considered one of the greatest singers of Telugu cinema. In 1970, he received the Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian award for his contribution to Indian cinema. According to The Hindu and The Indian Express, Ghantasala was 'such a divine talent and with his songs he could move the hearts of the people'. 'Ghantasala's blending of classical improvisations to the art of light music combined with his virtuosity and sensitivity puts him a class apart, above all others in the field of playback singing'. Gifted with what Indian film historian V. A. K. Ranga Rao called 'the most majestic voice', Ghantasala helped Telugu film music develop its own distinct character which remains unparalleled. He is referred to as the 'Gaana Gandharva' for his mesmerising voice and musical skills.
Kattassery Joseph Yesudas is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely considered one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian music and a cultural icon of Kerala. Yesudas is estimated to have recorded more than 50,000 songs in various Indian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Hindi, Odia, Bengali, Marathi as well as Arabic, English, Latin, and Russian, in a career spanning six decades. He is often referred to as Gaanagandharvan. Yesudas holds the record for singing 11 songs in different languages in a single day. He has also composed a number of Malayalam film songs during the 1970s and 1980s.
Nagoor Saheb, known by his stage name Mano, is an Indian playback singer, voice-over artist, actor, and composer. Mano has recorded more than 35,000+ songs for film and private various Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi, Tulu, Konkani and Assamese films. He has also performed for over 3000 live concerts across the continents. He has recorded many songs for music director Ilaiyaraaja. Mano is also recognized for being as the full-fledged dubbing artist for Rajinikanth in Telugu from Muthu (1995) onwards.
Vani Jairam was an Indian playback singer in Indian cinema. She is fondly referred to as the "Meera of modern India" Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She did playback for over one thousand Indian movies recording over 20,000 songs. In addition, she recorded thousands of devotionals and private albums and also participated in numerous solo concerts in India and abroad.
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards. They are presented by Filmfare magazine to honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian film industry encompassing four languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. When it was introduced in 1954, the Filmfare Awards initially only recognized achievements in the Hindi film industry. In 1964 the awards were extended to Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and Marathi languages. Malayalam cinema was included in the awards in 1967 and Kannada cinema followed in 1970.
Gharana Mogudu is a 1992 Indian Telugu-language masala film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Nagma and Vani Viswanath with Rao Gopal Rao and Kaikala Satyanarayana in supporting roles. Music is composed by M. M. Keeravani and A. Vincent handled the cinematography. It is a remake of the 1986 Kannada film Anuraga Aralithu.
The Telugu Filmfare Best Male Playback Award is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Telugu films. The award was first given in 1997.
Chinmayi Sripaada is an Indian playback singer, sung more than 2500+ songs, working mainly for the South Indian film industry. She is also a voice actor, composer, television presenter, radio jockey, and an entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of a translation services company Blue Elephant, a skincare company importing K-beauty to India - Isle Of Skin, and a medi-spa Deep Skin Dialogues in Chennai and Hyderabad. She is often credited as Chinmayee and Indai Haza. She rose to fame for her critically acclaimed song "Oru Deivam Thantha Poovae" from the National Award winning movie Kannathil Muthamittal directed by Mani Ratnam and composed by A. R. Rahman. She was 15 years old when she made her singing debut in Kannathil Muthamittal. She debuted as a Dubbing Artist in director Krishna's Sillunu Oru Kaadhal rendering her voice for Bhumika Chawla, after being referred by one of A. R. Rahman's sound engineers. She debuted as a composer with a short lullaby titled Laali, which she also sang and released as part of Instagram's #1MinMusic. She is also a social activist often raising her voice against issues faced by women and has been the face of the second wave of #MeToo movement in India.
Kanukuntla Subhash Chandrabose is an Indian lyricist and playback singer who works in Telugu cinema. Chandrabose debuted as a lyricist with the 1995 film Taj Mahal. In a career spanning over 25 years, he has written lyrics for about 3600 songs in over 850 films. Chandrabose won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for the song "Naatu Naatu" from RRR (2022). He has received one National Award, two Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Awards, and three SIIMA Awards as a lyricist.
Sunitha Upadrashta is an Indian playback singer and voice actor who primarily works in Telugu films. She is a recipient of nine Nandi Awards and two Filmfare Awards South in various categories. She also received a National Award from All India Radio under light music category when she was 15 years old. She received her first Nandi award in the year 1999 and bagged Nandi Awards in a row for the years 2002 to 2006 and again for the years 2010 to 2012. She was also honored with Lata Mangeshkar Best Singer Award for 2011 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh.
Anuradha Sriram is an Indian carnatic and playback singer and child actress who hails from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung more than 3500 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Sinhala, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Hindi films.
Magadheera is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy romantic action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gill. It is themed on reincarnation and eternal love.
Thaman S is an Indian composer and playback singer known for his works majorly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He is the recipient of the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for his work in the 2020 musical hit Ala Vaikuntapuramulo.
K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. He made his debut as a cinematographer with the sitcom TV series Amrutham. He made his film debut with Aithe (2003) which brought him recognition.
Dhada (transl. Tremor) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Ajay Bhuyan and produced by D. Siva Prasad Reddy. The film features Naga Chaitanya and Kajal Aggarwal. The music composed by Devi Sri Prasad, cinematography by Gnana Shekar V.S of Vedam fame, editing by Dharmendra Kakarala of Prasthanam and LBW - Life Before Wedding fame.
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, shortened as S. P. Balasubrahmanyam or SPB, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian singers of all time. He predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films and sang in a total of 16 languages.
Ye Maaya Chesave is the soundtrack album of the 2010 Telugu romantic drama film of the same name, directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The original score and songs were composed by A. R. Rahman; Lyrics are penned by Anantha Sreeram, along with Kalyani Menon and Kaithapram, the latter penning the Malayalam lyrics in the album. This is the sixth time that A. R. Rahman composed music for a direct Telugu film and the fourth time that he composed the entire soundtrack for a Telugu film. This also marked Rahman's comeback into Telugu cinema after six years. Ye Maaya Chesave was one of the most anticipated soundtracks of Rahman.
Magadheera is the feature film soundtrack of the 2009 Telugu-language period action film of the same name directed by S. S. Rajamouli. M. M. Keeravani composed the soundtrack and he worked with Kalyani Malik for the film's background score. The soundtrack consists of six songs whose lyrics were penned by Bhuvanachandra, Chandrabose and Keeravani himself.
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