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Raftaar | |
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![]() Raftaar on the sets of Dance India Dance in 2019 | |
Born | Kalathil Kuzhiyil Devadasan Dilin Nair 16 November 1988 Trivandrum, Kerala, India |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2008–present |
Spouses |
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Musical career | |
Genres | |
Labels | |
Formerly of | Mafia Mundeer |
Past members |
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Dilin Nair [a] (born 16 November 1988), better known by his stage name Raftaar, is an Indian rapper, lyricist, music producer, composer, dancer, actor and TV personality associated with Hindi, Punjabi and Haryanvi music. He is among the first rappers in India to break into the mainstream music industry. [3]
Kalathil Kuzhiyil Devadasan Dilin Nair [a] was born on 16 November 1988 to a Delhi-based Malayali couple in Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram), Kerala. [4] [5] [6] Raftaar married Komal Vohra, the sister of Indian television actors Karan Vohra and Kunal Vohra, in December 2016. [7] [8] They filed for a divorce in 2020 and have been living separately. The legal proceedings were delayed due to COVID-pandemic and were finalised on 6 October 2022. [9] [10]
On 31 January 2025, Raftaar married fashion stylist, actress and model Manraj Jawanda in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala in traditional Malayali and Sikh wedding ceremonies. [11] [12] [13]
Raftaar initially began his music career by making tracks with his childhood friends and fellow rappers Ikka and Lil Golu. After a while of making tracks and uploading them online, Yo Yo Honey Singh heard a track on Orkut which was uploaded by The Black Wall Street Desi's, The group which featured the three. Singh reached out to the three youngsters and invited them to his studio in Okhla, Delhi. According to Ikka on his track "The Interview", Singh worked with the three youngsters while also giving them stage names; "Young Amli" for Ikka, "Raftaar" for Dilin who went by the name OniMaxxx or Max and "Lil Golu" for Sahil who had the nickname Golu. Raftaar also started his career as a dancer, as Max and participated in a reality TV show Dance India Dance in 2011, in 'DID Double' along with a friend named Manik. [14]
In the meantime, Raftaar split from Mafia Mundeer due to credit-related problems, most notably for the track "Dope Shope" from Singh's album, International Villager . [15] He also appeared in the music video for a few seconds and alleged that his scenes were also cut. [16]
After the split, he then formed a group 'The Titans' with Badshah and Sachit Takkar (Sachh). They produced many songs together in the Punjabi music industry and Bollywood together. [17]
Raftaar became widely known and recognised after releasing his song "Swag Mera Desi" in 2013 with Manj Musik. The line "Ab yeh karke dikhao" (transl. Now try to do this) from the song was interpreted as a subliminal directed towards Yo Yo Honey Singh, [18] who used the phrase in his song "Party With The Bhoothnath" which led to a dispute between the two rappers in media. [19] "Swag Mera Desi" won Best Urban Song at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards in 2014. [20]
The next year, he skyrocketed to mainstream popularity with the songs, "All Black", with Sukhe and Jaani, [21] , as well as the song "Toh Dishoom" from the 2016 film Dishoom . [22]
In 2017, Raftaar debuted in the Bengali music industry through the film One which featured singer Vishal Dadlani and Raftaar. [23] In the same year, he founded the record label KALAMKAAR, alongside Ankit Khanna, signing a variety of acts, such as KR$NA, Rashmeet Kaur, Deep Kalsi, Karma, Yunan and Harjas Harjaayi. [24] He also produced and rapped a song for the Chaamp soundtrack. [25] He released his debut album, Zero To Infinity, the following year in May. [26]
Raftaar collaborated with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan for the second edition of Breezer Vivid Shuffle in 2019, [27] and in the same year, he started judging the reality shows MTV Hustle , Dance India Dance and MTV Roadies . The next year, he released his second album, Mr. Nair, through Zee Music Company, featuring his labelmates KR$NA, Rashmeet Kaur, Deep Kalsi, Karma, Yunan, and Harjas Harjaayi among others. [28]
Over the next few years, Raftaar, continued to collaborate with various upcoming Desi hip-hop artists like Shah Rule, MC Stan, Seedhe Maut, King, on singles and also, on a collaborative EP with Prabh Deep, titled PRAA, in addition to releasing his own projects, most notably the HARD DRIVE Vol. 1, and its sequel, in 2022 and 2024, respectively. [29] [30]
He was seen as a guest judge on 2 episodes of India's Got Latent in 2024 and returned to judge the fourth season of MTV Hustle, after being absent from the previous two seasons. [31] In 2025, he participated in the reality show The Traitors as a contestant, until he was eliminated in the sixth episode. [32]
Year | Album | Track | Artist(s) | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2018 | Zero to Infinity | Baby Marvake Maanegi | Raftaar | Blackout |
Saare Karo Dab | Raftaar, Sonu Kakkar & Muhfaad | Raftaar | ||
Gaddi | Raftaar & Deep Kalsi | Deep Kalsi | ||
Gall Goriye | Raftaar & Maninder Buttar | Raftaar | ||
Jean Teri | Raftaar, Jaz Dhami & Deep Kalsi | Deep Kalsi | ||
Lonely | Raftaar, Mehabin | Raftaar | ||
Mundeya Di Mautt | Raftaar & Yunan | Raftaar | ||
Woh Chori | Raftaar & Jyotica Tangri | Raftaar | ||
2020 | Mr. Nair | Me And My Pen | Raftaar ft. Shah Rule | Raftaar & Shah Rule |
Dilli Waali Baatcheet | Raftaar | Raftaar | ||
Main Wahi Hoon | Raftaar ft. Karma | Raftaar | ||
Damn | Raftaar ft. KR$NA | Raftaar | ||
Sick | Raftaar ft. Yunan | Mehabin & Raftaar | ||
Drama | Raftaar | Tom Enzy & Raftaar | ||
Beshaq | Raftaar ft. Yunan | AAKASH, Yunan & Raftaar | ||
Feeling You | Raftaar ft. Deep Kalsi | AAKASH & Raftaar | ||
Haan | Raftaar ft. Harjas Harjaayi & Rashmeet Kaur | Saurabh Lokhande & Raftaar | ||
Move | Raftaar | Saurabh Lokhande | ||
Bottal Wargi | Raftaar ft. Jordan Sandhu | Deep Kalsi | ||
Naachne Ka Shaunq | Raftaar ft. Brodha V | Tom Enzy | ||
Superman | Raftaar ft. Manj Musik | INSTINE, Raftaar & Manj Musik | ||
Popular | Raftaar | AAKASH & Raftaar | ||
Down | Raftaar ft. KR$NA | Lavito Beats, Tom Enzy & Raftaar | ||
Proud | Raftaar | Tom Enzy & Raftaar |
Year | EP | Track | Artist(s) | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020-21 | BAR'ISH EP | Microphone Check | Raftaar | SCARY'P |
Tu Phir Se Aana | Raftaar ft. Salim Merchant & Karma | Raftaar, Salim Merchant & Saurabh Lokhande | ||
Black Sheep | Raftaar | Boger | ||
Goat Dekho | Raftaar | Allrounda Beats | ||
2022 | HARD DRIVE Vol. 1 | ICE | Raftaar | DXOR |
F16 | Raftaar ft. Sikander Kahlon | Harm Sandhu | ||
GANGNUM | Raftaar ft. Deep Kalsi | Raftaar | ||
NO CHINA | Raftaar ft. KR$NA | Raftaar & Frisk | ||
36 | Raftaar ft. Karma | Track PROS | ||
RAASHAH | Raftaar ft. Badshah | YoungWilly | ||
JASHAN-E-HIP-HOP | Raftaar ft. Faris Shafi | Umair | ||
2023 | PRAA | ABBU | Raftaar & Prabh Deep | Tonybasu |
BADNAAM | Lambo Drive | |||
HELLO | Anywaywell | |||
TRAP PRAA | Umair | |||
2024 | HARD DRIVE Vol. 2 | MERA PARICHAY | Raftaar ft. Sikander Kahlon | MUSAGOTMOTION, Instine |
DEHSHAT HO | Raftaar ft. Yashraj | Lonely Boy, LODONI, Phenom | ||
RAP-TA | Raftaar | Phenom | ||
REAL SHIT | Raftaar | Sez on the Baet | ||
MUNDE HOOD DE | Raftaar ft. Karma | Raftaar | ||
BAAWE | Raftaar ft. Badshah | Hiten | ||
ADVICE | Raftaar ft. Deep Kalsi | DRJ Sohail | ||
BANJO BOUNCE | Raftaar ft. EPR Iyer | DreddAf | ||
ME AND MY BROSKI | Raftaar ft. Ikka | Sez on the Beat |
Year | Track | Artist(s) | Producer(s) | Note(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Sharaabia | Preet Harpal, Raftaar, Yo Yo Honey Singh | Honey Singh | From the album The Lock Up by Preet Harpal |
Gadbad | Raftaar, Ikka, Lil Golu, Yo Yo Honey Singh | Mafia Mundeer Records | ||
2010 | Kamli Kamli | Rimz J ft. Raftaar, Yo Yo Honey Singh | From the album The Rising Queen by Rimz J | |
Sadko Pe Khaali Peeli Firta Mai | Raftaar, Yo Yo Honey Singh | Mafia Mundeer Records | ||
2012 | Bottle | Deep Money ft. Raftaar | Music Director: The Titans | From the album Born Star by Deep Money |
Majnu | ||||
Tere Pichchhe | ||||
Sugar | ||||
2013 | You Don't Know Me | Raftaar | Raftaar | From WTF Mixtape: Vol 1 |
Thappad | Samples Send It Up by Kanye West | |||
2014 | Swag Mera Desi | Raftaar & Manj Musik | Manj Musik | Panasonic Mobile MTV Spoken Word |
Happy Single | B.I.G Dhillon & Raftaar | Raftaar | ||
Sniper | Sukh-E & Raftaar | Sukh-E | ||
FU (For You) | Raftaar | Samples 8 Mile (Bootleg) by Eminem | From WTF Mixtape: Vol 1 | |
BBM | Nindy Kaur & Raftaar | Three Records RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) | ||
Gal Mitro | ||||
2015 | All Black | Mehabin and Raftaar | Sukh-E and Raftaar | |
Desi Hip Hop | Manj Musik, Raxstar, Roach Killa, Humble The Poet, Badshah, BIG Dhillon, Sarb Smooth & Raftaar | Manj Musik | Panasonic Mobile MTV Spoken Word | |
Stand Up | Manj Musik, Big Dhillon & Raftaar | Manj Musik, O2 & SRK | ||
Mombatiye | Zohaib Amjad, Raftaar & Manj Musik | Manj Musik | ||
Allah Veh | Manj Musik, Raftaar & Jashan Singh | Manj Musik & Sunny Brown | ||
Billo Hai | Sahara, Manj Musik & Raftaar | Manj Musik | ||
2016 | Nazar Battu Anthem | Nazar Battu, Abhi Payla & Raftaar | D Chandu [37] | |
Chandigarh Rehn Waaliye | Jenny Johal, Raftaar & Bunty Bains | Desi Crew | ||
TVF's CUTE Vol. 1 | Raftaar | Raftaar | Promotional track for Vodafone | |
Lak Hilaade | Manj Musik, Amy Jackson & Raftaar | Manj Musik, O2 & SRK | ||
Do Hazaar Solo | Raftaar | Raftaar | Introduction track for the album Zero To Infinity | |
Saroor | Resham Singh Anmol & Raftaar | Desi Crew | ||
Instagram Love | Raftaar ft. Kappie | Raftaar | Promotional track for Vodafone | |
2017 | Mera Highway Star | Tulsi Kumar & Raftaar | Sanjay Rajee | |
Can't Stop The Party | Noopsta, Raftaar & Humble The Poet | Manj Musik | ||
Baby Marvake Maanegi | Raftaar | Blackout | ||
Tere Wargi Nai Ae | Raftaar | |||
#SADAK | Emiway Bantai ft. Raftaar | PSYIK | ||
Shuffle Track 2.0 (Live Life in Color) | Raftaar ft. Fejo | Promotional track for Breezer Vivid Shuffle | ||
2018 | Sheikh Chilli | Raftaar | Raftaar & Instine | Diss track aimed at Emiway Bantai |
Awein Hai | Raftaar | Frisk | ||
Ready For My Vyah (Shaadi Anthem) | Deep Kalsi, Akriti Kakar & Raftaar | Deep Kalsi | ||
2019 | Khainch Le Quashh | Raftaar & Shivi | Arkane | |
2020 | Aage Chal | Raftaar | Saurabh Lokhande | |
Thoda | Rahul Sathu & Raftaar | Rahul Sathu | ||
Naiyyo | Akasa Singh and Raftaar | Stego & Vinay Vyas | ||
Saath Ya Khilaaf | KR$NA ft. Raftaar | Tay On The Track | ||
Mask On | Raftaar ft. Karma, Rashmeet Kaur & Yunan | GMP Sound Raftaar& Mehabin | ||
Angaar | Ikka ft. Raftaar | Sez on the Beat | From the album I by Ikka | |
Tu Phir Se Aana | Raftaar ft. Salim Merchant & Karma | Raftaar | ||
Click Pow Get Down | Raftaar | Promotional track for Epic Games | ||
2021 | Saza-E-Maut | KR$NA ft. Raftaar | Rill Beats & Young Grape Beatz | From the album Still Here by KR$NA |
Ghana Kasoota | Raftaar & Rashmeet Kaur ft. Surbhi Jyoti | Avvy Sra | Mehabin | |
Barbaad | Raftaar and Afsana Khan | Salim–Sulaiman | From Bhoomi 2021 | |
Say My Name | Smokey the Ghost ft. Raftaar & Sikander Kahlon | Kdllac | From the album The Human Nation by Smokey the Ghost | |
2022 | RATATA | Raftaar | Artem grigoryan | Promotional track for PUBG: New State Mobile |
Load Hai | Raftaar ft. Yunan | Hiten | Sony Music Company | |
How to Hate | MC STΔN ft. Raftaar | MC STΔN | From the album Insaan by MC STΔN | |
Nahi Hai Woh | Shah Rule ft. MC Altaf & Raftaar | Stunnah Beatz | ||
IMAGE | Deep Kalsi ft. Raftaar | Mehabin | From the EP WINNERSCIRCLE by Deep Kalsi | |
Kaali Car | Raftaar & Asees Kaur | Mehabin | ||
Shringaar [38] | Vayu, Aastha Gill & Akasa Singh ft. Raftaar | Vaibhav Pani | ||
Top Off | Ikka ft. Raftaar & Mehabin | Byg Byrd | From the album Nishu by Ikka | |
Speed Se Badho | Raftaar | Raftaar | ||
Never Back Down | Raftaar | Kofeina | ||
2023 | Tajurba | Prabh Deep ft. Raftaar | Lambo Drive | From the album Bhram (Deluxe) by Prabh Deep |
Teray Naam | Hasan Raheem ft. Raftaar | Shahrukh | From the EP it's Love | |
Phone Mila Ke | Raftaar & Akasa Singh | Mehabin & Saurabh Lokhande | ||
Bigg Boss OTT 2 - Official Anthem | Raftaar | JioCinema, Endemol Shine India | Promotional track for Bigg Boss OTT 2 | |
Legacy | Raftaar | KSHMR | From the album "KARAM" | |
No Mercy | Raftaar X KR$NA X Karma X Mehabin | Deep Kalsi | From the album "TUNNEL VISION" | |
Woh Ratt | Raftaar ft. KR$NA | lejJA | Released on Raftaar's birthday | |
2024 | Like a Snake | Badshah ft. Raftaar x Aastha Gill | Hiten | From the album Ek Tha Raja by Badshah |
Morni | Raftaar X Sukh-E ft Bhumika Sharma | Mehabin | Video featuring Moroccan model Soundous Moufakir | |
WARCRY | King, Raftaar | Riz Shain | From the album "MONOPOLY MOVES" by King | |
Karta Kya Hai | Karma X Raftaar | Bharg | From the EP "How Much a Rhyme Costs" by Karma | |
MTV Hustle Season 4- Official Anthem | Raftaar, Ikka | Aditya Pushkarna | ||
Gourmet Shit! | Raftaar, Seedhe Maut | Calm | From the EP "Kshama" by Seedhe Maut | |
2025 | Farebi | Raftaar, Chaar Diwaari | Chaar Diwaari | |
Buss Down | KRSNA, Raftaar | Sana, M61 | From the mixtape "Yours Truly" by KR$NA |
Year | Film / Series | Track | Co-singer(s) | Composer(s) | Lyricist(s) | Note(s) |
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2013 | Bullet Raja | Tamanchey Pe Disco | Nindy Kaur, Manj Musik, RDB | RDB, Manj Musik | Raftaar | Hindi film |
2014 | Heropanti | Whistle Baja | Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur | Manj Musik, Laxmikant Pyarelal | ||
The Puppy Song | Manj Musik | Manj Musik | ||||
Fugly | Dhup Chik | Badshah, Aastha Gill | Raftaar | |||
Dr. Cabbie | Dal Makhni | Manj Musik | Manj Musik | Manj Musik, Raftaar | ||
2015 | Gabbar Is Back | Warna Gabbar Aa Jayega | Manj Musik, Raftaar, Big Dhillon | |||
Singh Is Bliing | Singh and Kaur | Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur | Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur, Raftaar, Big Dhillon | |||
2016 | Baaghi | Let's Talk About Love | Neha Kakkar | Raftaar, Shabbir Khan | ||
A Flying Jatt | A Flying Jatt Title Track | Mansheel Gujral, Tanishkaa | Sachin–Jigar | Vayu, Raftaar | ||
Dishoom | Toh Dishoom | Shahid Mallya | Pritam | Mayur Puri | ||
Dangal | Dhaakad | Amitabh Bhattacharya | ||||
Beiimaan Love | Mar Gaye | Manj Musik, Nindy Kaur | Manj Musik | Raftaar | ||
Tum Bin II | Ki Kariye Nachna Aaonda Nahin | Hardy Sandhu, Neha Kakkar | Gourov-Roshin | Kumaar | ||
2017 | One | One Title Track | Vishal Dadlani | Arindam Chatterjee | Prosen | Bengali film |
Chaamp | Dekho Dekho Chaamp | Raftaar | ||||
Kaabil | Haseeno Ka Deewana (Remake) | Payal Dev | Gourov-Roshin, Rajesh Roshan | Kumaar, Anjaan | Hindi film | |
Commando 2 | Hare Krishna Hare Ram (Remake) | Armaan Malik, Ritika | Gourov-Roshin, Pritam | Kumaar | ||
Jolly LLB 2 | Go Pagal | Nindy Kaur | Manj Musik | Manj Musik, Raftaar | ||
Raabta | Sadda Move | Diljit Dosanjh, Pradeep Singh Sran | Pritam | Amitabh Bhattacharya, Irshad Kamil | ||
Behen Hogi Teri | Jaanu (Remake) | Juggy D, Shivi | Rishi Rich, R. D. Burman | Anand Bakshi, Raftaar | ||
A Gentleman | Bandook Meri Laila | Ash King, Sachin–Jigar, Sidharth Malhotra | Sachin–Jigar | Vayu | ||
The Final Exit | Dum Maro Dum Maro | Neha Kakkar, Yasser Desai | Amjad-Nadeem | Amjad-Nadeem, Raftaar | ||
Lucknow Central | Teen Kabootar | Mohit Chauhan, Divya Kumar | Arjunna Harjaie | Kumaar, Raftaar | ||
Fukrey Returns | Mehbooba (Remake) | Neha Kakkar, Yasser Desai, Mohammed Rafi | Prem-Hardeep | Kumaar | ||
Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai | Gandharv Sachdev | Sumeet-Bellary | Satya Khare, Raftaar | |||
Tiger Zinda Hai | Zinda Hai | Sukhwinder Singh | Vishal–Shekhar, Julius Packiam | Irshad Kamil | ||
2018 | Manto | Mantoiyat | Nawazuddin Siddiqui | Raftaar | Raftaar, Saadat Hasan Manto | |
Andhadhun | Andhadhun Title Track | Raftaar, Girish Nakod | ||||
Bhaiaji Superhit | Naam Hai Bhaiaji | Amit Mishra | Sanjeev–Darshan, Neerraj Pathak | Sanjeev Chaturvedi, Neerraj Pathak | ||
Om Namah Shivay | Sukhwinder Singh, Raghav Sachar, Akanksha Sharma | Raghav Sachar | Shabbir Ahmed | |||
2019 | Setters | Kartootein | Salim–Sulaiman, Sukhwinder SIngh | |||
2020 | Darbar | Thalaiva In Charge | Yogi B | Anirudh Ravichander | Raftaar, Yogi B, Senthuzhan, Syan | |
Love Aaj Kal | Parmeshwara | Pritam | Irshad Kamil | |||
2021 | 99 Songs | Nayi Nayi | Shashwat Singh | A. R. Rahman | Navneet Virk, Raftaar | |
Pagglait | Pagglait | Amrita Singh, Arijit Singh | Arijit Singh | Neelesh Misra | ||
Sherni | Main Sherni | Akasa Singh | Utkarsh Ghatekar | Raghav | ||
2022 | The Great Indian Murder | Raskala | Umang Doshi | Shloke Lal, Ashwath Bobo | ||
Janhit Mein Jaari | Janhit Mein Jaari Title Track | Nakash Aziz | Prini Sidhant Madhav | Raaj Shaandilyaa | ||
Vikram (D) | Badle Badle (Rap Extended Version) | Kamal Haasan | Anirudh Ravichander | Anirudh Ravichander, Raqueeb Alam | ||
2023 | Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan | Yentamma | Vishal Dadlani, Payal Dev | Payal Dev | Shabbir Ahmed | |
12th Fail | "Restart" (Rap) | Shantanu Moitra | Swanand Kirkire, Raftaar | |||
"Restart" (Rap 'N' Folk) | Swanand Kirkire, Shaan, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Shantanu Moitra | |||||
2024 | Shaitaan | "Aisa Main Shaitaan" | Amit Trivedi | Kumaar |
Year | Show | Channel | Role | Note(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | Dance India Dance Doubles | Zee TV | Contestant | |
2015 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa Reloaded | Colors TV | Contestant | 9th place |
2018 | Lockdown | ZEE5 | [39] [40] | |
Roadies Xtreme | MTV | Gang Leader | ||
Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain! | &TV | Himself | Guest | |
2019 | Roadies: Real Heroes | MTV | Gang Leader | Winner |
Dance India Dance: Battle of the Champions | Zee TV | Judge | ||
MTV Hustle | MTV | Major role in development of the show. | ||
2020 | Roadies: Revolution | MTV | Gang Leader | Replaced by Varun Sood as Raftaar had to leave the show midway for release of his album Mr. Nair. |
2023 | Bajao | JioCinema | Babbar | |
2024 | MTV Hustle: Hip Hop Don't Stop | MTV, JioCinema | Judge | Was seen on the panel in Season 1 and Season 4 |
2024 | India's Got Latent | YouTube | Guest Judge | Was seen in Episode 1 and a later unreleased episode |
2025 | The Traitors | Prime Video | Contestant | 13th place |
from 0:25 to 0:35
Dilin Nair, aka Raftaar, one of India's first rappers to break into the mainstream music industry dominated by Bollywood songs, formed the country's first hip-hop group, 'Mafia Mundeer,' along with two other rappers who would go on to become big stars: Yo Yo Honey Singh and Badshah.
"I wrote most of Dope Shope and was promised that I'd be given my due. When the final product appeared, Honey appeared all over the video, even singing lines that I'd sung," — Raftaar said.
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