M. M. Keeravani

Last updated

M. M. Keeravani
M. M. Keeravani at Inji Iduppazhagi Audio Launch (cropped).jpg
Keeravani in 2015
Background information
Birth nameKoduri Marakathamani Keeravaani
Also known as
  • Maragathamani
  • M. M. Kreem
Born (1961-07-04) 4 July 1961 (age 62)
Kovvur, Andhra Pradesh, India
Genres
Occupation(s)
Discography Discography
Years active1990–present
Spouse(s)M. M. Srivalli

Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani (born 4 July 1961), professionally known as M. M. Keeravani, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. His accolades include an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a LAFCA Award, eleven Nandi Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, two National Film Awards and a Critics' Choice Movie Award. In 2023, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema. [1] [2]

Contents

Keeravani also worked for a few Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam films. He is best known for his compositions in works such as Kshana Kshanam (1991), Gharana Mogudu (1992), Allari Priyudu (1993), Criminal (1994), Subha Sankalpam (1995), Pelli Sandadi (1996), Devaraagam (1996), Annamayya (1997), Zakhm (1998), Student No.1 (2001), Jism (2003), Paheli (2005), Sri Ramadasu (2006), Magadheera (2009), Eega (2012), Baahubali (2015 and 2017), and RRR (2022), as well as his collaborations with K. Raghavendra Rao, Mahesh Bhatt, and S. S. Rajamouli. [3] [4] Most of his compositions were brought to life by singers S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. S. Chithra. [5]

Early and personal life

Keeravaani was born in a Telugu family to lyricist and screenwriter Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta, in Kovvur of West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. [6] [3] He is the cousin of director S. S. Rajamouli, music composers M. M. Srilekha, Kalyani Malik, and writer S. S. Kanchi. He is the nephew of screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad. [6]

His wife M. M. Srivalli works as a line producer in films. His elder son, Kaala Bhairava, is a singer and has sung for his father's numerous compositions ("Dandalayya" song and Naatu Naatu). His younger son, Sri Simha, made his debut with Mathu Vadalara (2019). [6]

Career

Keeravani first began his career as an assistant music director with Telugu composer K. Chakravarthy and Malayalam composer C. Rajamani in 1987. [7] He assisted in movies such as Collectorgari Abbayi and Bharathamlo Arjunudu in the late 1980s. During this time, he also sought the guidance of the veteran lyricist Veturi for over a year. [8]

Keeravani's first big break as an independent musician came with the film Kalki in 1990, but the film never got released and the soundtrack also went unnoticed. [3] It was director Mouli's 1990 film Manasu Mamatha that brought him to the limelight and was considered his first released movie. However, it was Ram Gopal Varma's blockbuster film Kshana Kshanam (1991) that made Keeravani an established music director. [3] All the songs of this movie went on to become top chartbusters and Keeravani was flooded with offers from all across south Indian film industries. His first major Hindi film was Criminal (1994). [9]

Keeravani mentions Ilaiyaraaja, John Williams and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as composers who influenced him. Some of the films which inspired his music include Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Coming to America (1988), and Phone Booth (2002). [10]

Discography

Awards and nominations

Keeravani won the Oscar for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Naatu Naatu" for the 2022 Telugu film RRR. [11] He received a National Film Award for Best Music Direction for the 1997 Telugu film Annamayya . He is also a recipient of eight Filmfare Awards, eleven Andhra Pradesh state Nandi Awards, and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. [12] He was also nominated for Saturn Award for Best Music for Baahubali: The Beginning (2015). [13] [4]

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <i>Kshana Kshanam</i> 1991 Indian film

    Kshana Kshanam is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language Neo-noir road comedy heist film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. The film stars Venkatesh, Sridevi, Paresh Rawal, and Rami Reddy. The plot follows Satya (Sridevi), a young woman who is hounded by a gang of robbers headed by Nayyar (Rawal) and the police. With the help of a pickpocketer Chandu (Venkatesh), she escapes into the forests.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">S. S. Rajamouli</span> Indian film director, screenwriter (b. 1973)

    Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli is an Indian director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is known for his epic, action and fantasy genre films. He is the highest grossing Indian director of all time, as well as the highest-paid director in India. He is a recipient of various national and international honours including a New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, and four National Film Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of art. In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalyani Malik</span> Indian music director and Playback singer

    Kalyan Malik is an Indian music director and playback singer in Telugu cinema. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film Aithe (2003), Malik has provided musical scores for many other films. His most recent works are composing for Oohalu Gusagusalade (2014) and as sound supervisor for Baahubali: The Beginning. He is known by various other names — Kalyan Koduri, Koduri Kalyan.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandrabose (lyricist)</span> Lyricist in Telugu cinema

    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.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Simha Koduri</span> Indian actor

    Sri Simha Koduri is an Indian actor, who works in Telugu films. He first appeared as a child artist in Yamadonga (2007). After working in various off-screen roles, Simha made his debut as a lead actor in Mathu Vadalara (2019) for which he won SIIMA Award for Best Male Debut – Telugu.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">V. Vijayendra Prasad</span> Indian screenwriter and film director

    Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad is an Indian screenwriter and film director who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He also worked in a few Hindi, Kannada, and Tamil films. His filmography consists of more than twenty five films as a screenwriter, most of which were commercially successful.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">M. M. Srilekha</span> Indian singer and composer

    Manimekhala Srilekha, known professionally as M. M. Srilekha, is an Indian film playback singer and music composer, known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema. She is the only female music composer in the Telugu film industry. Her paternal uncle V. Vijayendra Prasad's directorial venture Srivalli (2017) was her 75th film.

    Prem Rakshith is an Indian choreographer who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of a National Film Award, three Nandi Awards and four Filmfare Awards.

    <i>Baahubali: The Beginning</i> (soundtrack) 2015 soundtrack album by M. M. Keeravani

    Baahubali: The Beginning is the soundtrack of the 2015 Indian multilingual film of the same name. The soundtrack album was composed by M. M. Keeravani.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Saahore Baahubali</span> 2017 song by Daler Mehndi, M.M. Keeravani, Mounima

    "Saahore Baahubali" is a Telugu song from the 2017 film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Sung by Daler Mehndi, the song is composed by M. M. Keeravani, with lyrics penned by his father Siva Shakti Datta and K. Ramakrishna. Most of the lyrics were written in Sanskrit.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Oka Praanam</span> 2017 song by Kaala Bhairava

    "Oka Praanam" is the title song of the 2017 film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. Sung by Kaala Bhairava, his father M. M. Keeravani was the lyricist and music composer of the song. The lyrics of the song showcases the problems faced by the characters and the odds they have to overcome. The music video of the track comprises scenes from the 2015 film Baahubali: The Beginning and was intended to be a recap of the first film for the audience.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Rahul Sipligunj</span> Indian Playback singer and Pop artist

    Rahul Sipligunj is an Indian Playback singer, Songwriter, Independent musician and Actor. He became popular with his independent songs on YouTube. He is known for his Telangana Telugu or Hyderabad Telugu songs. He has worked as a singer in over 50 Telugu-language films.

    Kaala Bhairava is an Indian playback singer and music director, who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has sung songs in Tamil, Hindi and Kannada in addition to Telugu. He was the composer of the films Mathu Vadalara, Karthikeya 2 and Colour Photo, which received positive reviews and critical acclaim. Bhairava is recipient of a National Film Award.

    <i>RRR</i> (soundtrack) 2022 soundtrack album by M. M. Keeravani

    RRR is the soundtrack album, composed by M. M. Keeravani, to the 2022 Indian Telugu-language epic action drama film of the same name, directed by S. S. Rajamouli, starring N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, and Olivia Morris while Samuthirakani, Shriya Saran, Ray Stevenson, and Alison Doody play supporting roles. The film featured seven tracks with lyrics written by Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Chandrabose, Suddala Ashok Teja, Ramajogayya Sastry, K. Shiva Dutta and Keeravani himself. Madhan Karky (Tamil), Riya Mukherjee and Varun Grover (Hindi), Mankombu Gopalakrishnan (Malayalam) and Varadaraj Chikkaballapura (Kannada), wrote lyrics for the dubbed versions. The album, was released by Lahari Music and T-Series on 16 April 2022.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Naatu Naatu</span> 2021 song by M. M. Keeravani, Chandrabose, Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava

    "Naatu Naatu" is an Indian Telugu-language song composed by M. M. Keeravani, with lyrics by Chandrabose and recorded by Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava for the soundtrack album of the 2022 Indian film RRR. It was released on 10 November 2021 as the second single from the album, through Lahari Music and T-Series. The full video song, featuring visuals directly from the film, was released on 11 April 2022 on YouTube.

    Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta is an Indian lyricist, screenwriter, and painter who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for writing Sanskrit-based song lyrics in Telugu films. He is the elder brother of screenwriter V. Vijayendra Prasad, father of music director M. M. Keeravani and the uncle of director S. S. Rajamouli.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinematic style of S. S. Rajamouli</span>

    S. S. Rajamouli is an Indian filmmaker who primarily works in Telugu cinema and is known for his action, fantasy, and epic genre films. He is the highest grossing Indian director of all time. He is a recipient of various national and international honours including a New York Film Critics Circle award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Saturn Awards, and three National Film Awards. In 2016, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, for his contributions in the field of art. In 2023, he was included on the Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

    References

    1. ↑ Aparna Banerjea (25 January 2023). "Padma Awards 2023 | 'RRR' fame composer MM Keeravaani honoured with Padma Shri". Moneycontrol.com. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
    2. ↑ "M.M. Keeravani: Maestro of Melodies in Indian Cinema - Today National…". 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 29 December 2023.
    3. 1 2 3 4 "MM Keeravani turns 58: Peppy chartbusters composed by the legendary Pan-Indian musician". The Times of India. 4 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 August 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
    4. 1 2 "Golden Globes 2023: Naatu Naatu's Pan-Indian 'mystery composer' and his six iconic Hindi film songs". Moneycontrol.com. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
    5. ↑ "Mukti Arts Artists details". riverbend. 22 June 2019.
    6. 1 2 3 "Keeravani: సాహోరే... కీరవాణీ". Eenadu (in Telugu). 22 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
    7. ↑ "Interview with composer Keeravani | Onam Special Programme". Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022– via YouTube.
    8. ↑ Stars : Star Interviews : Interview with M M Keeravani Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
    9. ↑ Keeravani's music for a Bollywood film
    10. ↑ "After winning a Golden Globe award for Naatu Naatu, MM Keeravani says 'My inspiration comes from John Williams, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan…'". The Indian Express. 11 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
    11. ↑ "M.M. Keeravani on 'Naatu Naatu' Oscars win: It's just the beginning of everything". The Hindu. 13 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
    12. ↑ "Keeravani presented Rotary Vocational Excellence Award". The Hindu. 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
    13. ↑ The man in demand | Deccan Chronicle Archived 15 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.