# Anirudh Ravichander

Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990) , also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten SIIMA Awards, six Edison Awards and five Vijay awards.
His debut song "Why This Kolaveri Di", composed for the 2012 film 3, went viral across the globe and has achieved over 450 million views on YouTube. A.R. Murugadoss signed him to compose music for Kaththi (2014) starring Vijay & Samantha which included the viral hit "Selfie Pulla". The soundtrack for the film became Anirudh's highest profile soundtrack until he was signed to compose music for Rajinikanth's Petta in 2019.
In 2016, he signed a record deal with Sony Music, which publishes his independent albums and live concerts. In the same year, he featured with Diplo on the remix of Major Lazer's hit single "Cold Water".

## Biography

Anirudh Ravichander was born as the son of Indian actor Ravi Raghavendra and classical dancer Lakshmi Ravichander. He is the nephew of Latha Rajinikanth, thus making Aishwarya, Soundarya and Hrishikesh his cousins and Rajinikanth his uncle. Anirudh's great-grandfather was the director K. Subramanyam, a filmmaker in the 1930s.
He graduated from the Loyola College at Chennai. in 2011, which according to him was just a backup in case his music career did not take off. Anirudh learnt piano from Trinity College of Music, London. He also was part of a fusion band. Anirudh has also pursued a diploma in sound engineering from Soundtech Media Audio Engineering Institute at Chennai. In his school days, Anirudh and his band has participated in a reality television show judged by the famous musician A. R. Rahman, and his band was one of the winners along with five other bands in the show.

## Career
### 2011–2012: Debut and early success

Anirudh Ravichander made his debut as a music composer in his cousin Aishwarya Rajinikanth's directorial debut 3, starring Dhanush. While pursuing his degree at Loyola College, he had done background scores for the short films made by Aishwarya and his work on short films convinced her to have him work on her first commercial venture. In early November 2011, a leaked version of a song from the film Why This Kolaveri Di!, circulated online and the film's team decided to subsequently release it officially. It instantly became popular on social networking sites for its quirky Tanglish lyrics. Soon, the song became the most searched YouTube video in India and internet phenomenon across Asia. The song revolves around the film's main actor being dumped by his girlfriend; the song is sung by the character in a drunken state, with many of the lines nonsensical. According to the composer, 3's director Aishwarya Rajinikanth wanted a light-hearted song about failed love. Anirudh quickly composed the tune in about 10 minutes.
The remaining songs of the album were released in December and also received very positive reviews from critics. A reviewer from Behindwoods noted, "Such a promising debut by a composer hasn't been seen in recent Tamil cinema history", while Rediff.com's reviewer noted that "all the songs in 3 are good and come with appealing instrumental arrangements", concluding that it was "an intriguing collection." Anirudh also received praise for his background score in the film. He consequently went on to gain recognition for the film through accolades, notably the Vijay Award for Best Find of the Year as well as nominations at the South Indian International Movie Awards and the 60th Filmfare Awards South. He also worked on the Telugu dubbed version of the film. Anirudh teamed up with Dhanush soon after to produce a Kolaveri-inspired track titled "Sachin anthem" commemorating Sachin Tendulkar in association with the health drink, Boost.

### 2013–2015: Continued success

Next, he sang and composed a single for David – a multi-starrer directed by Bejoy Nambiar; "Kanave Kanave" in Tamil and "Yu Hi Re" in Hindi. The album also opened to very positive reviews, with a critic noting: Anirudh's song was "the pick of the album". His next album was Ethir Neechal, starring Sivakarthikeyan. Anirudh introduced rappers Yo Yo Honey Singh and Hiphop Tamizha in the album. Moreover, Sony Music India released the complete background score of Ethir Neechal via YouTube owing to its popularity. His next soundtrack, Vanakkam Chennai released in July 2013. For the song "Oh Penne", he roped in Vishal Dadlani for the first time in Tamil music. Another promotional song, "Chennai City Gangster", saw him collaborate again with Hiphop Tamizha and British Indian rapper Hard Kaur, with the trio also featuring in a music video for the film. In September 2013, he was signed on to compose the background score for Selvaraghavan's fantasy film Irandam Ulagam, after Harris Jayaraj had opted out. Anirudh noted his happiness at working with Selvaraghavan early in his career, despite being called up as a replacement and subsequently recorded for the film in Budapest.
Anirudh's next release Velaiyilla Pattathari, featured a song by veteran singer S. Janaki. while adding "in all, the album is soulful, lively and truly Anirudh". The film subsequently became a blockbuster at the box office, with Anirudh receiving the Filmfare award for best music director. His next film was Maan Karate, starring Sivakarthikeyan. A.R. Murugadoss then signed him on to compose music for Kaththi, starring Vijay, becoming Anirudh's highest profile album at the time. The album and especially the background score received positive reviews from critics and topped the iTunes India Charts.
Next, Anirudh again collaborated with Sivakarthikeyan for the film Kaaki Sattai, produced by Dhanush under his production company. Then, Anirudh scored music for Maari, with Dhanush. The music received positive reviews, with the song "Don'u Don'u Don'u" becoming exceptionally popular. He also received critical acclaim for his work in the Vijay Sethupathi starrer Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, leading him to receive many accolades for his achievement in the film. He released a single from the movie Aakko on Valentine's Day in 2015 of the name "Ennakenna Yaarum Illaiye". He also scored his first Ajith Kumar film in Vedalam, directed by Siva. Anirudh's music received mixed reviews, however, the song "Aaluma Doluma", became a hit. Anirudh concluded the year with Thangamagan, starring Dhanush. In February 2016, for Valentine's Day, he released a single titled "Avalukena", under Sony Music. After a short break, Anirudh released a single from Rum in April 2016; "Hola Amigo". In May 2016, Anirudh signed a deal with Sony Music India for his independent albums and live concerts.
Anirudh again teamed up with Sivakarthikeyan For Remo. In late 2017, for the film Vivegam, Anirudh launched the first single "Surviva" and became fastest Tamil song to get 1 million streams, this track saw Yogi B performing in a Tamil film after a long hiatus. He again teamed up with Sivakarthikeyan for the fifth time with Velaikkaaran, for which he won a Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. A Hindi pop music video Bewajah, composed and sung by Anirudh, Irene and Srinidhi Venkatesh was released by Sony Music India. The song became an instant hit etching several million views.

### 2018–present: Widespread recognition and work in other languages

In 2018, he made his Telugu debut with Agnyaathavaasi which was received well. Next, he composed for Suriya's Thaanaa Serndha Koottam, a remake of Special 26. After that, he composed for Nayanthara's Kolamavu Kokila, which was well received and was praised for being unique.
His next big project came with Petta, directed by Karthik Subbaraj and starring his uncle Rajinikanth. On 10 December, the full album for Rajinikanth's Petta was released by Anirudh. His next project was Nani's Telugu film Jersey, which is directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. He later composed for Gang Leader which was directed by Vikram K Kumar. This marked his second collaboration with Nani. After that was Darbar, directed by AR Murugadoss. He then composed one of the songs of the soundtrack for Dharala Prabhu, the title track, which garnered success.
In 2020, he collaborated with Vijay for the 2nd time in Master, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj. The first single, "Kutti Story", sung by Vijay himself, received great praise and became popular around the world for its Tanglish lyrics. The second single sung by Gana Balachander, "Vaathi Coming", became an instant viral hit universally. He also came to work on the soundtrack of Doctor, directed by Nelson Dilipkumar. The first single "Chellamma" was a hit among the youth with the fun and romantic lyrics, collecting over 100 million views on YouTube. In 2021, he worked with Vijay for the 3rd time in Beast directed by Nelson, whom he also worked with for the 3rd consecutive time. The first single "Arabic Kuthu", was a fusion featuring Arabic phrases and rhyming verses in Tamil. The song set the record for the most-viewed and liked South Indian song within 24 hours, and is currently his most-viewed single with over 500 million views.
His work in Vikram marked his first release with Kamal Haasan, although the duo collaborated first on Indian 2 which wasn't released at that time (released on 2024). The first single of Vikram titled "Pathala Pathala" received several million views from fans. He also composed for Sivakarthikeyan's Don and Vijay Sethupathi's Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal. After a hiatus, he returned to compose for Dhanush with Thiruchitrambalam. The first single of Thiruchitrambalam titled "Thaai Kelavi" was released on 24 June 2022 and its lyrics proved controversial. A social activist lodged a complaint against the makers of the film asking them to change the lyrics of the song, citing disrespect to elderly people.
After A. R. Rahman turned down an offer by Atlee to compose for his Hindi film Jawan with Shah Rukh Khan, Anirudh was chosen to compose for the film. An announcement teaser featuring Anirudh's score was released in June 2022. Jawan marks the first full-fledged debut for Anirudh in Hindi cinema as a composer as his previous Hindi films David and Jersey featured just a single and reused film from the original, respectively. He then composed the soundtrack for Leo, in his fourth collaboration with Vijay after Kaththi (2014), Master and Beast; third collaboration with Lokesh after Master and Vikram (2022). The track "Bloody Sweet" that was featured in the two-minute promo video for the movie was released on 3 February 2023, the same date as the promo. It has gathered 76 million views so far on YouTube, his highest. He also composed music for Rajinikanth’s 169th film titled Jailer directed by Nelson.
The film marks Anirudh’s third collaboration with Rajini after Petta and Darbar and fourth with Nelson after Kolamaavu Kokila, Doctor and Beast.
In 2024, he composed music for N. T. Rama Rao Jr.'s Telugu film Devara, which is directed by Koratala Siva. He is also set to collaborate with Ajith Kumar for his 62nd film Vidaamuyarchi directed by Magizh Thirumeni which marks his third collaboration with Ajith after Vedalam and Vivegam.

## Filmography

| Year | Song | Language(s) | Artist | Notes |
| 2012 | "Why This Kolaveri Di" | Tamil | Dhanush | Song for 3, appeared alongside the film's lead actors Dhanush and Shruti Haasan..... |
| 2013 | Ethir Neechal | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Hiphop Tamizha | Making video of Ethir Neechal, appeared alongside the film's lead actors and song artists. |
| 2013 | "Chennai City Gangsta" | Tamil | Hiphop Tamizha, Hard Kaur & Country Chicken | Promotional video for film Vanakkam Chennai. |
| 2013 | "Vanakkam Chennai Mashup" | Tamil | with Papon, Vishal Dadlani, Pragathi, Andrea Jeremiah, Suchitra, Arjun, Hard Kaur, Hiphop Tamizha | Promotional Mashup video for film Vanakkam Chennai. *Remixed by Vivek Siva |
| 2016 | "Sirikkadhey" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Arjun Kanungo & Srinidhi Venkatesh | Promotional video for film Remo. |
| 2017 | "Iraiva" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Jonita Gandhi | Promotional video for film Velaikkaran. |
| 2017 | "Gaali Vaaluga" | Telugu | Anirudh Ravichander | Tribute to Pawan Kalyan; Promotional video for film Agnyaathavaasi. |
| 2018 | "Gun In Kadhal" | Tamil | Vijay Yesudas | Promotional video for Kolamaavu Kokila, appeared alongside the film's lead actress Nayanthara. |
| 2018 | "Orey Oru" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Jonita Gandhi | Lyrical video of "Orey Oru" from Kolamaavu Kokila. |
| 2018 | "Thittam Poda Theriyala" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander | Promotional video for Kolamaavu Kokila. |
| 2018 | "The Karma Theme" | Tamil Telugu | Anirudh Ravichander | Sung the song "The Karma Theme" from U Turn (2018) and appeared in the promotional video song alongside the film's lead actress Samantha. |
| 2019 | "Gang-u Leader" | Telugu | Nani, Anirudh Ravichander | Promotional video for "Gang-u Leader" song from Nani's Gang Leader (2019), appeared alongside the film's lead actor Nani. |
| 2020 | "Vaathi Coming" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Gana Balachandar | Lyrical video of "Vaathi Coming" for Master |
| 2020 | "Chellamma" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Jonita Gandhi | Lyrical video of "Chellamma" for Doctor |
| 2021 | "Rendu Kaadhal" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Shakthisree Gopalan, Aishwarya Suresh Bindra | Songs for Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal. |
| 2021 | "Two Two Two" | Tamil | Sanjana Kalmanje, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anirudh Ravichander | Songs for Kaathu Vaakula Rendu Kaadhal. |
| 2022 | "Dosti" | Telugu | M. M. Keeravani, Hemachandra | Promotional video for "Dosti", "Natpu", and "Priyam" from RRR along with Vijay Yesudas, Amit Trivedi, Hemachandra, Yazin Nizar |
| 2022 | "Arabic Kuthu" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Jonita Gandhi | Lyrical video of "Arabic Kuthu" for Beast |
| 2022 | "Jolly O Gymkhana" | Tamil | Vijay, Anirudh Ravichander | Video Song of "Jolly O Gymkhana" for Beast |
| 2022 | "Dippam Dappam" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Anthony Daasan | Lyrical video for Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal |
| 2022 | "Private Party" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Jonita Gandhi | Lyrical video of "Private Party" for Don |
| 2023 | "Chilla Chilla" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Ghibran and Vaisagh | Lyrical video of "Chilla Chilla" for Thunivu |
| 2023 | "Naa Ready" | Tamil | Vijay, Anirudh Ravichander and Asal Kolaru | Lyrical video of "Naa Ready" for Leo |
| 2023 | "Hukum" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Chorus Dialogues – Rajinikanth | Lyrical video of "Hukum" for Jailer |
| 2023 | "Adiyaathi" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Yuvan Shankar Raja | Music video of "Adiyaathi" for Paramporul |
| 2023 | "Badass" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander. | Lyrical video of "Badass" for Leo |
| 2024 | "Fear Song" | Telugu | Anirudh Ravichander | Music video of "Fear Song" for Devara |
| 2024 | "Manasilaayo" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Malaysia Vasudevan (By using AI Voice Modeling Technology) ,Yugendran Vasudevan, Deepthi Suresh | Featured and Performed in the Song for Vettaiyan |
| 2024 | "Dheema" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander | Music video of "Dheema" for Love Insurance Kompany |
| 2025 | "Sawadeeka" | Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander, Anthony Daasan | Lyrical video of "Sawadeeka" for Vidaamuyarchi |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2012 | 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | 3 | Nominated |
| 2012 | Vijay Awards | Favourite Song | 3 | Nominated |
| 2012 | Vijay Awards | Best Find of the Year | 3 | Won |
| 2012 | Vijay Awards | Best Music Director | 3 | Nominated |
| 2012 | 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | 3 | Nominated |
| 2012 | 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Sensational Music Director | 3 | Won |
| 2012 | Edison Awards | Best Music Director | 3 | Won |
| 2013 | Edison Awards | Best Music Director | Vanakkam Chennai | Won |
| 2013 | 61st Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Vanakkam Chennai | Nominated |
| 2013 | 61st Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Ethir Neechal | Nominated |
| 2013 | Vijay Awards | Favourite Song | Ethir Neechal | Nominated |
| 2013 | Vijay Awards | Best Song | Ethir Neechal | Won |
| 2013 | Vijay Awards | Best Music Director | Ethir Neechal | Nominated |
| 2013 | 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Ethir Neechal | Won |
| 2013 | 3rd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Ethir Neechal | Nominated |
| 2013 | Behindwoods Gold Medal | Best Music Director | Vanakkam Chennai, Ethirneechal | Won |
| 2014 | Edison Awards | Best Music Director | Kaththi | Won |
| 2014 | 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Kaththi | Nominated |
| 2014 | 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Maan Karate | Nominated |
| 2014 | 62nd Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Velaiyilla Pattathari | Won |
| 2014 | Vijay Awards | Best Music Director | Velaiyilla Pattathari | Won |
| 2014 | Vijay Awards | Best Background Score | Velaiyilla Pattathari | Nominated |
| 2014 | Vijay Awards | Favourite Song | Velaiyilla Pattathari | Won |
| 2014 | 4th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Velaiyilla Pattathari | Won |
| 2014 | 4th South Indian International Movie Awards | Most Streamed Song – Tamil | Kaththi | Won |
| 2014 | 1st IIFA Utsavam | Best Music Director – Tamil | Kaththi | Won |
| 2015 | 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Naanum Rowdy Dhaan | Won |
| 2015 | 5th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Naanum Rowdy Dhaan | Won |
| 2015 | Edison Awards | Best Background Score | Vedalam | Won |
| 2015 | 2nd IIFA Utsavam | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Naanum Rowdy Dhaan | Won |
| 2016 | Edison Awards | Best Music Director | Remo | Won |
| 2016 | 64th Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Remo | Nominated |
| 2016 | 64th Filmfare Awards South | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Remo | Nominated |
| 2016 | 6th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Remo | Won |
| 2016 | 6th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Remo | Nominated |
| 2017 | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Playback Singer Male | "Karuthavanlaam Galeejam" from Velaikkaran "Yaanji Yaanji" from Vikram Vedha | Won |
| 2017 | 65th Filmfare Awards South | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Yaanji Yaanji" from Vikram Vedha | Won |
| 2017 | Edison Awards | Best Music Director | Velaikaran | Won |
| 2018 | Vijay Awards | Best Male Playback Singer | "Iraivaa" from Velaikkaran | Won |
| 2019 | 8th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Kalyana Vayasu" from Kolamavu Kokila | Nominated |
| 2019 | 8th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Kolamavu Kokila | Won |
| 2020 | Zee Cine Awards Tamil | Best Music Director | Petta | Won |
| 2020 | Mirchi Music Awards South | Listeners Choice Album – Tamil | Petta | Won |
| 2020 | Mirchi Music Awards South | Viral Song of the Year – Tamil | "Marana Mass" from Petta | Won |
| 2020 | Mirchi Music Awards South | Album of the Year – Telugu | Gang Leader | Won |
| 2021 | 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director | Petta | Nominated |
| 2021 | 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Ispade Rajavum Idhaya Raniyum | Nominated |
| 2021 | 9th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director | Jersey | Nominated |
| 2021 | 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Dharala Prabhu | Nominated |
| 2021 | 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Doctor | Nominated |
| 2021 | 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Master | Nominated |
| 2021 | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Music Director | Doctor | Won |
| 2021 | Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards | Best Music Director | Master | Won |
| 2023 | 11th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Arabic Kuthu" from Beast | Nominated |
| 2023 | 11th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Vikram | Won |
| 2024 | 69th Filmfare Awards | Best Music Director | Jawan | Nominated |
| 2024 | Ishq Music Awards | Best Music Composer | Jawan | Won |
| 2024 | Ishq Music Awards | Best Romantic Hit | "Chaleya" from Jawan | Won |
| 2024 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Music Director | Jawan | Won |
| 2024 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Background Score | Jawan | Won |
| 2024 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Jailer | Nominated |
| 2024 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director – Tamil | Leo | Nominated |
| 2024 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Hukum" from Jailer | Nominated |
| 2024 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Badass" from Leo | Nominated |
| 2024 | 12th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director – Tamil | Jailer and Leo | Won |
| 2024 | 12th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | "Badass" from Leo | Nominated |

### Other honors

| Year | Award |
| 2012 | Mirchi Music Awards for Royal Stag Make It Large Award |
| 2016 | Mirchi Music Awards Tamil for the best Music composer, Song of the Year, Album of the year for Naanum Rowdy Dhaan |