Amit Trivedi

Composer and singer Amit Trivedi (born 8 April 1979 in Mumbai) helped nudge Indian film music in a bold new direction, prompting it to open up to wilder rock and electronic sounds. His earliest spotlight arrived in the late ’00s as he was picked first by eccentric auteur Anurag Kashyap for the soundtrack to Dev D, then by compositional trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy—Bollywood groundbreakers in their own right—to write the lilting tune “Iktara”. Being handed carte blanche this early in his career gave Trivedi the confidence to cut loose with pumping, sitar-infused beats on “O Pardesi” and brass band-fuelled mayhem on the anti-love song “Emosanal Attyachaar”. The self-taught composer also took his free rein to give Bollywood some understated pop (Lootera in 2013) and outright bangers (Queen in 2014) as well as powerful Punjabi music (2016’s Udta Punjab). Love stories, romcoms and action-thrillers are among his credits, but Trivedi remains a non-conformist, helming music for unconventional stories such as Mission Mangal (2019)—tracking the excitement of India’s Mars satellite mission with pulse-pounding rhythms and awe-inspiring moods—and 2012’s English Vinglish, where Western pop and even country melodies bolster innovative themes. He also launched his own record label AT Azaad in 2020, pushing further into new sonic territory for his songs of devotion, love, celebration and more.