Vishal Bhardwaj

Though better known as a leading film director, Vishal Bhardwaj started his career as a music composer in Bollywood. And like his films, his music gracefully transcends the thin line between the cerebral and the commercial, embedding itself in the public consciousness for years to come. His admirable use of simple yet hummable melodies and poetic lyrics complements his finesse in composing programmatically to match the situations in the films. Born in Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh, India and son of lyricist Ram Bhardwaj, Vishal collaborated with filmmaker Gulzar on projects like The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, and Guchche. He later composed the music for the film Maachis, which won a Filmfare Award in 1996. Maachis was Bhardwaj's first big project, and it became a huge success for its unconventional, fresh, and heady music. This opened the door to additional work for Bhardwaj, who continued his melodious and exhilarating style with hit music for such films as Satya, Hu Tu Tu, and Chachi 420. The music for Godmother won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Bhardwaj later composed music for his own films, such as Makdee, Maqbool, and Omkara. ~ Bhasker Gupta