Ramani Bharathwaj known professionally as Bharadwaj is an Indian music director, composer, singer-songwriter, and music producer, predominantly known for his work in Tamil cinema. He is trained in Hindustani, Western and Carnatic music and is a recipient of the Kalaimamani Award for the year 2008 from the Tamil Nadu State Government.

Early life and family

Bharadwaj was born in Ravanasamudram,

Tirunelveli Tirunelveli (, ta, திருநெல்வேலி, translit=Tirunelveli) also known as Nellai ( ta, நெல்லை, translit=Nellai) and historically (during British rule) as Tinnevelly, is a major city in the Indian state of Tam ...

District,

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

, but spent his entire childhood in Delhi. He did his schooling in

DTEA The Delhi Tamil Education Association Senior Secondary Schools are eight secondary schools located in Delhi, India. History DTEA was registered with the Madrasi Education Association (MEA) in 1919 in Shimla by a group of Tamilians working fo ...

, Mandir Marg & became a qualified Chartered Accountant. He had passion for music from the time he was a kid & pursued Carnatic music at the Faculty of Fine Arts,

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) ...

Hindustani Music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

at Shriram Bharatiya Kalakendra, New Delhi and Western Music at

Delhi School of Music The Delhi School of Music, established by the Delhi Music Society, teaches Western classical music. It is the only institution of its kind in northern India. It has around 1300 students annually, and provides musical tuitions in instrumental (p ...

with the intent of specializing in Music. When he was 17 years old, he got an opportunity to compose music for

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

and

Doordarshan Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest b ...

. The overwhelming response & support he received for his Music Compositions, made him decide to take Music Composition as his career. He decided to pause his Chartered Accountant career & relocated to

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

in 1986 to become a full-time Music Director in feature films. He is married to Jayashree Sankaran, a Doctorate PhD in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

Literature & has a daughter

Janani Bharadwaj Janani Bharadwaj is an Indian playback singer. She has sung hit songs in languages including Tamil and Telugu. She is the daughter of the famous Indian music director, Bharadwaj. She is famous for her hit songs ''Athiri Pathiri'' ( Ayya), ''In ...

who is a Software Professional & a play back singer in Feature Films.

Career

After shifting base to Chennai from Delhi, Bharadwaj went through the process of composing music for albums, short films, documentaries, TV serials, Radio and TV advertisements numbering more than 100 in each category. After an 8-year struggle, in 1994, he got a break in the Telugu feature film ''

Sogasu Chuda Taramaa? ''Sogasu Chooda Tarama!'' () is a 1995 Telugu romance film directed by Gunasekhar. The film stars Naresh, Indraja, Tanikella Bharani, Mallikarjuna Rao, and Ramana Murthy. The film won four Nandi Awards. It was not commercially successful. The ...

'' and composed all 6 songs in the film including its

background score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

. The film was a hit and won the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film. Bharadwaj composed music and background score for 6 more Telugu films before getting a break on

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

films, with Saran's ''

Kadhal Mannan ''Kaadhal Mannan(AJITH)'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Saran, which stars Ajith Kumar and Maanu. The film also saw music composer M. S. Viswanathan make his debut in a supporting role, whilst Vivek, Karan ...

'' in 1998.

, announced the arrival of Bharadwaj to

Kollywood Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

loud and strong. This film was also the first of the Ajith – Saran – Bharadwaj trio, which went on to become a legendary combination in delivering hit films along with musical chartbusters until 2009. Post ''Kadhal Mannan'', Bharadwaj was on a roll for the next several years charting out several chartbusters like "Satham Illatha Thanimai Kaeten" (''

Amarkalam ''Amarkalam'' () () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic action film written and directed by Saran and produced by V. Sudhir Kumar. The film stars Ajith Kumar and Shalini, with Raghuvaran, Raadhika and Nassar in supporting roles. ''Amar ...

''), "Avaravar Vazhkayil" (''

Pandavar Bhoomi ''Paandavar Bhoomi'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language family drama film, written and directed by Cheran. The film has Arun Vijay (credited as Arun Kumar) Shamitha and Rajkiran playing the lead roles. While Vinu Chakravarthy and Mukesh Tiw ...

''), "O Podu" ( ''Gemini''), "Apple Penney" ('' Roja Koottam''), "Unai Naan Unai Naan" (''

Jay Jay ''Jay Jay'' is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Saran. The film stars R. Madhavan, Amogha and Pooja, while Kalabhavan Mani, Charle, Dhamu and Malavika Avinash also play key supporting roles. Produced by V. ...

''), "Gnabagam Varuthey" (''

Autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

''), "Kaadu Thirandey, "Siruchi Siruchi Vanthan" ('' Vasool Raja MBBS''), "Oru Vaarthai Ketka" ( ''Ayya''), "Thaiyatha Thaiyatha" ('' Thiruttu Payale''), "Meendum Palliku Pogalam" ( ''Pallikoodam''), "Margazhiyil Kuluchiparu" ('' Onbadhu Roobai Nottu''), "Hey Dushyantha", "Totadoing" ( ''Asal''), "Azhagazhagey" ('' Kalavaadiya Pozhuthugal''). Incidentally, his 1st Tamil film ''Kaadhal Mannan'', 25th Tamil film ''

Attahasam ''Attahasam'' () () is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language action masala film written and directed by Saran featuring Ajith Kumar in dual lead roles. Pooja, Sujatha, Karunas and Ramesh Khanna play pivotal roles in the film, while the score and soundt ...

'' and 50th Tamil film ''

Aasal ''Aasal'' () () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Saran. The film stars Ajith Kumar in the lead role, who is also credited for the story, dialogues, screenplay and co-direction of the film, while Sameera Reddy an ...

'' are all with the Ajith – Saran combination.

International projects

Bharadwaj has composed music for the international animation movie ''

The Legend of Buddha ''The Legend of Buddha'' is a 2004 Indian animated film directed by Shamboo Falke, produced by Stalin Saravanan and written by Caarthick Raju and Ramesh Karthikeyan. The film tells the story of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who leaves his kingdom t ...

''. The United States dub of the movie was released by

Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...

and stars the voices of

Dwayne Tan Dwayne Tan is a Singaporean actor and singer. Biography Tan graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York.Bridgit Mendler. In 2009, he composed music for the American Short Film ''Lucky Ducks''. Bharadwaj is also the first music director to conduct a unique concert called ''The Movie Musical'' where he composed the background score for the silent movie ''

Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...

'' (made in 1928), and the same was performed live by the

Singapore Symphony Orchestra The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Singapore. Its principal concert venue is the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The orchestra also gives concerts at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and performs abou ...

, in Singapore.

Thirukkural Isai: Oru Kurall – Oru Kural

This social project, Thirukkurall Isai, Oru Kurall – Oru Kural is Thirukkurall – The Tamil Veda, in musical form. Bharadwaj has composed all the 1330 Kuralls in light music form, that includes 38 chapters of Arathupal, 70 chapters of Porutpal and 25 chapters of Inbathupal. Each song begins with an introduction by an eminent scholar followed by rendition of the Kuralls by the singers and the meaning by a Tamil academician. Each kural has been rendered by a singer chosen from across the globe. Musicians from various districts of Tamil Nadu, various states of India and countries like the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, Canada, UK, South Africa,

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

, Australia, Singapore, France,

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and more, have rendered a Kurall each. This project features the highest number of participants in a single album & is a world record. About 500 singers representing various categories of music like classical music, film/ playback, dance music and instrumental music have participated in this project. The album is one of the longest running album running for almost 13 hours – Arathu Paal (3 Hours), Purat Paal (7 Hours) and Inbathu Paal (3 Hours).

Concerts and non-film work

Bharadwaj has traveled extensively all over the world and India to perform Live Concerts & Stage Shows. He conducted a Multinational

Symphony Orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

called the Symphony of Unity and Love with musicians from 23 countries performing under his direction, at Prashanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi. He composed music and directed a cross cultural fusion programme called Panbattu Sangamam for the Department of Tourism,

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature ...

, show casing the music, dance and the traditional rural sports of Tamil Nadu. Bharadwaj has also composed thematic songs for

, and many social organizations. He composed a Theme Song for the Thamarabarani Mahapushkaram 2018 festival for the

Thamirabarani River The Thamirabarani or Tamraparni or Porunai is a perennial river that originates from the Agastyarkoodam peak of Pothigai hills of the Western Ghats, above Papanasam in the Ambasamudram taluk. It flows through Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi dis ...

. In his spare time, he gives lectures, demonstrations on Film music in various Institutions, Film Festivals and Universities. He has also been a Judge on Realty Music Shows on popular Television Channels like Jaya Tv,

Zee Tamil Zee Tamil is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel started broadcasting on 2008 and is available internationally. The channel broadcasts from Guindy, Chennai ...

Shakthi TV In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and re ...

(Sri Lanka) in addition to conducting / performing at live concerts & stage shows across the world, in countries like Singapore,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

, the

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...

, France,

Awards and international recognition

Bharadwaj was awarded the

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

twice, for his work on the films ''Gemini'' (2002) & ''Autograph'' (2004). He is also a recipient of the

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

Award for the year 2008 from the Tamil Nadu State Government. His composition "Ovvavaru Pookalume" in the Tamil film ''Autograph'' won the National Award for Best Singer and Best Lyric writer in the year 2004.The Hindu
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Bharadwaj Foundation, Bharadwaj School of Music

Bharadwaj through his non-profit foundation for Social Welfare, Bharadwaj Foundation, has built a Community Centre, Children's Park and facilitated building of 150 Toilets in his home-town, Ravanasamudram. He has also performed numerous concerts to raise funds and to create awareness for Social causes. Bharadwaj is also the Founder – Director of Bharadwaj School of Music, a school in India dedicated to teaching music.

Filmography

;Films Over his illustrious career that spans over 2 decades, Bharadwaj has composed music & background score for 75 commercial films in English,

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

spanning across Hollywood,

, Tollywood, Mollywood &

Sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus '' Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods for ...

. ;Non Film Songs ;Television *''Gopuram'' *''Irandaam Chanakyan'' *''Panam'' *''Agni Pravesam'' *''Paasam'' *''Naanayam'' *''Nimmadhi'' *''Anandham'' *''Thavam'' ;Singer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bharadwaj, Ramani Tamil film score composers People from Tirunelveli district Indian male musicians Living people Filmfare Awards South winners 1960 births Indian male film score composers