Anjali Marathe is an Indian

playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

and Hindustani

vocalist Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

. In 1995, she was awarded the

National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from films within the Cinema of India, Indian fi ...

for the song "Bhui Bhegalali Khol" from the Marathi film ''

Doghi ''Doghi'' () is a 1995 Indian Marathi film directed by filmmaker duo Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar and produced by National Film Development Corporation of India in association with Doordarshan. The film won three awards at the 43rd Nation ...

''. She has also received

Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Playback Singer Female is an honour established in 1962, and presented at the Maharashtra State Film Awards for best female playback singer in Marathi cinema. The first recipient was Asha Bhosle, who w ...

for the same.

Career

She is a

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

graduate, initially aspired to pursue medicine but discovered her passion for music during her 11th grade. She debuted as a playback singer with the song "He Jeevan Sundar Aahe" in the Marathi film '' Chaukat Raja'' (1991), composed by

Anand Modak Anand Modak (; 13 May 1951 – 23 May 2014) was an acclaimed Marathi film composer and music director in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre, known for his experimental style. His notable films include ''22 June 1897'' (1979), ''Kalat Nakalat'' ...

and written by Sudhir Moghe, alongside

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

and

Ravindra Sathe Ravindra Sathe (born 7 February 1951) is an Indian playback singer in Marathi film industry. He was the original cast and crew member of famous Marathi theatre play '' Ghashiram Kotwal''. He had been awarded Maharashtra State Film Award for ...

. In 1996, at the age of 16, Anjali won the

for her soulful renditions in the Marathi film ''

''. The citation from the Government of India praised her "melodious and heart-touching expression of the harshness of life." Directed by

Sumitra Bhave–Sunil Sukthankar Sumitra Bhave (12 January 1943 19 April 2021) and Sunil Sukthankar (born 31 May 1966) were an Indian filmmaker duo working predominantly in Marathi cinema and Marathi theatre. Bhave and Sukthankar had made seventeen feature films, more than f ...

, the film starred Renuka Daftardar and

Sonali Kulkarni Sonali Kulkarni (born 3 November 1974) is an Indian actress, producer, and writer who primarily appears in Marathi, Hindi and few Tamil films. Kulkarni is considered as one of the most accomplished and highest-paid actresses in Marathi cinema, ...

in lead roles. Anjali sang two iconic songs in the film, "Nagpanchamicha San Bai" and "Bhui Bhegalali Khol," with lyrics by Namdeo Dhondo Mahanor and music by

. She also received the

Maharashtra State Film Award Maharashtra State Film Awards, one of the prestigious awards of Marathi cinema, are awarded by the Government of Maharashtra to Marathi language films and artists. They were first awarded in 1963. The Maharashtra State Film Awards are adjudicat ...

for her performance. Anjali lent her voice to songs in Marathi films like ''Saibaba'' and ''Marmabandh''. Her rendition of "Umbarachya Banakhali" in ''Marmabandh'' earned her a nomination for the Zee Chitra Gaurav Award for Best Female Playback Singer. She also recorded "Jeevan Tyanna Kalale Ho" with her mother Anuradha and singer

, written by Balkrishna Bhagwant Borkar and composed by

Saleel Kulkarni Saleel Kulkarni (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, aliːl kulkəɾɳiː 6 October 1972) is a Marathi people, Marathi music composer, singer, author and Film director, director. Early life Saleel Kulkarni sang the Marathi Prose 'Jayostu ...

. Anjali's talents extended beyond films, as she recorded title tracks for TV serials like ''Jhoothe Sachhe Gudde Bacche'' (Hindi) and ''Olakh Sanga Na'' (Marathi). She also contributed to children's programs such as Balodyan on

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...

. Anjali has participated in numerous stage shows, including Smrutyayatra at the World Marathi Conference in Mumbai, Safarnama in

Nagpur Nagpur (; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Nāgapura'') is the second capital and third-largest city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is called the heart of India because of its central geographical location. It is the largest and most populated city i ...

(2019), and Shukratara in

(2023). In addition to her singing career, she has actively participated in public speaking, dance, drama, and street plays.

Discography

References

Living people Indian women playback singers 20th-century Indian singers Marathi people Marathi playback singers Bollywood playback singers Marathi-language singers Hindustani singers Indian women classical singers Year of birth missing (living people) Women Hindustani musicians 20th-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian women singers 21st-century Indian singers Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award winners {{India-singer-stub