Yuvan Shankar Raja
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Yuvan Shankar Raja (born 31 August 1979), is an Indian composer and playback singer. He mainly scores music for Tamil films along with few Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. Considered a versatile composer, he is particularly known for his use of Western music elements and often credited with having introduced
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
to the Tamil film and music industry and started the "era of
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
es" in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
which included mixed EDM and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
. He is frequently referred to as the "BGM King" of Tamil film music. Yuvan has won two
Filmfare Awards South The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
, five
Mirchi Music Awards South Mirchi Music Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Mirchi Music Awards, presented by Radio Mirchi to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian music industry. The awards are separately giv ...
, three
Vijay Awards The Vijay Awards are presented by the Tamil television channel STAR Vijay to honour excellence in Tamil cinema. It has been given annually since 2006, with the latest—the 10th edition—of the award-giving ceremony having been held i ...
and two
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Tamil Nadu State Film Awards were given for excellence in Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil cinema in India. They were given annually to honour the best talents and provide encouragement and incentive to the South Indian film industry by the Governmen ...
. Within a span of 25 years, Yuvan has worked on over 190 films. Being the youngest son of composer
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
, he began his musical career in 1996, at the age of 16, when he composed the film score for '' Aravindhan''. He got his breakthrough with the ''
Thulluvadho Ilamai ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language teen drama film written by Selvaraghavan, with direction credited to his father Kasthuri Raja. The film marks the acting debut of Selvaraghavan's younger brother Dhanush, who plays the ...
'' (2002) soundtrack, and established himself as one of Tamil cinema's most sought-after composers by the mid-2000s. He won the
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Tamil The Filmfare Best Music Director Award is given to film composers by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Tamil ( Kollywood) films. A. R. Rahman is the most frequent winner with seventeen wins, whi ...
in 2004 for his score in the drama ''
7G Rainbow Colony ''7G Rainbow Colony'' is a 2004 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan. The film was shot simultaneously in Tamil and Telugu; the latter titled ''7G Brindavan Colony''. It stars debutant Ravi Krishna a ...
''. In 2006, he became the only Indian composer to win the Cyprus International Film Festival Award for the soundtrack of '' Raam''. He also won the Filmfare Special Award – South in 2009 for his Telugu musical '' Oy!''. In 2015, Yuvan created his own music label,
U1 Records U1 Records is an Indian music company, founded by music composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. History Yuvan Shankar Raja launched his own music label, U1 Records, and public YouTube page in 2015. The label has associated itself with film soundtrack a ...
and in 2017, he started his own film production studio, YSR Films.


Early life

Yuvan Shankar Raja was born on 31 August 1979. He is the third and youngest child of musician and film composer
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
. He is the younger brother of music director
Karthik Raja Karthik Raja (born 29 June 1973) is an Indian composer and playback singer based in Chennai. He made his debut as a film composer in the Tamil film ''Pandiyan'' (1992) and went on to score music for many critically and commercially acclaimed f ...
and playback singer-music director
Bhavatharini Bhavatharini Raja (23 July 1976 – 25 January 2024) was an Indian playback singer and composer. She was the only daughter of noted composer Ilaiyaraaja and sister of Yuvan Shankar Raja and Karthik Raja. Starting her career in the 1990s, she mo ...
. Yuvan once confessed that his brother Karthik Raja was more talented than him, but he did not get a successful break into the music business since he did not get a "good team to work with". His father as well as his siblings have sung many songs under his direction. Film director and film composer
Gangai Amaran Gangai Amaran (born Amar Singh) is an Indian composer, playback singer, lyricist, actor, film director and a screenwriter in Tamil films. Personal life Gangai Amaran was born in Pannaipuram in Theni district, Tamil Nadu in December 1947, as ...
and R. D. Bhaskar are his uncles and their sons
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
,
Premgi Amaren Prem Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 26 February 1979), better known as Premgi or Premji () is an Indian singer, composer, songwriter, actor and comedian. The son of composer and director Gangai Amaran, he often composes rap songs in Tamil cinema an ...
and Parthi Bhaskar, who are working in the
Tamil film industry Tamil cinema is the segment of cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the nam ...
as well, are his cousins. Yuvan did his schooling at
St. Bede's Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School St. Bede's is a higher secondary school in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India, established in 1907 with the goal of providing Catholic education for children of European and Anglo-Indian descent. In 2014, the St.Bede's Academy Senior Second ...
in Chennai, and discontinued his education after his tenth class. He started learning music from Jacob Master, attending piano classes at "Musee Musical" in Chennai, which is affiliated to
Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...
in London, UK. Yuvan Shankar Raja stated that he always wanted to become a pilot and travel "all around the world", but as he grew up "with music around him", he eventually became a musician. He admires the work of his father and other composers such as S. D. Burman, R. D. Burman, M. S. Viswanathan and
Naushad Ali Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian composer for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the use of ...
and the voices of singers
Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...
,
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 ...
, P. B. Sreenivas, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, and P. Susheela.


Career


Film score and soundtracks


Early years (1997–2000)

In 1996, following his mother's suggestion to take up music as a profession, Yuvan Shankar Raja started composing tunes for an album. T. Siva, the producer of the Tamil language film '' Aravindhan'', after hearing some of the tunes, asked him to compose a
trailer music Trailer music (a subset of production music) is the background music used for film previews, which is not always from the film's soundtrack. The purpose of this music is to complement, support and integrate the sales messaging of the mini-movie th ...
score. As Siva was impressed by the music, he gave Yuvan Shankar the assignment to compose the entire film score, including a soundtrack for that film. After consulting and getting consent from his parents, he accepted the offer; his music career started. His entry into the Tamil film and music industry had happened at age 16, thus he became one of the youngest composers ever in the industry, which he says, was "purely accidental". However, both the soundtrack album as well as the film itself failed to attract audiences and do well, and Yuvan Shankar Raja's following projects '' Velai'' (1998) and '' Kalyana Galatta'' (1998) were not successful either; his compositions for these films did not receive good reviews or responses, with one reviewer labelling the music and background score in the latter as "cacophony" and "poor". The failures of his first projects meant that he was not offered any film projects and assignments subsequently. During this time of struggle, he was approached and assigned by director
Vasanth Vasanth is an Indian director well known in Tamil cinema, Tamil language films for directing films such as ''Keladi Kanmani'' (1990), ''Aasai'' (1995), ''Nerrukku Ner'' (1997), ''Rhythm (2000 film), Rhythm'' (2000) and ''Satham Podathey'' (200 ...
to compose the music for his film ''
Poovellam Kettuppar ''Poovellam Kettuppar'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy musical film written and directed by Vasanth. It stars Suriya and Jyothika. Vijayakumar, Nassar, Vadivelu and Ambika appear in supporting roles. The film was released ...
'' (1999). The soundtrack received a very positive response, being described as "fresh" and "different", with a critic from ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu ...
'' citing that his "absolutely enchanting musical score ..bears testimony to his "Raja" surname." The album became very popular, particularly songs such as "Irava Pagala" and "Chudithar Aninthu", gaining him first time notice, especially among young people and children. The album would make possible his first breakthrough in the industry and proved to be a major turning point in his career. After working for two
Sundar C Vinayagar Sundar Vel (born 21 January 1968), known professionally as Sundar C, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He has directed over 30 films and received the Kalaimamani#2009, Kalaim ...
films, ''
Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga ''Unakkaga Ellam Unakkaga'' () is a 1999 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Sundar C, starring Karthik and Rambha in the lead roles with Goundamani, Vivek, Vinu Chakravarthy, Anju among others in supporting ro ...
'' (1999) and ''
Rishi In Indian religions, a ''rishi'' ( ) is an accomplished and enlightened person. They find mention in various Vedic texts. Rishis are believed to have composed hymns of the Vedas. The Post-Vedic tradition of Hinduism regards the rishis as "gre ...
'' (2000), he got to work for A. R. Murugadoss's directorial debut in 2000, the action flick '' Dheena'', starring
Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...
, which went on to become a blockbuster and Yuvan Shankar Raja's first major successful film. Yuvan Shankar's songs were equally successful, which are considered to have played a major role in the film's great success, while his
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 ...
in the film was also well appreciated.


Rise to prominence (2001–2003)

In 2001, he had three album releases, the first being ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'', collaborating with
Selvaraghavan Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil cinema, Tamil films and few Telugu cinema, Telugu films. He had his directorial debut with ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' (2002). Still, hi ...
for the first time. The film was directed by
Kasthuri Raja Kasthuri Raja is an Indian filmmaker, lyricist and actor. He is the father of filmmaker Selvaraghavan and actor Dhanush. Most of the films he directed were either village based or infatuation of youngsters. He also worked with Director Visu on ...
, but his son Selvaraghavan wrote the script and worked with Yuvan Shankar Raja for the film's soundtrack album. The soundtrack album of ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' particularly appealed to the younger generation. The film itself, marking the debut of Selvaraghavan's brother
Dhanush Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, lyricist and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. Having starred in Dhanush filmography, 50 films over his car ...
, released one year later and became a
sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...
at the Chennai box office. This was followed by Bala's ''
Nandhaa ''Nandhaa'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has bee ...
'' (2001), for which he received rave reviews. He then gained notice by churning out "youthful music" in the college-life based ''
April Maadhathil ''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporti ...
'' (2002), the
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
films '' Kadhal Samrajyam'' (2002) (The film was never released theatrically, the soundtrack was released in 2002) and ''
Mounam Pesiyadhe ''Mounam Pesiyadhe'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film, written and directed by Ameer in his directorial debut. It stars Suriya in the lead role along with newcomers Nandha, Trisha, Neha Pendse and choreographer-turned ...
'' (2002), Ameer's directorial debut film, and the
triangular love story A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimensional ...
''
Punnagai Poove ''Punnagai Poove'' () is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film directed by Sabapathy Dekshinamurthy and written by R. N. R. Manohar, starring Nandha, newcomer Rekha Vedavyas and Kaveri. Vadivelu, Senthil and M. S. Viswanathan appear ...
'' (2002), in which he also made his on-screen debut, appearing in some scenes and one song sequence. At the same time, he made his
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
debut with ''
Seshu ''Seshu'' is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film starring Rajasekhar in the title role along with Kaveri, directed by Rajasekar's wife Jeevitha Rajasekhar in her directorial debut. It is a remake of the 1999 hit Tamil film '' Set ...
'' and '' Malli Malli Chudali'' and also composed for the Tamil films ''
Junior Senior Junior Senior was a Danish pop duo. The duo consisted of Jesper "Junior" Mortensen (vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums, percussion) (born 7 February 1979) and Jeppe "Senior" Laursen (vocals, programming) (born 25 December 1977). T ...
'' and '' Pop Carn'', starring Malayalam actors
Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam-language films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, ...
and
Mohanlal Mohanlal Viswanathan (; born 21 May 1960), known mononymously as Mohanlal, is an Indian actor and filmmaker who predominantly works in Malayalam cinema, Malayalam cinema besides also having sporadically appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Hin ...
, respectively, though all of which performed poorly at the box office. In 2003, Selvaraghavan's first independent directorial, the drama-
thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. ...
'' Kaadhal Kondein'' released, which is considered a milestone for Yuvan Shankar Raja. His work in the film, particularly his background score, was unanimously praised, leading to the release of a separate CD consisting of several film score pieces, à la "Hollywood-style", which was reportedly the first film score CD release in India. Furthermore, the film went on to become a blockbuster, cementing the film's lead artist Dhanush and Yuvan Shankar in the Tamil film and music industry. The same year, he worked in Vishnuvardhan's debut film '' Kurumbu'', which featured the first
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
song in a Tamil film. By that time, in a career spanning less than a decade, Yuvan Shankar Raja had established himself as one of the leading and most-sought after music directors in the Tamil film industry, despite having worked predominantly with newcomers and in low-budget productions.


Peak Success (2004–2007)

Yuvan Shankar's 2004 releases, ''7G Rainbow Colony'', another Selvaraghavan film, and
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
's '' Manmadhan'', were both critically and commercially successful films, featuring acclaimed as well as popular music by Yuvan Shankar Raja, which also contributed to the films' successes. His work in the former, in particular, got critically acclaimed and eventually led him to win the Best Music Direction Award at the 2004 Filmfare Awards South; receiving the award at the age of 25, he was the youngest winning music composer of the award at that time. For the next several years, he would have nine to ten releases every year on average, making him one of the most prolific film composers of India. His first of nine album releases of 2005 was ''Raam''. His score for the Ameer-directed thriller, labelled as "soul-stirring", fetched him further accolades and eventually yielded a win at the 2006 Cyprus International Film Festival for Best Musical score in a Feature Film, the first such award for an Indian composer. His successful streak continued with his following releases of that year, the low-budget films '' Arinthum Ariyamalum'', '' Kanda Naal Mudhal'' and ''
Sandakozhi ''Sandakozhi'' () is a 2005 Indian Tamil-language action drama film directed by N. Linguswamy and produced by Vikram Krishna under G K Film Corporation. The film stars Vishal, Meera Jasmine, Rajkiran, and Lal, while Raja, Suman Setty and ...
'' becoming successful ventures at the box office; Yuvan Shankar's songs, "Theepidikka", "Panithuli" and "Dhavani Potta" from the respective soundtracks enjoyed popularity and were said to have played an important role in the films's successes. After the release of the soundtrack for the
S. J. Suryah Selvaraj Justin Pandian (born 20 July 1968), known by his stage name S. J. Suryah, is an Indian actor, film director, producer, playback singer, writer and philanthropist who predominantly works in Tamil films and in few Telugu films. He sought t ...
-starring romantic comedy '' Kalvanin Kadhali'', that also enjoyed popularity after the film's release, his final album of 2005, ''
Pudhupettai ''Pudhupettai'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by Selvaraghavan starring his brother Dhanush in the lead role, while Sonia Agarwal and Sneha (actress), Sneha play supporting roles. It f ...
'', released, which saw him once again collaborating with director Selvaraghavan. The ten-track
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
album, receiving high critical acclaim, was considered Yuvan Shankar Raja's finest work till then and a "musical masterpiece". The soundtrack and score of the film featured a traditional orchestral score played by the "Chapraya Symphony" of
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...
, for the first time in a Tamil film. Critics felt that this project, in particular, proved his abilities and talent to produce innovative and experimental scores as well. The film itself, releasing only in May 2006, did average business, despite opening to outstanding reviews. He next worked on the romantic comedies ''
Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'' and ''
Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu ''Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu'' () also known by the initialism ''AIBI'', is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written, directed and photographed by S. D. Vijay Milton, in his directorial debut. It stars Bharath and Ma ...
'' and the gangster film ''Pattiyal'', which all released in early 2006. His ''Happy'' songs and score received positive reviews, with critics labelling the "youthful music" as "excellent", and the film's "main strength", while his score for ''Pattiyal'' was highly praised by critics; a ''
Sify Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology (ICT) company providing telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation integration services, and ...
'' reviewer wrote: "Yuvan Shankar Raja's music and background score is the life of the film". Furthermore, both films went on to become very successful ventures, both commercially and critically. His subsequent releases that year include Silambarasan's directorial debut ''
Vallavan ''Vallavan'' ( ''Expert''), alternatively spelled as ''Valaavaan'', is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language masala film written and directed by Silambarasan, starring himself in the lead role alongside Nayanthara and Reema Sen whilst Sandhya, Santhana ...
'' and the action entertainer ''
Thimiru ''Thimiru'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action film directed by Tarun Gopi (in his directorial debut), written by G. V. Renjith and produced by Vikram Krishna under G K Film Corporation. It stars Vishal (actor), Vishal, alo ...
''. Yuvan Shankar Raja was cited as the "real hero" of the former, which featured some of the year's most listened-to tracks such as "Loosu Penne" and "Yammadi Aathadi", while the latter film ranked amongst the year's highest-grossing films. In November 2006, the ''
Paruthiveeran ''Paruthiveeran'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic action drama film written and directed by Ameer. The film stars Karthi in his feature film debut as the title character, with Priyamani as the female lead and Ponvannan, Saravanan ...
'' soundtrack album got released, which saw the composer foraying into pure rural folk music, using traditional musical instruments. Though initially releasing to mixed reviews, with critics doubting whether the songs could attract a modern youth audience, his first attempt at rural music turned out to be a major success, following the film's outstanding run at the box office. The film, Ameer's third feature film as well as
Karthi Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), credited as Karthi, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil Cinema. He is son of veteran actor Sivakumar who began his career as an assistant director in his elder brother Suriya's film '' Aayutha Ezhuthu ...
's debut venture, received universal critical acclaim after its release in February 2007 and became a blockbuster, while particularly the song "Oororam Puliyamaram" was a chartbuster number in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
. In 2007, he had a record ten album releases in one year. The first was the soundtrack of the romantic drama film ''
Deepavali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual ...
'', following which the audios of the
sports comedy A sports film is a film genre in which any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film's plot or acts as its central theme. It is a production in which a sport or a sports-related topic is prominently featured or is a focus of the plot. De ...
film ''
Chennai 600028 ''Chennai 600028'' is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film written and directed by Venkat Prabhu in his directorial debut. It stars Jai, Shiva, Premji, Aravind Akash, Nithin Sathya and newcomers Ajay Raj, Vijay Vasanth, Prasanna, ...
'', the Telugu family entertainer ''
Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule ''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan (credited as Sri Raghava). The film stars Venkatesh and Trisha while Sriram, Kota Srinivasa Rao, K. Viswanath, and ...
'',
Vasanth Vasanth is an Indian director well known in Tamil cinema, Tamil language films for directing films such as ''Keladi Kanmani'' (1990), ''Aasai'' (1995), ''Nerrukku Ner'' (1997), ''Rhythm (2000 film), Rhythm'' (2000) and ''Satham Podathey'' (200 ...
's thriller film ''
Satham Podathey ''Satham Podathey'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film written and directed by Vasanth and produced by Shankar and Senthilnathan. It stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Padmapriya and Nithin Sathya whilst Nassar, Suhasini, ...
'' and the romantic films ''
Thottal Poo Malarum ''Thottal Poo Malarum'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic musical film written and directed by P. Vasu, starring his son Sakthi Vasu and Gowri Munjal, two newcomers. Rajkiran, Sukanya, Nassar, Vadivelu and Santhanam played suppo ...
'' and ''
Kannamoochi Yenada ''Kannamoochi Yenada?'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by V. Priya. The film stars Prithviraj Sukumaran, Sandhya, Sathyaraj and Radhika Sarathkumar, with Sripriya, Radha Ravi and Manobala in suppor ...
'' released, with the former three being well-received besides garnering positive reviews. The films ''Chennai 600028'', Venkat Prabhu's directorial debut, and ''Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule'',
Selvaraghavan Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil cinema, Tamil films and few Telugu cinema, Telugu films. He had his directorial debut with ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' (2002). Still, hi ...
's Telugu debut, in particular, were great commercial successes and became some of the year's most successful films in Tamil and Telugu, respectively. In late 2007, the film ''
Kattradhu Thamizh ''Kattradhu Thamizh'' (; previously titled is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language psychological thriller film written and directed by Ram, who directs his debut film. Produced by Salmara Mohammad Sharief, it stars Jiiva, Anjali and Karunas. The film ...
'' and its soundtrack got released. The soundtrack album, which was released as ''Tamil M. A.'', as well as the film itself, had been met with positive reviews and critical acclaim. The music was called a "musical sensation" and was noted to be a "proof" of Yuvan Shankar Raja's "composing skills". However, despite positive reviews by critics, the film failed to evoke the interest of the audience and did not enjoy much popularity. His final release of 2007 was ''
Billa Billa may refer to: Films * ''Billa'' (1980 film), 1980 Indian Tamil film starring Rajinikanth * ''Billa'' (2007 film), 2007 Indian Tamil film starring Ajith Kumar, remake of ''Billa'' (1980) ** ''Billa'' (soundtrack), soundtrack by Yuvan Shan ...
'', a remake of the 1980
Rajinikanth Shivaji Rao Gaikwad (born 12 December 1950), known professionally as Rajinikanth, is an Indian actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. In a career spanning over five decades, he has done 170 films that includes films in Tamil, Hindi, ...
-starrer of the same title. This film, remade by Vishnuvardhan, starring Ajith Kumar in the title role, also featured two remixes from the original version. The film emerged one of the top-grossers of the year, while also fetching positive reviews for Yuvan Shankar's stylish musical score.


More achievements (2008–2012)

In 2008, five films, featuring Yuvan's music were released, two of them being the Tamil and Kannada remakes of ''
Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule ''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan (credited as Sri Raghava). The film stars Venkatesh and Trisha while Sriram, Kota Srinivasa Rao, K. Viswanath, and ...
'', titled ''
Yaaradi Nee Mohini ''Yaaradi Nee Mohini'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Mithran Jawahar in his directorial debut. It is a remake of the 2007 Telugu hit Selvaraghavan's '' Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' and stars Dhanush ...
'' and ''
Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu ''Anthu Inthu Preethi Banthu'' () is a 2008 Indian Kannada-language romantic drama film directed by Veera Shankar. It stars debutante Aditya Babu and Ramya. The film is a remake of the 2007 Telugu film ''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' w ...
'', respectively, which partly featured the original score and songs. The Tamil version, in particular, was able to repeat the success of the original film, emerging as a high commercial success, while yielding Yuvan his second Filmfare nomination. The other releases that year include Seeman's ''
Vaazhthugal ''Vaazhthugal'' () is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Seeman, in his last directorial work before his entry into politics. The film stars Madhavan and Bhavana, along with Venkat Prabhu, Ilavarasu, Na. M ...
'',
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
's comedy-thriller '' Saroja'',
Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...
's action thriller ''
Aegan ''Aegan'' is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language masala film directed by Raju Sundaram and produced by Ayngaran International. The film, which is loosely based on '' Main Hoon Na'', stars Ajith Kumar and Nayanthara, alongside Suman, Nassar, Ja ...
'' and
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
's masala flick ''
Silambattam Silambam is an old Indian martial art originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silambam. Origin References ...
'', out of which, '' Saroja'' and ''
Silambattam Silambam is an old Indian martial art originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silambam. Origin References ...
'' proved to be successful at the box office, with Yuvan Shankar's score in the former and his songs in the latter garnering accolades and several awards at the 2009 Isaiyaruvi Tamil Music Awards. In 2009, nine of his soundtrack albums released. Excluding the romantic comedy ''
Siva Manasula Sakthi ''Siva Manasula Sakthi'' () also known by the initialism ''SMS'', is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant M. Rajesh. It stars Jiiva and newcomer Anuya Bhagwat in the lead roles, with Santhanam, Ur ...
'', featuring his most popular song of the year "
Oru Kal Oru Kannadi ''Oru Kal Oru Kannadi'' (; abbreviated as ''OKOK'') is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin of Red Giant Movies. The film stars Udhayanidhi, Hansika Motwani and S ...
", all other films failed at the box office. Besides "Oru Kal", the songs "Siragual" (''
Sarvam ''Sarvam'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil romantic psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film stars Arya, Trisha, J. D. Chakravarthy, Indrajith, Prathap Pothan, Ravi Kishan, and Nedumudi Venu. The film, whic ...
'') and "Aedho Saigiral" ('' Vaamanan'') also became popular. He had provided a rural score again in '' Kunguma Poovum Konjum Puravum'' and a
sarangi The sārangī is a bowed, short-necked three-stringed instrument played in traditional music from South Asia – Punjabi folk music, Rajasthani folk music, Sindhi folk music, Haryanvi folk music, Braj folk music, and Boro folk music (the ...
-based score for the urban action drama of Ameer's ''
Yogi A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297–299, 331 ...
''. His score for his Telugu romantic musical ''Oy!'' fetched him the Special Jury Award at the 2010 South Filmfare Awards. In late 2009, the
soundtrack album A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( ...
of ''
Paiyaa ''Paiyaa'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action-adventure film directed by N. Lingusamy and produced by N. Subash Chandra Bose under the banner Thirrupathi Brothers. The film stars Karthi and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead roles, while M ...
'' released, which was regarded as a "blockbuster album" and a "magnum opus", as it went on to become highly popular, much prior to the film's release, and one of Yuvan Shankar Raja's biggest successes of his career. The song " Thuli Thuli" had become the first Tamil song to be featured in the India Top 20 list for April 2010, indicating that it was the most frequently played Tamil song on all Indian FM radio stations in the history of Tamil film music. The film itself became one of the highest earners of the year, particularly supported by Yuvan's score and songs. Along with ''
Paiyaa ''Paiyaa'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language action-adventure film directed by N. Lingusamy and produced by N. Subash Chandra Bose under the banner Thirrupathi Brothers. The film stars Karthi and Tamannaah Bhatia in the lead roles, while M ...
'', songs from three more films for which he composed music that year – '' Naan Mahaan Alla'', ''
Baana Kaathadi ''Baana Kaathadi'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romance film written and directed by Badri Venkatesh. The film stars Atharvaa, Samantha and Prasanna. Featuring music scored by Yuvan Shankar Raja, cinematography by Richard M. Nathan and ed ...
'' and ''
Boss Engira Bhaskaran ''Boss Engira Bhaskaran'' () is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by M. Rajesh. The film stars Arya, Nayanthara and Santhanam, with Subbu Panchu, Chitra Lakshmanan, Rajendran, Ashvin Raja, Vijayalakshmi ...
'' – featured among the Top 10 chartbusters of the year. In early 2010, he composed his first
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
song; "Haq Se", as part of the ensemble soundtrack of the film '' Striker'', starring his close friend Siddharth, which received thoroughly positive reviews. In 2011, he teamed up with
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
again for the anthology film ''
Vaanam ''Vaanam'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by Krish. A remake of his Telugu film, '' Vedam'' (2010), it has an ensemble cast of Silambarasan TR, Bharath, Prakash Raj, Anushka Shetty, Santhanam, Soni ...
'', with the song "
Evan Di Unna Pethan "Evan Di Unna Pethan" () is a song by Indian artist and film composer Yuvan Shankar Raja. A part of the soundtrack album to the 2011 film ''Vaanam'', it was released as a single track on 1 December 2010. The song predominantly features vocals ...
" from the album, that was released as a single, gaining popularity. His next film was
Bala Bala may refer to: Films * ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary * ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film * ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy Life forms *Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...
's ''
Avan Ivan ''Avan Ivan'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language comedy drama film written and directed by Bala, who with this project attains his fifth feature film. The film stars Vishal, Arya, while G. M. Kumar, R. K., Madhu Shalini, Janani Iyer, and A ...
''; Yuvan's songs generally fetched positive reviews. He next composed a score that drew influence from several
world music "World music" is an English phrase for styles of music from non-English speaking countries, including quasi-traditional, Cross-cultural communication, intercultural, and traditional music. World music's broad nature and elasticity as a musical ...
styles for the critically acclaimed independent gangster film ''
Aaranya Kaandam ''Aaranya Kaandam'' (; English title: ''Anima and Persona'') is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language gangster film written and directed by Thiagarajan Kumararaja in his directorial debut. It is supposedly the first neo-noir film in Tamil cinema. The pl ...
'', winning high praise from critics. He went on to work in Venkat Prabhu's action thriller ''
Mankatha ''Mankatha'' (; ) is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri's Cloud Nine Movies. The film stars an ensemble cast of Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja,Trisha Krishnan, Lakshmi Ra ...
'', his biggest project till date, and Vishnuvardhan's first Telugu venture ''
Panjaa ''Panjaa'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan in his Telugu debut and produced by Arka Media Works and Sanghamitra Art Productions. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, Sarah-Jane Dias, Anjali Lavania, ...
''. His last two releases of 2011 were the soundtrack albums to the action-masala films ''
Rajapattai ''Rajapattai'' () is a 2011 Indian Tamil-language masala film co-written and directed by Suseenthiran based on a story by Seenu Vasan. The film stars Vikram and Deeksha Seth. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the film is produced b ...
'' and ''
Vettai ''Vettai'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action comedy film co-produced, written and directed by N. Linguswamy. The film stars Arya (actor), Arya and R. Madhavan in the lead roles, while Sameera Reddy, Amala Paul, Ashutosh R ...
'', both of which received mixed responses and failed to reach success. His 2012 works include ''
Billa II ''Billa 2'' is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language action film directed and co-written by Chakri toleti . It is a prequel to '' Billa'' and the film was set at the ending of late 1990s. The story focuses on how David Billa, an ordinary man from the co ...
'', starring
Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...
, Ameer's long-delayed ''
Aadhi Bhagavan ''Ameerin Aadhi-Bhagavan'' () previously known as ''Aadhi Bhagavan'', is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Ameer. Produced by DMK politician J. Anbazhagan, the film stars Ravi Mohan (credited as Jayam Ravi) in t ...
'' and Vasanth's ''
Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal ''Moondru Per Moondru Kadal'' (; ) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romance film co-edited, co-written and directed by Vasanth. It stars Arjun, Cheran, Vimal, Surveen Chawla, Muktha and Lasini. It marks Tamil debuts of Chawla and Lasini. The ...
''.


2013 to 2019

In 2013, he contributed music to nine films. Tracks from ''
Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga ''Kedi Billa Killadi Ranga'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language Political fiction, political comedy film written and directed by Pandiraj, who co-produced the film with P. Madan under their respective banners Pasanga Productions a ...
'' were generally received positively by critics. ''
Moondru Per Moondru Kadal ''Moondru Per Moondru Kadal'' (; ) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language romance film co-edited, co-written and directed by Vasanth. It stars Arjun, Cheran, Vimal, Surveen Chawla, Muktha and Lasini. It marks Tamil debuts of Chawla and Lasini. The f ...
'', directed by Vasanth. Despite the film itself receiving "mixed reviews", Yuvan Shankar Raja's soundtrack was widely acclaimed, frequently cited as "arguably his best album in 2013". Director
Vasanth Vasanth is an Indian director well known in Tamil cinema, Tamil language films for directing films such as ''Keladi Kanmani'' (1990), ''Aasai'' (1995), ''Nerrukku Ner'' (1997), ''Rhythm (2000 film), Rhythm'' (2000) and ''Satham Podathey'' (200 ...
praised it as "post-modern music" and highlighted Yuvan Shankar Raja's dedicated seven months of work on the score. His collaboration with veteran composer
M.S. Viswanathan Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan (24 June 1928 – 14 July 2015), also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. Popularly known by the sobriquet "Mellisai Mannar" (), he ...
in ''
Thillu Mullu ''Thillu Mullu'' () is a 1981 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by K. Balachander and written by Visu. A remake of the 1979 Hindi film ''Gol Maal'', it stars Rajinikanth, with Thengai Srinivasan, Nagesh, Poornam Viswanathan, Sowcar Ja ...
'' was a unique endeavor. Yuvan composed the soundtrack for
Suseenthiran Suseenthiran is an Indian film director and screenwriter in Tamil cinema. He rose to fame with his directorial debut ''Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu'' (2009). Career Suseenthiran, who originally hails from a small village called Amarapoondi in Palani ...
's romantic drama
Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer ''Aadhalal Kadhal Seiveer'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil language romantic drama film directed by Suseenthiran. It features debutant Santhosh Ramesh (Singanamala Ramesh Babu's second son) and Manisha Yadav of '' Vazhakku Enn 18/9'' fame in the lead ...
. The album garnered mixed to positive reviews, and the music supported the film's "highly positive reviews" and success. A profound highlight was his work on ''
Thanga Meenkal ''Thanga Meenkal'' (also spelt as ''Thanga Meengal''; ) is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Ram. The story was written by Ram and his daughter Shri Sankara Gomathy Ram, with the former, besides, played the lead ro ...
'', where the emotional depth of the film was significantly amplified by his score, particularly through the song "Aanandha Yaazhai," which garnered "rave reviews" and was "celebrated across Tamil Nadu".The music of ''
Arrambam ''Arrambam'' () is a 2013 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan. Produced by A. Raghuram and co-written by Subha, the film stars Ajith Kumar, Arya, Nayanthara, Taapsee and Rana Daggubati (in a cameo), with Mah ...
'', which topped various music charts and achieved strong CD sales. This year also saw him reach his 100th movie milestone with ''
Biryani Biryani () is a mixed rice dish originating in South Asia, made with rice, meat (chicken, goat, lamb, beef) or seafood (prawns or fish), and spices. To cater to vegetarians, the meat or seafood can be substituted with vegetables or pane ...
'', a collaboration with director
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
. The soundtrack was met with a "positive response". In 2014, nine movies, featuring Yuvan's music were released, two of them non-Tamil movies; the Telugu film ''
Govindudu Andarivadele ''Govindudu Andarivadele'' (), also known by the acronym ''GAV'', is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Krishna Vamsi. Produced by Bandla Ganesh for Parameswara Art Productions, the film stars Ram Charan T ...
'' and the
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
film ''
Raja Natwarlal ''Raja Natwarlal'' is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language crime film, crime thriller film directed by Kunal Deshmukh and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film features Emraan Hashmi in the title role, alongside Humaima Mal ...
'', which marked Yuvan's
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
debut. The other releases that year, which included ''
Thirudan Police ''Thirudan Police'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil language action comedy film, directed by debutant Caarthick Raju. Produced by S. P. B. Charan in collaboration with J. Selvakumar of Kenanya films, the film has Dinesh and Aishwarya Rajesh in the le ...
'', '' Anjaan'' and ''
Poojai ''Poojai'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Hari and produced by Vishal. The film stars Vishal, alongside Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Radhika Sarathkumar, Mukesh Tiwari, Awadesh Mishra and Soori. Yuvan Shan ...
'' proved to be commercially successful, whereas ''
Vanavarayan Vallavarayan ''Vanavarayan Vallavarayan'' is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Rajamohan. It stars Krishna, Monal Gajjar, Ma Ka Pa Anand and Niharika Kareer. The film is set in the backdrop of rural Coimbatore. The fil ...
'' released with positive reviews from critics. In ''
Vadacurry ''Vadacurry'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written and directed by debutant Saravana Rajan. The film stars Jai and Swathi Reddy and was produced by Dayanidhi Azhagiri's Meeka Entertainment. The film has cinematogra ...
'', he has done only one song in the album. In 2015 ''
Vai Raja Vai ''Vai Raja Vai'' ( Place It King, Place It) is a 2015 Indian Tamil language black comedy crime thriller film written and directed by Aishwarya Dhanush, and produced by AGS Entertainment featuring an ensemble cast starring Gautham Karthik, Priya ...
,'' ''
Masss ''Massu Engira Masilamani'' (; previously titled as ''Masss'') or simply known as ''Massu'' is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action horror comedy film directed by Venkat Prabhu, who co-wrote the script with Madhan Karky. It was produced by K. E ...
'' and ''
Yatchan ''Yatchan'' () is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film co written, co-produced and directed by Vishnuvardhan. The film was produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures. The film features Arya, Kreshna, Swati Reddy, and De ...
'', which were released. whereas the visuals of ''
Idam Porul Eval ''Idam Porul Yaeval'' () is an unreleased Indian Tamil language drama film directed by Seenu Ramasamy and produced by N. Lingusamy. It features Vijay Sethupathi and Vishnu Vishal alongside Aishwarya Rajesh and Nandita Swetha in the lead cast. ...
'' remain unreleased. His next film was '' Dharmadurai'', which marked the second collaboration with lyricist
Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he firs ...
and director
Seenu Ramasamy Seenu Ramasamy (born 13 October 1973) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and poet who predominantly works in Tamil cinema Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil lang ...
after ''
Idam Porul Eval ''Idam Porul Yaeval'' () is an unreleased Indian Tamil language drama film directed by Seenu Ramasamy and produced by N. Lingusamy. It features Vijay Sethupathi and Vishnu Vishal alongside Aishwarya Rajesh and Nandita Swetha in the lead cast. ...
.'' and ''
Chennai 600028 II ''Chennai 600028 II'' is a 2016 Indian Tamil-language sports comedy film co-produced, written and directed by Venkat Prabhu, who also produces the film along with S. P. B. Charan under Black Ticket Company and Capital Film Works. The film, wh ...
'', '' Nenjam Marappathillai'', ''
Yaakkai ''Yaakkai'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil romantic crime thriller film directed by Kuzhandhai Velappan, starring Krishna and Swathi Reddy in the leading roles. Featuring music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, the film was released on 3 March 2017. ...
'' and ''
Taramani Tharamani is an area in the south Indian city of Chennai. It is known for the presence of the city's first IT parks and numerous government educational and research institutions. It is located adjacent to the posh residential area of Adyar an ...
'' were the movies scored by him in 2016. In 2017, seven films, namely '' Sathriyan'', ''
Kadamban ''Kadamban'' () is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by N. Ragavan. It stars Arya and Catherine Tresa in the lead roles. The music was composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, while the art direction and action choreogra ...
'', ''
Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan ''Anbanavan Asaradhavan Adangadhavan'' (), also known as ''AAA'', is a 2017 Indian Tamil-language romantic action comedy film, directed by Adhik Ravichandran and produced by S. Michael Rayappan. The film stars Silambarasan in dual roles, alon ...
'', ''
Gowdru Hotel ''Gowdru Hotel'' is a 2017 Indian Kannada-language drama directed by Pon Kumaran starring Rachan Chandra, Vedhika and Prakash Raj. The film is a remake of the Malayalam film ''Ustad Hotel'' (2012). Cast *Rachan Chandra as Rishi *Vedhika as ...
'' (his straight Kannada debut), the Telugu film ''
Oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
'', ''
Semma Botha Aagathey ''Semma Botha Aagathey'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Badri Venkatesh, with Pon Elango as assistant director and dialogues written by G. Radhakrishnan. The film stars Atharvaa, who also produces the fil ...
'' and ''
Balloon A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...
'' released. 2018 saw the release of '' Irumbu Thirai'' which notably became his 125th project. and ''
Raja Ranguski ''Raja Ranguski'' is a 2018 Tamil-language drama film, drama thriller film written, produced and directed by Dharani Dharan. The film stars Metro Shirish and Chandini Tamilarasan, with the former playing the title role of Raja while the latter pl ...
'', ''
Peranbu ''Peranbu'' (; released internationally as ''Resurrection''), is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language drama film written and directed by Ram and produced by P. L. Thenappan under Shree Rajalakshmi Films. It stars Mammootty, and Anjali. The film's sco ...
'', ''
Pyaar Prema Kaadhal ''Pyaar Prema Kaadhal'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Elan in his directorial debut, and produced by Yuvan Shankar Raja, under the banner YSR Films, who also composed music for the film, and co-produced by ...
'', ''
Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
'', ''
Sandakozhi 2 ''Sandakozhi 2'' () is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by N. Linguswamy. A sequel to ''Sandakozhi'', the film stars Vishal in his 25th film, alongside Rajkiran, Keerthy Suresh and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar. The music ...
,'' ''
Maari 2 ''Maari 2'' is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language action comedy film written and directed by Balaji Mohan. It is a sequel to his 2015 film ''Maari''. Dhanush, besides producing the film under his company Wunderbar Films, also stars as the title char ...
''. The song "
Rowdy Baby "Rowdy Baby" is a Tamil language song composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for the soundtrack of the 2018 action comedy film ''Maari 2''. Starring Dhanush and Sai Pallavi, and sung by Dhanush alongside Dhee. The song was officially released on 28 Nov ...
" from ''Maari 2'' garnered a billion views on YouTube.
Rowdy Baby "Rowdy Baby" is a Tamil language song composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for the soundtrack of the 2018 action comedy film ''Maari 2''. Starring Dhanush and Sai Pallavi, and sung by Dhanush alongside Dhee. The song was officially released on 28 Nov ...
became the first south Indian song to have garnered 1 billion+ views on YouTube. In 2019, ''
Kanne Kalaimaane ''Kanne Kalaimaane'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by Seenu Ramasamy, and produced by Udhayanidhi Stalin of Red Giant Movies. The film stars Udhayanidhi and Tamannaah Bhatia. Filming took place betw ...
'', ''
Super Deluxe Super Deluxe was an entertainment company owned by Turner Broadcasting. Founded by Wolfgang Hammer in 2007, the company's main output was in online video, television series, and documentaries. History Turner Broadcasting System announced the l ...
'', ''
NGK is a public company established in 1936 and based in Nagoya, Japan. Formerly known as NGK Spark Plug Co. Ltd., the company’s automotive business (with its brands NGK Ignition Parts and NTK Vehicle Electronics) revolves around the manufacturin ...
'', ''
Sindhubaadh ''Sindhubaadh'' is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by S. U. Arun Kumar and produced by S. N. Rajarajan and Shan Sutharsan Vansan Movies and K Productions. The film stars Vijay Sethupathi and Anjali in the lead roles, ...
'', ''
Kazhugu 2 ''Kazhugu 2'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language comedy thriller film written and directed by Sathyasiva, starring Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as ...
'', ''
Nerkonda Paarvai ''Nerkonda Paarvai'' () is a 2019 Indian Tamil-language legal drama film directed by H. Vinoth. Produced by Boney Kapoor, it is a remake of the Hindi film ''Pink'' (2016). The film stars Ajith Kumar, Shraddha Srinath, Abhirami Venkatachalam ...
'' and ''
Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...
'' released.


2021 to present

In 2021, he had seven releases namely '' Koozhangal'', ''
Kalathil Santhippom ''Kalathil Santhippom'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil language sports action drama film written and directed by N. Rajasekar with dialogues penned by R. Ashok. The film stars Jiiva, Arulnithi, Manjima Mohan and Priya Bhavani Shankar. The film is b ...
'', ''
Chakra A chakra (; ; ) is one of the various focal points used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra, part of the inner traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the chakra arose in Hinduism. B ...
'', '' Nenjam Marappathillai'', ''
Dikkiloona ''Dikkiloona'' is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language science fiction comedy film written and directed by Karthik Yogi in his directoral debut . The film stars Santhanam in a triple role alongside, Anagha and Shirin Kanchwala, while Yogi Babu, Har ...
'', ''
Maanaadu ''Maanaadu'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language science fiction political action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Suresh Kamatchi. The film stars Silambarasan, leading an ensemble cast which includes S. J. Suryah, Kalyani ...
'' and ''
Plan Panni Pannanum ''Plan Panni Pannanum'' () is a 2021 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Badri Venkatesh, produced by Rajesh Kumar and Sinthan L from Positive Print Studios. The story is written by A. C. Karunamurthy (Karnamurthy), dialogue ...
''. Yuvan had ten album releases in 2022. He collaborated with
Pradeep Ranganathan Pradeep Ranganathan is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter who works in Tamil cinema. He is known for directing '' Comali'' (2019) and '' Love Today'' (2022), debuting as a lead actor in the latter. Career Pradeep Ranganathan studi ...
for ''Love Today'', which received a huge response from audience and positive mention from critics. ''
Viruman ''Viruman'' is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by M. Muthaiah. Produced by Suriya under 2D Entertainment, the film stars Karthi and debutante Aditi Shankar. Yuvan Shankar Raja composed the music with cinema ...
'', ''
Naane Varuvean ''Naane Varuvean'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language horror thriller film directed by Selvaraghavan and produced by Kalaipuli S. Thanu under V Creations. The film stars Dhanush in dual roles as the hero and villain, alongside Indhuja Ravichan ...
'', ''
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
'', ''
Veeramae Vaagai Soodum ''Veeramae Vaagai Soodum'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Thu Pa Saravanan and produced by Vishal (actor), Vishal and Dato Abdul Malik under the banner of Vishal Film Factory and ...
'', ''
Coffee with Kadhal ''Coffee with Kadhal'' () is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy drama film directed and written by Sundar C and produced by Khushbu, A. C. S. Arun Kumar and A. C. Shanmugam under the banner of Avni Cinemax and Benzz Media (P) Ltd. Th ...
'', ''
Agent Kannayiram ''Agent Kannayiram'' is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language comedy mystery film directed by Manoj Beedha and produced by Labyrinth Films. It is a remake of the 2019 Telugu film ''Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya''.The film stars Santhanam and Riya Suman w ...
'' and ''
Laththi ''Laththi'' (), also known as ''Laththi Charge'' ( Lathi/Baton Charge), is a 2022 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by A. Vinoth Kumar and produced by Ramana and Nandha Durairaj under Rana Productions. The film, which marks V ...
'' released in 2022. In 2023, '' Custody'' released. He composed music for Amazon web-series ''
Modern Love Chennai ''Modern Love Chennai'' is a 2023 Indian Tamil-language romantic anthology television series directed by Bharathiraja, Balaji Sakthivel, Thiagarajan Kumararaja, Raju Murugan, Krishnakumar Ramakumar and Akshay Sundher. It was produced by Tyler ...
''. In 2024, After two decades, Yuvan and Vijay have reunited for ''
The Greatest of All Time ''The Greatest of All Time'' (also marketed as ''GOAT'') is a 2024 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by AGS Entertainment. The film stars Vijay in dual roles, alongside Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, ...
'', marking their second collaboration since '' Puthiya Geethai''. The first single, "Whistle Podu," sung by Vijay, broke records with 25.5 million views in 24 hours. Yuvan later revealed that Vijay has sung one more song in the movie. The second single, "Chinna Chinna Kangal," released on Vijay's birthday, features his vocals alongside an AI-recreated version of the late Bhavatharini's voice, making it a heartfelt tribute. Later,
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
revealed, "Vijay sir personally came forward to sing Chinna Chinna Kangal to pay tribute to the memory of Bhavatharani." Subsequent tracks "Spark" and "Matta" have garnered mixed and energetic responses, respectively.


Other languages

Besides
Tamil films Tamil cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language, the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is nicknamed Kollywood, a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam, a Chenn ...
, he has also scored music for films in other
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
n languages. Around 35 of the Tamil films, for which he had composed music, were afterwards dubbed into
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
,
Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
or
Malayalam language 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 ...
s as were the respective soundtracks. Apart from these ones, he also worked "straightly" on Telugu projects such as ''
Seshu ''Seshu'' is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film starring Rajasekhar in the title role along with Kaveri, directed by Rajasekar's wife Jeevitha Rajasekhar in her directorial debut. It is a remake of the 1999 hit Tamil film '' Set ...
'', '' Malli Malli Chudali'', ''
Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...
'', '' Raam'', ''
Raju Bhai ''Raju Bhai'' is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Surya Kiran, starring Manoj Manchu and Sheela Kaur, with Kadhal Dhandapani, Tanikella Bharani and Brahmanandam in supporting roles. The film, a remake of the successful 2006 ...
'' and ''
Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule ''Aadavari Matalaku Arthale Verule'' () is a 2007 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Selvaraghavan (credited as Sri Raghava). The film stars Venkatesh and Trisha while Sriram, Kota Srinivasa Rao, K. Viswanath, ...
'' and '' Oy!'', making him well-known and popular in
Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...
also. He also worked on the soundtrack for ''
Panjaa ''Panjaa'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Vishnuvardhan in his Telugu debut and produced by Arka Media Works and Sanghamitra Art Productions. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, Sarah-Jane Dias, Anjali Lavania, ...
''. Yuvan's ''
Oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
'', was released in 2017.


Other work


Playback singing

Besides scoring, Yuvan Shankar Raja is a noted playback singer as well. As of August 2011, he has sung over 80 songs, mostly his own compositions, and several times he recorded for his father Ilaiyaraaja and his brother
Karthik Raja Karthik Raja (born 29 June 1973) is an Indian composer and playback singer based in Chennai. He made his debut as a film composer in the Tamil film ''Pandiyan'' (1992) and went on to score music for many critically and commercially acclaimed f ...
. He lent his voice first in 1988, when he was eight years old for a song in the film ''
En Bommukutty Ammavukku ''En Bommukutty Ammavuku'' () is a 1988 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Fazil, starring Sathyaraj, Suhasini, Raghuvaran, Rekha and Geetu Mohandas. It is a remake of Fazil's own Malayalam film '' Ente Mamattukkuttiyammakku'' (1983). ...
'', composed by his father. Since then, he frequently sang for his father in films such as '' Anjali'' (1990), ''Chatriyan'' (1990), ''Thalattu Ketkuthamma'' (1991), ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane (producer), David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting List of Friends episodes, ten seasons. With an ensemble cast ...
'' (2001), ''Kaathal Jaathi'' (2002), ''
Ramana Ramana may refer to: * Ramana, Pakistan, place in Pakistan * Ramana, Azerbaijan, place in Azerbaijan * Chintapalli Ramana, Indian writer in Telugu cinema * Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, Indian screenwriter in Telugu cinema * Ramana Maharshi, Indian Hi ...
'' (2003) and '' Neethane En Ponvasantham'' (2012). Under his brother's direction, he had sung in the films ''
Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar ''Naam Iruvar Namakku Iruvar'' () is a 1998 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed and co-written by Sundar C. Prabhu Deva, Meena and Maheswari played the leading roles, whilst the film featured an extensive cast, along with a bevy ...
'' (1998), ''
Ullam Kollai Poguthae ''Ullam Kollai Poguthae'' () is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by Sundar C, who wrote the screenplay as well. This film stars Prabhu Deva and Anjala Zaveri, with Karthik in an extended guest appearance. Deepa Venkat ...
'' (2001) and '' Veyilodu Vilayadu'' (2012). He had also performed a song for the film ''
Siddu +2 Siddaramaiah (born 3 August 1947), also referred to by his nickname Siddu, is an Indian politician who is serving as the 22nd chief minister of Karnataka from 20 May 2023. He also held that position previously from 2013 to 2018, being only the ...
'' (2010), composed by his friend
Dharan Dharan () is a sub-metropolitan city in Sunsari District of Koshi Province, in eastern Nepal, which was established as a fourth municipality in the Kingdom in 1958. It is the third most populous city in eastern Nepal after Biratnagar and I ...
, and had lent his voice for the
theme song Theme music is a musical composition which is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...
for the
World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 The World Classical Tamil Conference 2010 was an international gathering of scholars, poets, Politician, political leaders and celebrities with an interest in Tamil people, the Tamil language and Tamil literature. It was held in Coimbatore betwee ...
, set to tune by
A. R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinem ...
. In 2013, he sang a song for Rahman in the film '' Maryan''. However, he is better known as a singer of his own compositions. Films, featuring some of his most popular songs as a singer, include ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'', ''
April Maadhathil ''April Maadhathil'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language romantic drama film written and directed by newcomer S. S. Stanley. It stars Srikanth and Sneha, with Gayatri Jayaraman, Venkat Prabhu, Devan and Karunas among others in the supporti ...
'', ''
Pudhupettai ''Pudhupettai'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language crime action film written and directed by Selvaraghavan starring his brother Dhanush in the lead role, while Sonia Agarwal and Sneha (actress), Sneha play supporting roles. It f ...
'', ''
Pattiyal ''Pattiyal'' () is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film written and directed by Vishnuvardhan and produced by Punnagai Poo Gheetha. It stars Bharath, Arya, Pooja Umashankar, and Padmapriya Janakiraman while Cochin Haneefa and Sant ...
'', ''
Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu ''Azhagai Irukkirai Bayamai Irukkirathu'' () also known by the initialism ''AIBI'', is a 2006 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written, directed and photographed by S. D. Vijay Milton, in his directorial debut. It stars Bharath and Ma ...
'' (in which he had sung all songs), ''Deepavali'', ''Kattradhu Thamizh'', ''
Siva Manasula Sakthi ''Siva Manasula Sakthi'' () also known by the initialism ''SMS'', is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutant M. Rajesh. It stars Jiiva and newcomer Anuya Bhagwat in the lead roles, with Santhanam, Ur ...
'', ''Sarvam'', ''Paiyaa'' and ''Naan Mahaan Alla'', the latter earning him a Filmfare nomination for the Best Male Playback Singer Award.


Concerts

In January 2009, Yuvan had announced his first live performance, which was planned to be held at the
Rogers Centre Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a retractable roof stadium in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, it is home to t ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada on 25 April 2009. According to Yuvan, the show would have featured around 30 songs, sung by well-known singers and his father
Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, multi-instrumentalist, lyricist and playback singer popular for his works in Indian cinema, predominately in Tamil cinema, Tamil in addition ...
, as well as some stage dances in between, by actresses
Sana Khan Saiyad Sana Khan (born on 21 August in 1987/1988) is an Indian businesswoman and former actress. She primarily worked in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu language films before retiring from the industry in 2020. Early and personal life Sana Khan, b ...
and
Meenakshi Meenakshi (, ; also spelled as Minakshi; also known as , and ) is a Hindu goddess. She is the tutelary deity of Madurai and is considered a form of the goddess Parvati. She is the divine consort of Sundareśvarar, a form of Shiva and the si ...
. However, the concert had been postponed eventually, with Yuvan Shankar stating that he was working on novel ideas to make the show memorable and hence, postponed the concert. In October 2009, he announced that a world tour, titled "Oru Naalil", is planned with a three-hour
stage show A theatrical production is any work of theatre, such as a staged play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. Theatrical productions also extend to other performance designations such as Dramatic and Nondramatic theatre, ...
to be held in various cities all over the world. The tour began with a show on 1 December 2009 at the
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium The Sharjah Cricket Stadium () is located in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. It holds the record for being the venue that hosted the highest number of international matches, 294 matches, up to March 17, 2024. It was originally constructed ...
in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
, United Arab Emirates, featuring performances by singers such as Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, Karthik,
Harish Raghavendra Harish Raghavendra (born 7 December 1976) is an Indian singer who has worked mainly in Tamil films. He is the son of photographer P.V Raghavendran. Harish is best known for his songs like "Hey Azhagiya Theeyee" from '' Minnale'', "Nirpadhuve N ...
and
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
and professional dancers from
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
, which was expected to be followed by shows in Canada, the US and South Africa. Also, it was planned to conduct the shows in
Muscat, Oman Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...
and
Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...
, but following the Dubai concert, the tour was cancelled. In October 2010, Yuvan Shankar Raja disclosed that he had signed for his first live concert in Chennai. The event, named '' Yuvan – Live in Concert'', which was sponsored, organized and later telecasted on
STAR Vijay Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by JioStar, a joint venture between Viacom18 and Disney India. The channel telecasts programmes such as serials, reality shows & Tamil films. History T ...
, was held at the YMCA Grounds,
Nandanam Nandanam is a neighborhood in Chennai, India. It is located on the northern banks of Adyar River, on the other side of Kotturpuram, and is bound by Saidapet, T. Nagar and Teynampet. In addition to a number of institutions and companies, Nanda ...
, Chennai, on 16 January 2011. Additionally, a promotional music video, "I'll Be There for You", composed and sung by Yuvan Shankar himself, directed by Vishnuvardhan and shot by
Nirav Shah Nirav Shah (born 16 November 1974) is an Indian cinematographer. He has worked on a number of major box office hits in Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam since his debut with the 2004 Hindi film '' Paisa Vasool''. Career After having worked as an a ...
was made, while STAR Vijay aired a 3-week, 14 episode serial on Yuvan Shankar Raja as a run-up to the concert. On 16 February 2012, Techofes organized a live-in tribute concert for Yuvan Shankar Raja, where he also performed. He performed at the inaugural Kuala Lumpur International Indian Music Festival 2012 held at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 15 December 2012. A pre-launch event to promote the concert was held in
Brickfields A brickfield is an open site where bricks are made. Place names are often formed from the word. Brickfield, Brickfields, or Brickfielder may also refer to: Australia * Brickfielder, an arid wind * Brickfield Hill, an area of Sydney * Brickfields ...
, Kuala Lumpur in the first week of September, where Yuvan Shankar Raja sang a couple of songs.


Music style and influence

He has explored various genres, and experimented with new sounds. Yuvan Shankar Raja has not learnt
Indian classical music Indian classical music is the art music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is generally described using terms like ''Shastriya Sangeet'' and ''Marg Sangeet''. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as ...
, although he has used complex
swara Swara () or svara is an Indian classical music term that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, a note, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave, or ''saptanka''. More comprehensively ...
patterns and
carnatic rāga A Carnatic raga refers to ''ragas'' used in Carnatic music. It has several components: a primordial sound (''nāda''), tonal system (''swara''), pitch (''śruti''), Musical scale, scale, ornaments (''gamakam, gamaka''), and important tones. Origi ...
s in several films, including ''
Nandhaa ''Nandhaa'' is a 2001 Indian Tamil-language action drama film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has bee ...
'' and ''
Thulluvadho Ilamai ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' () is a 2002 Indian Tamil-language teen drama film written by Selvaraghavan, with direction credited to his father Kasthuri Raja. The film marks the acting debut of Selvaraghavan's younger brother Dhanush, who plays the ...
''. Critics have noted that Yuvan Shankar Raja's music has a "youthful character to it", with his compositions in particular appealing to the younger generation. Yuvan Shankar Raja started the "era of
remix A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
es"; " Aasai Nooru Vagai" from ''Kurumbu'' (2004) is considered as the first remix in a Tamil film, following which several composers began remixing Tamil film songs from the 1970s and 80s. He has experimented with the fusion of old songs with his own original compositions, mixing and incorporating parts of them into his songs, e.g., "Theepidikka" from ''Arinthum Ariyamalum'' (2005) and "Enga Area" from ''Pudhupettai'' (2005). In 2010, he and his friend and fellow actor Silambarasan released the song "Evan Di Unna Pethan" from the film ''Vaanam'' (2011) as a single, which generated the trend of releasing single tracks from film soundtracks in Tamil cinema several months prior to the actual release, although the first single in Tamil cinema had been released in 2001 already.


Frequent collaborations

Yuvan Shankar Raja has frequently collaborated with several Tamil film directors, including
Selvaraghavan Selvaraghavan is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor who has directed and acted predominantly Tamil cinema, Tamil films and few Telugu cinema, Telugu films. He had his directorial debut with ''Thulluvadho Ilamai'' (2002). Still, hi ...
,
Ameer Amir is a title of rulers or military leaders in many Muslim countries, alternatively written as ''Emir''. Amir or Ameer may also refer to: People * Amir (name), people with the given name and surname Amir or Ameer * Amir (singer) (born 1984), ...
, Vishnuvardhan,
Venkat Prabhu Venkat Kumar Gangai Amaren (born 7 November 1975), better known by his stage name Venkat Prabhu, is an Indian film director, actor and playback singer in Tamil cinema. In addition, he also worked in Telugu cinema, Telugu Cinema. After completing ...
,
Thiagarajan Kumararaja Thiagarajan Kumararaja is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He made his feature film debut with the critically acclaimed neo-noir gangster film ''Aaranya Kaandam'' (2011), which earned him the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of ...
,
Ram Ram, ram, or RAM most commonly refers to: * A male sheep * Random-access memory, computer memory * Ram Trucks, US, since 2009 ** List of vehicles named Dodge Ram, trucks and vans ** Ram Pickup, produced by Ram Trucks Ram, ram, or RAM may also ref ...
and
Lingusamy Nammalvar Lingusamy, (born 14 November 1967), is an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He made his directorial debut with ''Aanandham'' (2001). He went on to direct '' Run'' (2002), '' ...
. He has also worked with a wide range of lyricists, including Vaali,
Palani Bharathi Palani Bharathi or Pazhani Bharathi ( or ) is an Indian writer and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema. Early life Palani Bharathi was born in Karaikudi to Sami Palaniappan, a poet, and Kamala. He has a brother and four sisters. Palaniappan w ...
,
Na. Muthukumar Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was an Indian poet, lyricist, and author who predominantly worked in Tamil language film songs. He was known for his frequent collaborations with composers Yuvan Shankar Raja and G. V. Pra ...
,
Pa. Vijay Pa. Vijay is an Indian lyricist, poet, writer, director, producer and actor who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. He won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics in India for his song '' Ovvoru Pookalume'' in Cheran's ''Autograph'' (2004). C ...
,
Snehan Snehan (born Sivaselvam) is the 1st executive committee member of Makkal Needhi Maiam party. In the year 2018 he entered politics with Makkal Needhi Maiam and contested in the Lok Sabha election. In 2021 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly electi ...
,
Yugabharathi Yugabharathi is a Tamil poet and lyricist. He started his career as editor in Kanaiyazhi and turned into a lyricist in Tamil film industry. Debuting in the film ''Aanandham'' with lyrics for the song "Pallankuzhiyin vattam parthaen", he has bec ...
, and
Madhan Karky Madhan Karky Vairamuthu is an Indian lyricist, screenwriter, research associate, software engineer, and entrepreneur. A holder of a doctorate in computer science from the University of Queensland, Karky began his professional career as an as ...
. Additional collaborations include those with
Vivek Vivek (or Bibek/Bivek in some regions) is a masculine given name that is popular in South Asia, particularly in India and Nepal. It is of Sanskrit origin and means "wisdom" and/or "conscience". Vivek may refer to: People * Vivek (actor) (1961–2 ...
,
Thamarai Thamarai (born 10 November 1975) is an Indian poet and lyricist who writes in Tamil. She is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world and has worked in Tamil cinema. She made her debut in the Tamil film industry through the 1998 film '' In ...
, and Kabilan. His association with Na. Muthukumar, in particular, has resulted in a number of notable songs and is considered one of his most consistent composer–lyricist partnerships. Yuvan has composed music for several films featuring leading Tamil actors such as
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
,
Suriya Saravanan Sivakumar (born 23 July 1975), known professionally as Suriya, is an Indian actor and film producer who primarily works in Tamil films. One of the highest-paid Tamil actors, Suriya is considered as one of the finest actors of Indian ...
,
Vishal Vishal may refer to: People * Vishal (name), a common Indian given name * King Vishal, emperor of the Mahabharata era who founded the ancient city of Vishalapura * Vishal (actor) (born 1977), Indian film actor, producer and anti-piracy activi ...
,
Karthi Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), credited as Karthi, is an Indian actor who works in Tamil Cinema. He is son of veteran actor Sivakumar who began his career as an assistant director in his elder brother Suriya's film '' Aayutha Ezhuthu ...
, and
Ajith Kumar Ajith Kumar Subramaniam (born 1 May 1971) is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. To date, he has starred in over 63 films, and won four Vijay Awards, three Cinema Express Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and three Ta ...
.


Non-cinematic works


Music Albums

Aside from scoring film music and soundtracks, he also produces personal music albums from time to time. In 1999, he made the Tamil
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
album " The Blast", which contained 12 tracks, featuring vocals by
Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...
,
P. Unnikrishnan Parakkal Unnikrishnan (born 9 July 1966) is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and playback singer. Early life and background Unnikrishnan was born to K. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Harini Radhakrishnan in Palakkad, Kerala. The family home, Kesari Kuteer ...
,
Nithyashree Mahadevan Nithyasree Mahadevan (born 25 August 1973), also referred to as S. Nithyasree, is a Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas in India. She has released more tha ...
, and Yuvan. At a time when film music dominated the Indian industry, Yuvan's decision to create a standalone album was bold. Although it didn't gain mainstream success, it remains a crucial milestone in his career, reflecting his early interest in blending Western and Indian sounds.


Singles & Collaborations

In recent years, Yuvan has focused on independent singles, collaborating with a wide range of artists across genres. In 2021, he released "Top Tucker", a song composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, featuring collaborations with several artists, including
Badshah Badshah or Baadshah may refer to: * Padishah, or Badshah, a superlative sovereign title of Persian origin People * Badshah (rapper) (Aditya Prateek Singh, born 1984), Indian rapper * Badshah Begum (1703–1789), first wife and chief consort of ...
, Uchana Amit, and
Jonita Gandhi Jonita Gandhi (born October 23, 1989), credited professionally as Jonita, is a Canadian singer known for her work in the Indian film and music industries. Since 2024, she has performed as a solo pop artist by releasing her debut Independent E ...
, with lyrics penned by Badshah and
Vignesh Shivan Vignesh Shivan (born 18 September 1985) is an Indian film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor and lyricist who works in Tamil cinema, making films of various genres. Personal life Shivan studied at Santhome Higher Secondary School, ...
. The music video features
Rashmika Mandanna Rashmika Mandanna (Help:IPA/Telugu, /ɾɐɕmɪkɑ mɐn̪d̪ɑn̪ːɑ/ born 5 April 1996) is an Indian actress who primaily works in Telugu cinema, Telugu and Hindi cinema, Hindi films. Her accolades include four South Indian International Mov ...
alongside Badshah and others. The song received significant attention, garnering millions of views shortly after its release. It was praised for its catchy rhythm and the collaboration between artists from different parts of India. The same year, he ventured into spiritual music with "Tala Al Badru Alayna", featuring A. R. Ameen. In 2021, Yuvan Shankar Raja teamed up with
Arivu Arivarasu Kalainesan, more commonly known as Arivu, is an Indian rapper, singer, songwriter and composer. He is best known for his independent singles, including "", and for his work on film numbers like "Vaathi Raid" from ''Master'' (2021), ...
to release a song titled "Don't Touch Me" through his U1 Records. The song was released as an awareness track on violence against women. It features the vocals of Yuvan Shankar Raja and Yunohoo, with Arivu contributing to the lyrics. That year, "Candy" by Yuvan Shankar Raja, featuring
Dhvani Bhanushali Dhvani Bhanushali (born 22 March 1998) is an Indian pop singer and actress. Born in Mumbai, she gained popularity with her single ''Vaaste'' in 2019 which has crossed 1.7 billion views on YouTube, making her the youngest and fastest Indian ...
, was released. The Tamil version featured lyrics by
Arivu Arivarasu Kalainesan, more commonly known as Arivu, is an Indian rapper, singer, songwriter and composer. He is best known for his independent singles, including "", and for his work on film numbers like "Vaathi Raid" from ''Master'' (2021), ...
, while the Hindi version was penned by
Kunaal Vermaa Kunaal Vermaa is an Indian lyricist and poet from Sri Madhopur, Sikar district, Rajasthan, India. His debut song as a lyricist was Hasi from the movie ''Hamari Adhuri Kahani ''Hamari Adhuri Kahani'' () is a 2015 Indian Hindi-language musical ...
. The song blends traditional Indian elements like the nadaswaram with contemporary pop. In 2022, he released "Iruthalai Kolli", a track from Naatpadu Theral, with lyrics written by
Vairamuthu Vairamuthu Ramasamy (born 13 July 1953) is an Indian lyricist, poet, and novelist working in the Tamil film industry. He is a prominent figure in the Tamil literary world. A master's graduate from the Pachaiyappa's College in Chennai, he firs ...
. That same year, he released "Unna Paathale", a one-minute track. In 2024, "Money in the Bank", featuring international artists Bank Rolls Young and S Ghost, showcased his global aspirations. Another track from 2024, "She's a Killer", is unique in that Yuvan himself penned the
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
.


Featured Songs

Apart from releasing lead singles, Yuvan has also been featured in multiple independent tracks. One of the most notable collaborations was with
A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema ...
on "
Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam" (; alternately titled Tamil Meet Anthem, World Classical Tamil Conference Theme or Semmozhi) is a Tamil song composed by A. R. Rahman, penned by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and performed by ...
", Composed by A.R. Rahman for the 2010 World Classical Tamil Conference, the song featured Yuvan Shankar Raja as one of the lead singers among a diverse group of artists. He also lent his vocals to "Vandhanam" from
Karthik Raja Karthik Raja (born 29 June 1973) is an Indian composer and playback singer based in Chennai. He made his debut as a film composer in the Tamil film ''Pandiyan'' (1992) and went on to score music for many critically and commercially acclaimed f ...
’s devotional album ''Andal'', which is where Yuvan sang his very first Carnatic classical song. In 2019, he collaborated with
Dharan Kumar Dharan Kumar (born 8 October 1983) is an Indian music composer, who mainly produces film scores and soundtracks in the Tamil film industry. He made his film debut '' Parijatham'', featuring the hit single "Unnai Kandene". He credits director a ...
on "Rasaathi Nenja". In 2020, Yuvan Shankar Raja contributed to the song " Arivum Anbum" by lending his voice. This song was composed by
Ghibran Ghibran Vaibodha (born 12 August 1980) formerly known as Mohammed Ghibran, is an Indian composer. He has composed music for Indian films, advertising films and television commercial jingles in different languages. Early life M. Ghibran was b ...


Promotional Tracks

He has also composed multiple promotional singles. His 2011 track "I'll Be There for You" was created exclusively for his Yuvan – Live in Concert, with lyrics by
Na. Muthukumar Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was an Indian poet, lyricist, and author who predominantly worked in Tamil language film songs. He was known for his frequent collaborations with composers Yuvan Shankar Raja and G. V. Pra ...
, serving as an anthem for his fans. Muthukumar stated that the lyrics were meant to reflect the love and bond between Yuvan and his fans. Though it was not officially released for years, the song was widely requested by fans. In 2025, it was finally released as part of the film ''
Sweetheart! ''Sweetheart!'' is a 2025 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Swineeth S. Sukumar in his directorial debut, starring Rio Raj and Gopika Ramesh in the lead roles, alongside Renji Panicker, Redin Kingsley, Arunachal ...
''. In 2021, he composed "Vendru Va Veeraragale", a tribute song for Tamil Nadu athletes competing in the
Tokyo Olympics Tokyo Olympics may refer to: * 1940 Summer Olympics, Games of the XII Olympiad, cancelled due to World War II * 1964 Summer Olympics, Games of the XVIII Olympiad * 2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an ...
. This composition was backed by the
Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in a par ...
(SDAT) and
Government of Tamil Nadu The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...
In 2023, "High on Yuvan" was released as a promotional track for his European live tour. In 2024, Yuvan composed and sang the theme song for the Chennai Formula 4 Racing event. The song was produced for the
Tamil Nadu government The Government of Tamil Nadu () is the administrative body responsible for the governance of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Chennai is the capital of the state and houses the state executive, legislature and head of judiciary. Under the Const ...
-backed event at the
Chennai Formula Racing Circuit Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, also known as the Chennai City Circuit, is a 3.839 km (2.385mi) street circuit in Island Grounds, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It hosted the second round of the F4 Indian Championship and the Indian Racing Leag ...
, with lyrics penned by
Arunraja Kamaraj Arunraja Kamaraj is an Indian singer, lyricist, actor and director in Tamil-language films. He is known for his works as lyricist in films such as '' Jigarthanda'', '' Theri'', ''Pencil'' and '' Kabali''. He also debuted as an actor in '' Raja ...
.


Ad jingles

Yuvan composed his first jingle for the Meenakshi Labs, a division of Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre in Madurai. Speaking about this, he said, "I have done it for a good cause, for the importance given to health".


Unreleased Works

In 2008, he started working on his second album, the rights of which had been acquired by
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
. Reportedly a bilingual album, produced in both Tamil and Hindi, the album was never released. In 2010, he joined hands with former President of India
A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Kala ...
for a grand music video album titled "Song of Youth". The popular song of the same title, on which the album is based, was written by Kalam and set to tunes by Yuvan Shankar Raja, who, along with Kalam and many other celebrities from the field of sports and entertainment, was set to feature in the
video Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
as well. The album was made as a trilingual, produced in Tamil, Hindi, and English, but remains unreleased.


Discography


Filmography


As film producer


Music video


Special appearances in film


Personal life

Yuvan Shankar Raja married his girlfriend Sujaya Chandran on 21 March 2005, at the Mayor Sri Ramanathan Chettiyar Hall in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, India. Yuvan had met her in 2002 as a fan at a music cultural program in London and both fell in love later. Sujaya was a London-based singer and the daughter of Dr. C. R. Velayutham and Dr. Sarojini Chandran. They had a secret registered marriage in September 2003 in London, before the formal public wedding was held in 2005 with the consent of their parents. In August 2007, they filed for divorce with mutual consent, which was granted in February 2008, after 6 months. The reason for the divorce was cited to be "irreconcilable differences". On 1 September 2011, he married Shilpa at the
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple The Venkateswara Temple of Tirumala or Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala, Tirupati Urban Mandal in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a for ...
,
Tirupati Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...
in Andhra Pradesh. The marriage was held in a simple ceremony with only family members and close friends being present. Shilpa was revealed to be a
B.Pharm A Bachelor of Pharmacy (abbreviated BPharm or PharmB or BS Pharm) is a graduate academic degree in the field of pharmacy. In many countries, this degree is a prerequisite for registration to practice as a pharmacist. In most Western countries, ...
graduate from Australia. The
wedding reception A wedding reception is a party usually held after the completion of a marriage ceremony as hospitality for those who have attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple ''receive'' society, in the form of family and friends, for th ...
was arranged a day later in Chennai. Later they divorced. In 2014, Yuvan Shankar Raja announced that he had converted to
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
. He legally changed his name to Abdul Haliq, but continues to use his original name professionally. On 1 January 2015, he got married for the third time to Zafroon Nizar. They had a baby girl on 7 April 2016.


Awards and honours


References


Bibliography

* * *


External links

*
Yuvan Shakar Raja
on X * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raja, Yuvan Shankar * 1979 births 20th-century Indian singers 20th-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian composers 21st-century Indian singers 21st-century Indian male singers Bollywood playback singers Filmfare Awards South winners Indian male playback singers Indian Muslims Kannada film score composers Living people Loyola College, Chennai alumni Indian male film score composers Singers from Chennai Tamil film score composers Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners Tamil playback singers Telugu film score composers Telugu playback singers Converts to Islam from Hinduism Ilaiyaraaja Tamil Muslims