COMPOSERS from India

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Indian Composers of all time. This list of famous Indian Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Composers.

1. R. D. Burman (1939 - 1994)

With an HPI of 63.44, R. D. Burman is the most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 26 different languages on wikipedia.

Rahul Dev Burman (; 27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director and singer, who is considered to be one of the greatest and most successful music directors of the Hindi film music industry. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films, bringing a new level of music ensemble with his compositions. Burman did his major work with legendary singers Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi. He also worked extensively with lyricist Gulzar, with whom he has some of the most memorable numbers in his career. Nicknamed Pancham, he was the only son of the composer Sachin Dev Burman and his Bengali lyricist wife Meera Dev Burman. He was mainly active in the Hindi film industry as a composer, and also provided vocals for a few compositions. He influenced the next generation of Indian music directors, and his songs remain popular in India and overseas. Many years after his death, his songs continued to inspire new singers and composers.

2. Zakir Hussain (1951 - 2024)

With an HPI of 59.03, Zakir Hussain is the 2nd most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Ustad Zakir Hussain Qureshi (9 March 1951 – 15 December 2024) was an Indian tabla player, composer, arranger, percussionist, music producer and film actor. The eldest son of esteemed tabla player Alla Rakha, Zakir Hussain was widely regarded as the greatest tabla player of his generation and one of its finest percussionists. He produced music across multiple genres and contributed to popularizing Indian classical music to a global audience. Often prefixed by the honorific title of 'Ustad', Hussain was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. He was also given the Government of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya, in 2018. Hussain received nine Grammy Award nominations, winning four times, including three in 2024. He was described as the most recognizable exponent of the tabla by The Guardian. The New York Times marveled that the "blur of his fingers rivals the beat of a hummingbird's wings."

3. Tyagaraja (1767 - 1847)

With an HPI of 58.65, Tyagaraja is the 3rd most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam, was a composer of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed hundreds of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis (transl. "five gems"), which are often sung in programs in his honour. Tyagaraja composed Utsava Sampradaya Krithis (transl. Festive ritual compositions), which are often sung to accompany temple rituals and Divya Nama Sankeertanas (transl. Divine name compositions) which are sung as a part of concerts and in daily life. Tyagaraja lived through the reigns of four kings of the Maratha dynasty – Thuljaji (1763–1787), Amarasimha (1787–1798), Serfoji II (1798–1832) and Shivaji II (1832–1855), although he served none of them.

4. Pritam (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 51.77, Pritam is the 4th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Pritam Chakraborty (Bengali pronunciation: [pritɔm t͡ʃɔkroborti]; born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked as an ad jingle composer, sound designer & theme music composer for TV serials, and later debuted as a co-composer alongside Jeet Gannguli in the 2001 Hindi film Tere Liye. He debuted as a solo composer with the 2003 film Stumped. However, it was the soundtrack of Dhoom (2004), most notably the title track, which earned him his first big break in the industry and helped him win the Zee Cine Award for Best Track of the Year & vast acknowledgements. In a career spanning over two decades, he has composed music for more than 125 Bollywood films and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a National Film Award in 70th National Film Awards in 2022 and nine Filmfare Awards. While he initially worked only on soundtracks and had multiple early collaborations with Vishesh Films and Yash Raj Films, the romantic drama Barfi! with Anurag Basu marked his first venture as a background score composer, and he later diversified his repertoire through collaborations with Dharma Productions, T-Series Films and Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. Pritam founded JAM8 in 2016, which is an A&R music production platform. JAM8 studio, which is located in Mumbai, is one of the most advanced music production facilities and studios in India. JAM8 has also provided music in various films with its in house composers.

5. Anu Malik (b. 1960)

With an HPI of 44.69, Anu Malik is the 5th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik (born 2 November 1960) is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film industry. He is the son of Sardar Malik, 1950s to the 1970s and was noted for his melodious and classical-based compositions. As a music director, he has composed music for various genres of films, and has created several commercially successful songs for the Hindi (Bollywood) film music industry. Malik is also known for the use of the tabla in some of his songs, including "Woh Ladki Jo"," Hum Toh Deewane" from the film Baadshah, "Tumhe Jo Maine Dekha" from the film Main Hoon Na, Taal Pe Jab" and "Mere Humsafar" from the film Refugee, "Eli Re Eli" from Yaadein and "Baazigar O Baazigar" from the film Baazigar. Malik's song "Chamma Chamma" from China Gate was used in the Hollywood film Moulin Rouge! starring Nicole Kidman. Malik was a judge on Indian Idol from its first season in 2004 until 2018 when he left after "Me Too" allegation. He returned as a judge for the show's 11th season in 2019, but left after three weeks, and he was one of the judges for part of the 12th season. He also was a judge for the children's reality singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2022.

6. Bombay Jayashri (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 44.51, Bombay Jayashri is the 6th most famous Indian Composer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jayashri Ramnath ("Bombay") is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer, and musician. She has sung songs in multiple languages, including for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Hindi and English movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Trained by Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.R. Balamani, She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021. In December 2023, she was awarded the most prestigious award in the Carnatic music field, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, by the Madras Music Academy. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Oscar) for Pi's Lullaby from Life of Pi movie. She is one of the most sought-after Carnatic musicians today.

7. Anirudh Ravichander (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 43.65, Anirudh Ravichander is the 7th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Telugu and Hindi films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten SIIMA Awards, six Edison Awards and five Vijay awards. His debut song "Why This Kolaveri Di", composed for the 2012 film 3, went viral across the globe and has achieved over 450 million views on YouTube. A.R. Murugadoss signed him to compose music for Kaththi (2014) starring Vijay & Samantha which included the viral hit "Selfie Pulla". The soundtrack for the film became Anirudh's highest profile soundtrack until he was signed to compose music for Rajinikanth's Petta in 2019. In 2016, he signed a record deal with Sony Music, which publishes his independent albums and live concerts. In the same year, he featured with Diplo on the remix of Major Lazer's hit single "Cold Water". He have 799M Views

8. Yo Yo Honey Singh (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 42.16, Yo Yo Honey Singh is the 8th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Hirdesh "Honey" Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, is an Indian singer and music producer. He commenced his career as a hip-hop music producer in 2003, working as a session and recording artist within the underground music scene until the release of his debut studio album, International Villager.

9. Kailash Kher (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 38.70, Kailash Kher is the 9th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, live performer, and composer. His music infuses Indian folk and Sufi traditions with pop rock and spiritual influences. His most acclaimed songs are Teri Deewani, Saiyaan, Kaun Hain Voh, Jay Jaykara, Bam Lahiri, Yuh Hi Chala Chala, Ya Rabba, and Allah Ke Bande. In 2017, he received Padma Shri from the Government of India. He has received two Filmfare Awards for playback singing in Hindi and Telugu. Since 2014, he promotes Indian folk culture through the Kailash Kher Academy (KKALA) and a reality series, Bharat Ka Amrit Kalash, showcasing traditional music from across India.

10. Aadesh Shrivastava (1964 - 2015)

With an HPI of 37.30, Aadesh Shrivastava is the 10th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Aadesh Shrivastava (4 September 1964 – 5 September 2015) was a music composer and playback singer who worked in Indian films. Initially, he had worked as a drummer to music composers including R. D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan before working independently as a music director. Over the course of his career, he had composed music for over 100 Hindi films. Just a day after he turned 51, he died of cancer in Kokilaben Hospital.