Anirudh Ravichander, often credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film composer, music producer, singer and instrumentalist who works primarily in Tamil cinema, with assignments in Telugu, Hindi and other Indian language films. He rose to prominence in 2012 with the viral track "Why This Kolaveri Di" from the Tamil film 3, which became one of the earliest Indian songs to achieve global online popularity. Since then, he has scored music for a broad range of commercially successful films and is regarded as one of the leading composers of his generation in South Indian cinema.
| Full name | Anirudh Ravichander |
|---|---|
| Born | 16 October 1990 |
| Birthplace | Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation | Film composer, singer, music producer, instrumentalist |
| Father | Ravi Raghavendra (actor) |
| Mother | Lakshmi Ravi |
| Notable relatives | Rajinikanth (uncle by marriage, through aunt Latha Rajinikanth) |
| Debut film | 3 (2012) |
| Primary industry | Tamil cinema (Kollywood) |
| Instruments | Piano, keyboard, guitar |
Anirudh was born in Chennai into a family connected to Tamil cinema. His father, Ravi Raghavendra, is a film and television actor. His mother Lakshmi is the sister of Latha Rajinikanth, making the actor Rajinikanth his uncle by marriage. He attended Padma Seshadri Bala Bhavan in Chennai and went on to study commerce at Loyola College, Chennai. He received formal training in Western classical piano through Trinity College London graded examinations and learnt Indian classical vocal music alongside it.
Before entering films, Anirudh was associated with the Chennai-based band Zinx and worked on jingles and independent music projects.
Anirudh made his debut as film composer at the age of twenty-one with Aishwarya R. Dhanush's 3 (2012), starring Dhanush and Shruti Haasan. The album's track "Why This Kolaveri Di", written and sung by Dhanush and composed by Anirudh, was released online in November 2011 and became a viral phenomenon, drawing widespread attention across India and abroad. The song's reception established Anirudh as a notable new voice in Tamil film music.
Following 3, Anirudh composed for a string of Tamil films, including:
His collaborations include extended creative associations with directors such as Lokesh Kanagaraj and actors including Rajinikanth, Vijay and Kamal Haasan.
Anirudh entered Telugu cinema with films such as Agnyaathavaasi (2018) and later composed for Telugu projects including the soundtrack of the multilingual film Jailer. He made his Hindi film debut as composer with the song "Jee Karda" from Badlapur (2015) and later scored Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan (2023), directed by Atlee, which marked his first full Bollywood album.
Anirudh has performed concerts in India and overseas, including tours of the United States, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Singapore and Malaysia. His "Once Upon a Time" world tour featured stage performances combining film hits with live band arrangements.
Anirudh's compositions are characterised by genre-blending arrangements that draw on electronic dance music, rock, hip-hop, orchestral soundscapes and Tamil folk forms. He is known for high-energy mass numbers in commercial cinema, melodic ballads, and theme scores for action films. His film themes, such as those for the Lokesh Cinematic Universe titles, are widely recognised within Tamil popular culture.
Anirudh has received Filmfare Awards South, SIIMA Awards, Vijay Awards and Edison Awards across multiple categories including Best Music Director and Best Background Score. He has also been recognised for individual songs and soundtracks in Tamil and Telugu cinema.
Anirudh is regarded as a defining figure of post-2010 Tamil film music, contributing to a shift towards electronic-influenced production, social-media-driven song promotion and cross-industry collaboration. The viral spread of "Why This Kolaveri Di" is often cited as an early example of Indian film music achieving organic global reach through digital platforms.