M.M. Keeravani

Oscar-winning composer Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani counts K.V. Mahadevan, M. S. Viswanathan and John Williams—along with author Stephen King—among his influences. The Indian film music director, multi-instrumentalist, singer and lyricist drew particular inspiration from King, who used the pen name Richard Bachman, when adopting his own multiple aliases. Keeravani, who is most closely associated with the Telugu film industry, is known as M.M. Keeravani there; as Maragathamani in Tamil and Malayalam cinema; and as M. M. Kreem in Bollywood. Internationally, Keeravani is best known as the composer of “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (2022). When the track won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2023—the first for an Indian film—the person he thought of was his mentor, filmmaker Ramoji Rao, in whose Telugu film Manasu Mamatha (1990) he made his debut as a music director. In an interview shortly after the ceremony, he said he had received a metaphorical “first Oscar” when his score for Ram Gopal Varma’s Kshana Kshanam (1991) became a major success. Though the Hyderabad-based multi-hyphenate was born into a film family—his father was the Telugu lyricist Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta—success was not immediate for Keeravani. He spent several years working as an assistant music director, most extensively with composer K. Chakravarthy, before receiving his break from Rao. The 1990s marked a turning point as he formed long-term collaborations with several leading directors, delivering a series of notable soundtracks. These included K. Raghavendra Rao’s Telugu films Allari Mogudu (1992), Gharana Mogudu (1992), Allari Priyudu (1993), Pelli Sandadi (1996) and Annamayya (1997), the last earning him a National Film Award; K. Balachander’s Tamil films Azhagan (1991), Vaaname Ellai (1992) and Jaathi Malli (1993); and Mahesh Bhatt’s Hindi films Criminal (1995), Zakhm (1998) and J**m (2003). Keeravani’s most enduring collaboration has been with his cousin, director and screenwriter S.S. Rajamouli. Beginning with Student No. 1 (2001), the pair have worked together on more than a dozen films, including Chatrapathi (2005), Magadheera (2009), Maryada Ramanna (2010) and Eega  2012), as well as the blockbusters Baahubali: The Beginning (2015), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) and RRR. By the mid-2020s, Keeravani’s discography comprised over 200 soundtracks across a wide range of genres. His work spans soulful melodies, rhythmic crowd-pleasers, classical compositions and contemporary styles. A skilled violin, piano, harmonium and tabla player, he initially aspired to be a singer, but shifted focus after his father encouraged him to compose regularly. One of his sons, Kaala Bhairava, has since become a popular South Indian playback singer. Keeravani was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2023.