Santhosh Narayanan

Narayanan at the premiere of Kadugu

Background information
Born|  (1983-05-15) 15 May 1983 (age 42)
Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres|

* Film score
* Jazz
* Indian folk
* Hip hop
* Rock
* Electronic

Occupations|

* Composer
* music producer
* arranger
* singer
* music director

Instruments| vocals, piano, flute, keyboard, trumpet
Years active| 2012–present

Musical artist

Santhosh Narayanan (born 15 May 1983) is an Indian film composer, music producer and singer, primarily active in Tamil cinema, with notable credits in Telugu and Malayalam films. Born in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, he graduated in Computer Science before working as a recording engineer and arranger under A. R. Rahman, contributing to soundtracks like Guru. Narayanan made his debut as an independent composer with the acclaimed 2012 film Attakathi, directed by Pa. Ranjith. His collaborations with directors Pa. Ranjith and Karthik Subbaraj have resulted in celebrated scores for films such as Pizza (2012), Jigarthanda (2014), Kabali (2016), Vada Chennai (2018) and Sarpatta Parambarai (2021). Known for his versatility and genre-blending approach, Narayanan remains a prominent figure in contemporary South Indian film music.

## Early life

[edit]

Santhosh Narayanan was born in Tiruchirappalli, India. He is the younger of two children. He was educated at RSK Higher Secondary School, Tiruchirappalli. Santhosh Narayanan completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science at J. J. College of Engineering and Technology, Tiruchirappalli.

After completing his education, he worked as a recording engineer, arranger and programmer, before beginning to produce independent music and compose for films.[1] He composed the music including two original songs for the Telugu short film Advaitham,[2][3] He was also part of the contemporary folk music band "La Pongal" in which he performed in a few live shows in 2009.[1]

Through Mani Ratnam, Santhosh also got to work on a couple of A. R. Rahman soundtracks starting with Guru (2007).[4]

## Career

[edit]

### 2012–2013: Debut success

[edit]

He made his debut as an independent music director in the 2012 Tamil film Attakathi directed by Pa. Ranjith. He got the opportunity through its producer C. V. Kumar who saw him working in his studio.[5] Santhosh composed a song in the Gaana genre for the film, "Aadi Pona Aavani", and gave a then-unknown Gana Bala, who had been singing gaana songs at funerals until then, the chance to sing it. Along with "Aadi Pona Aavani", a second gaana song, "Nadukadalula Kappala" was recorded for the film.[6][7] Both songs went on to become popular, making Gana Bala a star, and were said to have brought back gaana to Tamil cinema.[8] Sify wrote that the gaana songs were "one of the major highlight of the film"[9] and Behindwoods called the Attakathi album an "experimental yet fresh attempt".[10] Following Attakathi, he composed the music for the films Uyir Mozhi and Pizza, the directorial debuts of Raja and Karthik Subbaraj, respectively. All three albums, Attakathi, Uyir Mozhi and Pizza were recorded and mastered by Leon Zervos at Studios 301 in Sydney Australia;[11][12] furthermore, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra had performed for the soundtrack of Pizza,[12] which also saw Santhosh collaborating with Gana Bala again, albeit on a Blues number this time.[5] For Uyir Mozhi, some of the songs Santhosh had scored for a private album were used by the director.[13] Santhosh's work in Pizza was positively reviewed. According to Sify, Santhosh Narayanan's music was a "major plus" of the film,[14] and IBN Live described the score as "splendid".[15] The song "Mogathirai" from the soundtrack album was also listed by Indiaglitz.com in their Top songs from 2012 list.[16] Behindwoods at the end of 2012 wrote, "Santosh Narayanan brought a different sound to Tamil cinema this year. Even his gaana tracks in Attakathi were freshly produced and the soundtrack of Pizza was eclectic to say the least".[17] He also won accolades that year: the Jaya TV 2012 award for Sensational Debutant Music Director for Attakathi,[18] and the Big Tamil Melody Award for Best Debut Music director for Pizza.[19] He worked on the black comedy film Soodhu Kavvum directed by the Director Nalan Kumarasamy next. Gana Bala was given a "gana-rap" in the film,[20] "Kaasu Panam", which went on to become one of the most popular songs of the year.[21][22] His work in the film earned him the Vijay Award for Best Background Score.[23] His other releases of 2013 were Pizza 2: The Villa, a sequel to Pizza, and Billa Ranga, his first Telugu and only full-fledged Telugu project until 2023's Dasara.

### 2014–2015

[edit]

Santhosh Narayanan worked exclusively on Tamil films. He had four soundtracks released that year, the first being the album to the romantic drama Cuckoo. Cuckoo's soundtrack was highly appreciated by critics who called it an "alluring and immersive album"[24] and "the best soundtrack that composer Santhosh Narayanan has produced yet".[25] The song "Manasula Soora Kaathey" from the album reached number one position in the Tunes all India charts,[26] while Outlook named it one of South India's top songs of the year.[27] The score received equal praise with Baradwaj Rangan terming it as "great",[28] IANS as "life-affirming",[29] Rediff as "sensational"[30] and Sify as "outstanding".[31] The next release was Karthik Subbaraj's second directorial, Jigarthanda, which was promoted as a "musical gangster story".[32] While Cuckoo featured live instrumentation, Santhosh Narayanan used electronic musical instruments for the recording in Jigarthanda, who recorded almost all the songs in a studio in Sydney, Australia for nearly two months.[33] The soundtrack and score featured a melange and fusion of several genres, including Gangsta rap, folk, electro.[33] His work was well received again; while The Times of India, in its album review, wrote that "Santhosh Narayanan shows, yet again, that he is one of those composers to watch out for — both for his new sounds and tunes",[34] The Hindu's Baradwaj Rangan stated that "his flamboyant score imbues even the weaker scenes with a Tarantinoesque swagger".[35] After Jigarthanda, he worked on the action-drama film Madras. The Hindu described his score as "excellent".[36] The soundtrack to Enakkul Oruvan, the Tamil remake of the Kannada film Lucia, for which he had composed the score, was his final 2014 release. The album was also lauded by critics.[37] Behindwoods named him the "most promising among the younger composers".[38]

In 2015, he worked on 36 Vayadhinile, the Tamil remake of the Malayalam film How Old Are You.[39] Upcoming projects of Santhosh Narayanan include the next films of directors Karthik Subbaraj and Nalan Kumarasamy.[40] In 2016, he composed songs for Sudha Kongara's bilingual sports drama Irudhi Suttru(filmed simultaneously in Hindi as Saala Khadoos).[41] The Hindi adaptation film, "Saala Khadoos" however did not feature background score by Santhosh as Rajkumar Hirani, the co-producer of the film brought in composers Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga who had worked with him in 3 Idiots and PK to compose the background score. Kashmora to be directed by Gokul,[42] and Manithan were his other noted released in 2016 apart from Kabali, the biggest Tamil project so far in his career. In 2016, a music critic from The Hindu labelled Narayanan as one of the three in "the new-age musical trio of Tamil cinema" alongside Sean Roldan and Pradeep Kumar.[43]

### 2016

[edit]

The year 2016 was one of the most packed years for Santhosh Narayanan. Six releases during the year including music compositions for Iruthi Suttru, Manithan, Kadhalum Kadanthu Pogum, Iraivi, Kabali, Kaashmora, Kodi.

In 2017, he composed for the Vijay-starrer Bairavaa. Santhosh's next release was as a guest composer, in the film Meyaadha Maan, a production venture of his Karthik Subbaraj. In May 2017, Santhosh signed for Kaala, his second film for Superstar Rajinikanth. In 2018 he gave scored Karthik Subbarraj's silent thriller film Mercury and Vetrimaaran's Vada Chennai, the latter being Santhosh's 25th as a composer. In 2020 with new projects which were Kasada Thapara, Jeeva starrer Gypsy and Penguin.

### 2021

[edit]

He was involved with Dulquer Salmaan's 2021 Malayalam film Salute, before being replaced by Jakes Bejoy.[44] He also composed the soundtrack and film's score for Sarpatta Parambarai; It marked the composer's fifth consecutive film with Pa. Ranjith, since his and the director's debut film Attakathi (2012). According to Santhosh, he said that "the film is influenced by the aspects of Madras, as it is mostly about the descriptive and realistic portrayal of North Chennai, while the boxing culture during the 1970s also serve as the subplot". He worked with Maajja on independent music as Enjoy Enjami sung by Arivu, Dhee and himself which clocked 19 million views within one week of release making it the highest watched Tamil music video album and keeping now at 510 million views. Also on the music video Neeye Oli sung by rappers Shan Vincent de Paul, Navz-47 and himself. Neeye Oli also featured in Sarpatta Parambarai as the theme song. His latest releases are Anel Meley Pani Thuli, Gulu Gulu and Buffoon in Tamil, Kalki 2898 AD in Telugu and Pathonpatham Noottandu and Anweshippin Kandethum in Malayalam. Narayanan will make his Bollywood debut in Salman Khan's film Sikandar in which he will give the background score.[45]

## Discography

[edit]

### Original scores as solo composer

[edit]

Tap the Header to sort the table

Year  | Film  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|

2012 | Attakathi | Tamil | Debut
Uyir Mozhi | Tamil | Film unreleased
Pizza | Tamil |
2013 | Soodhu Kavvum | Tamil | Vijay Award for Best Background Score
Nominated—Vijay Award for Best Music Director
Nominated—South Indian International Movie Award for Best Music Director
Pizza 2: The Villa | Tamil |
2014  | Cuckoo | Tamil | Mirchi Award For Best Album of the Year
Billa Ranga | Telugu | Debut in Telugu cinema
Jigarthanda | Tamil | Vijay Award for Best Background Score
Madras | Tamil |
2015 | Enakkul Oruvan | Tamil |
36 Vayathinile | Tamil |
2016 | Iruthi Suttru
Saala Khadoos | Tamil
Hindi | Background score composed by Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga
Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum | Tamil |
Manithan | Tamil |
Iraivi | Tamil |
Kabali | Tamil |
Kodi | Tamil |
Kaashmora | Tamil |
2017 | Bairavaa | Tamil |
Guru | Telugu |
2018  | Kaala | Tamil |
Mercury | Tamil | Only one song and background score
Pariyerum Perumal | Tamil |
Vada Chennai | Tamil | 25th Film
2019  | A1 | Tamil |
Otha Seruppu Size 7 | Tamil | One song only
2020  | Gypsy | Tamil |
Penguin | Tamil |
2021  | Parris Jeyaraj | Tamil |
Karnan | Tamil |
Jagame Thanthiram | Tamil |
Vellai Yaanai | Tamil |
Sarpatta Parambarai | Tamil |
Navarasa | Tamil |
Kasada Thapara | Tamil | Guest composer for "Vaazhvome"
2022  | Mahaan | Tamil |
Kadaisi Vivasayi | Tamil |
Gulu Gulu | Tamil |
Buffoon | Tamil |
Anel Meley Pani Thuli | Tamil |
Naai Sekar Returns | Tamil |
Pathonpatham Noottandu | Malayalam | Background score only
2023  | Dasara | Telugu | Nominated—South Indian International Movie Award for Best Music Director
Best Music Director – Telugu[46][47][48]
Chithha | Tamil  | Guest composer; 1 song only
Won: Filmfare Award for Best Music Director - Tamil
Jigarthanda DoubleX | Tamil |
2024  | Saindhav | Telugu |
Yatra 2 | Telugu |
Anweshippin Kandethum | Malayalam | [49][50]
Kalki 2898 AD | Telugu | 50th Film
Andhagan | Tamil |
Vaazhai | Tamil |
Pani | Malayalam |
2025  | Sikandar | Hindi | Background score only
Retro | Tamil |
Thalaivan Thalaivii † | Tamil | [51]
Vaa Vaathiyaar † | Tamil |

### Remakes featuring existing/reused music

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|

2017  | Guru | Telugu | Remake of Iruthi Suttru and Saala Khadoos
2018  | Dhwaja | Kannada | Remake of Kodi; Reused tunes from the Tamil original

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Series  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|

2022  | Pettaikaali | Tamil  | Aha series
Faadu | Hindi  | SonyLIV series
2023  | The Night Manager | Hindi  | Title song only[citation needed]

### Additional themes only

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Language  | Notes

|
|
|

2009  | Nenu Meeku Telusa? | Telugu  | Additional background score only
2013  | Lucia | Kannada  | Additional Background Score only. Santhosh opted out after composing two themes.

### As a playback singer

[edit]

Year  | Film  | Songs  | Language  | Composer

|
|
|
|

2014 | Kappal | "Kaali Pasanga"  | Tamil | Natarajan Sankaran
Jigarthanda | "Baby", "Dhesayum Ezhundhaney" | Santhosh Narayanan
2015 | Enakkul Oruvan | "Endi Ippadi"
36 Vayathinile | "Naalu Kazhudha"
2016 | Kadhalum Kadandhu Pogum | "Ka Ka Ka Po", "Bongu Kichan"
Remo | "Daavuya" | Anirudh Ravichander
Iraivi | "Kaadhal Kappal" | Santhosh Narayanan
Kaashmora | "Dhikku Dhikku sir"
2017 | Server Sundaram | "Bro"
Meyaadha Maan | "Address song"
Vizhithiru | "Pon Vidhi" | Sathyan Mahalingam
2018 | Pariyerum Perumal | "Karuppi", "Naan Yaar" | Santhosh Narayanan
2019 | A1 | "Chittukku"
2020 | Gypsy | "Very Very Bad","Desanthiri"
Dagaalty | "Kotha Kothudhu Bodhai" | Vijay Narain
Jagame Thandhiram | "Rakita Rakita Rakita", "Aala Ola", "Naan Thaan Da Mass", "Bujji" | Santhosh Narayanan
2021 | Master | "Polakattum Para Para" | Anirudh Ravichander
Parris Jeyaraj | "Bacha Bachikey"  | Santhosh Narayanan
Karnan | "Kandaa Vara Sollunga", "Uttradheenga Yeppov"
Sarpatta Parambarai | "Neeye Oli" (Film version)
Mahaan | "Naan Naan" "Soorayattam", "Evanda Enakku Custody"
Kasada Thapara | "Vaazhvome"
Kadaisi Vivasayi | "Enniko Er Pudichane", "Bambara Boomi"
2022 | Anbarivu | "Ready Steady Go" | Hiphop Tamizha
Buffoon | "Madichu Vecha Vethala"  | Santhosh Narayanan
Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kadhal | "Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kadhal"  | Anirudh Ravichander
Gulu Gulu | "Maatna Gaali", "Inner Peace", "Amma Nah Nah"  | Santhosh Narayanan
Thiruchitrambalam | "Thenmozhi"; Best Male Playback Singer – Tamil | Anirudh Ravichander
2023  | Dasara | "Ori Vaari"  | Telugu  | Santhosh Narayanan
"Dhoom Dhaam Dhosthu", "Theekari"  | Tamil
Chithha | "Unakku Thaan"
Jigarthanda DoubleX | "Maamadura"
"Kora Meesam"  | Telugu
"Theekuchi"  | Tamil
"Oyyaram"
2024  | Lover | "Usura Uruvi"  | Sean Roldan
Raayan | "Water Packet"  | A. R. Rahman
Yezhu Kadal Yezhu Malai | "Yezhezhu Malai"  | Yuvan Shankar Raja
2025  | Retro | "Kannadi Poove", "Kanimaa", "The One"  | Santhosh Narayanan

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Band musicians turn composers in Tamil films". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 October 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
2. ^ "Metro Plus Kochi : Short takes to success". The Hindu. 26 July 2010. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
3. ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (21 January 2012). "Audio Beat: Attakathi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
4. ^ "A Virtuoso's Musical Journey Santhosh Narayanan". Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
5. ^ a b "'Atta Kathi' music composer ready with first 'unofficial album'". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
6. ^ February 2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Chennai&edname=&articleid=Ar03900&publabel=TOI "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013. `{{cite web}}`: Check `|archive-url=` value (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
7. ^ Udhav Naig (11 July 2013). "Gaga over gaana". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
8. ^ "Gana makes a comeback". The Times of India. 20 April 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
9. ^ "Movie Review : Attakathi". Sify. Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
10. ^ "Atta Kathi Music Review – Atta Kathi Music Review". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 21 August 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
11. ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar (21 January 2012). "Audio Beat: Attakathi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
12. ^ a b "'Pizza' will be a musical treat to the audience". CNN IBN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
13. ^ S. R. Ashok Kumar (September 2012). "Audio Beat: Uyirmozhi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
14. ^ "Movie Review : Pizza". Sify. Archived from the original on 22 March 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
15. ^ "'Pizza' Review: This Tamil film will keep you glued to your seat". IBNLive. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012.
16. ^ "Top songs from 2012". IndiaGlitz. 29 December 2012. Archived from the original on 31 December 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
17. ^ "15. Santosh Narayanan | Top 25 Music Directors in Tamil". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
18. ^ "Attakathi bags five awards". The Times of India. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
19. ^ Express Features (19 August 2013). "Melody awards". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
20. ^ "Gana makes a comeback". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
21. ^ "5. Kasu Panam – TOP 5 BEST SONGS OF 2013". behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
22. ^ "Top Tamil Songs of 2013". Rediff. 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
23. ^ "8th Annual Vijay Awards a grand success". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
24. ^ "Cuckoo (aka) Cuckoo songs review". behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
25. ^ "Cuckoo – Music Review (Tamil Movie Soundtrack)-Santhosh Narayanan-Yuga Bharathi-Dinesh-Malavika – Music Aloud". Music Aloud. March 2014. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
26. ^ "Santhosh Naryanan pips Anirudh and AR Rahman". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 March 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
27. ^ "2014: Southern Film Songs – Vipin Nair". outlookindia.com. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
28. ^ Baradwaj Rangan (22 March 2014). "Cuckoo: Love is blind". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
29. ^ "'Cuckoo' – Blinded By Love". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
30. ^ "Review: Cuckoo is brilliant". Rediff. 21 March 2014. Archived from the original on 24 June 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
31. ^ "Movie Review : Cuckoo". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 March 2014.
32. ^ "Will Jigarthanda bring about a change in Kollywood?". Firstpost. August 2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
33. ^ a b S. R. Ashok Kumar (15 March 2014). "Audio Beat: Jigarthanda – Fusion, folk, rap and more". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
34. ^ "Music Review: Jigarthanda". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 28 March 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
35. ^ Baradwaj Rangan (2 August 2014). "Jigarthanda: Racket science". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
36. ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir (27 September 2014). "Madras: A tale of two halves". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 28 September 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
37. ^ "'Enakkul Oruvan' Music Review Roundup: Critics Laud Santhosh Narayanan's Consistency [AUDIO]". International Business Times. 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 7 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
38. ^ "Santhosh Narayanan – 2014's show-stealer". behindwoods.com. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
39. ^ Suganth, M. "Santhosh roped in for 'How Old Are You/' remake". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
40. ^ "CV Kumar to launch three more movies". Sify. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014.
41. ^ "Madhavan gets tough". The Hindu. 27 December 2014. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
42. ^ "Santosh Narayanan for Kashmora!". Sify. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015.
43. ^ "Vaa machaney". The Hindu. 22 January 2016. Archived from the original on 17 February 2021. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
44. ^ "Santhosh Narayanan's Malayalam debut delayed as makers of Salute change the composer". 28 July 2021. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
45. ^ "Santhosh Narayanan to make his Bollywood entry with Salman Khan and AR Murugadoss's [[Sikandar (2025 film)|Sikandar]]". The Times of India. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024. `{{cite web}}`: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
46. ^ "Nani goes for a rustic look in 'Dasara', 'Shyam Singha Roy' to release in theatres this December – The Hindu". The Hindu. 16 October 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
47. ^ "Nani's 29th film is Dasara; motion poster out- Cinema express". Cinema Express. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
48. ^ "Filmfare Awards South 2024 full winners list: Nani's Dasara, Siddharth's Chithha win big". Hindustan Times. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
49. ^ "Malayalam stars unite to announce Tovino Thomas' Anveshippin Kandethum". 21 January 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
50. ^ "Composer Santosh Narayanan to make his Mollywood debut with Tovino film". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 June 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
51. ^ Desk, Online (29 June 2025). "Vijay Sethupathi–Nithya Menen's Thalaivan Thalaivii to release on this date". www.dtnext.in. Retrieved 29 June 2025. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)

## External links

[edit]

* Santhosh Narayanan at IMDb
* Santhosh Narayanan on Facebook
* Santhosh Narayanan on Twitter

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

*[†]: Film has not yet been released