Who is MM Keeravani, the man who won a Golden Globe for Naatu Naatu from RRR?

SS Rajamouli's RRR is creating waves all across the world. Adding one more feather to its cap, its song, Naatu Naatu, which was picturised on Jr NTR and Ram Charan, has won the Best Original Song award at the 80th Golden Globes. The man behind the song, MM Keeravani, was understandably emotional on stage. And why wouldn't he be. After all, international recognition had finally come to him, something he had deserved for years.

Naatu Naatu song got golden globe award !
First ever Indian song to get the award!!

Congratulations 👏 @ssrajamouli @tarak9999 @AlwaysRamCharan @mmkeeravaani #NatuNatu #GoldenGlobe #RRRforOscars #RRR pic.twitter.com/73JstHw52H

— YSR (@ysathishreddy) January 11, 2023

Who is MM Keeravani? An ace music composer, MM Keeravani is

• a National Film Award winner
• the recipient of eight Filmfare awards
• 11 Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Awards, and
• a Tamil Nadu State Film Award.

Born in a Telugu family in Kovvur, West Godavri district in Andhra Pradesh, MM Keeravani is the son of Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta, a lyricist and screenwriter. He is SS Rajamouli's cousin. MM Keeravani's brother Kalyani Malik is also a music director and singer. He is also the nephew of Telugu and Bollywood film screenwriter and director KV Vijayendra Prasad.

His wife, MM Srivalli, works as a line producer in films.

The journey of MM Keeravani: MM Keeravani started as an assistant music director in 1987, with Malayalam composer C Rajamani and Telugu composer K Chakravarthy. However, his first big break as an independent music composer came in 1990, with a film called Kalki. But the movie was never released and all the songs went unnoticed.

The same year, Telugu movie director Mouli's film Manasu Mamatha released and that brought MM Keeravani to the limelight and was considered his first released movie. But fame arrived for Keeravani with Ram Gopal Varma's blockbuster movie, Kshana Kshanam (1991), which established him as a music director to take note of. All the songs of the movie were chartbusters, and Keeravani was flooded with offers from several producers and directors.

Bollywood break: Keeravani's big break with the Hindi film industry came in with Mahesh Bhatt in 1994. Bhatt, who was directing films those days, had heard Keeravani's music and wanted to work with him.

They came together for the movie Criminal (1994), and the song Tu Mile Dil Khile, sung by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik, was Keeravani's first hit Hindi song. Though Kumar Sanu and MM Keeravani had some creative differences while recording the song, the two agreed on a solution and the song was completed.

That was Keeravani's first break with Mahesh Bhatt; an association that would continue for years to come.

Then came movies like Is Raat Ki Subah Nahi, Zakhm, Jism, Saaya, Sur, Paheli and Rog. His songs in the movie Jism were all blockbusters. 

Besides Bollywood albums, Keeravani is also behind solo tunes in Hindi movies. He composed Mujhe Mein Tu Tu Hi Tu Basa for Neeraj Pandey's movie Special 26 (2013) and Main Tujhe Pyar Nahi Karta for Baby (2014).

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