Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, professional drummer, and

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not ap ...

who predominantly works in

Telugu films Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, H ...

and

Tamil films Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

. Thaman entered the film industry as a supporting musician with the

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode ...

film ''

Bhairava Dweepam ''Bhairava Dweepam'' () is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language high fantasy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao who co-wrote the film with Raavi Kondala Rao. It is produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy under the Chandamama Vijaya Pictures banner. ...

'' in 1994, and later became a film music composer. His debut films as music director were ''

Malli Malli ''Malli Malli'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language action-drama film directed by Raaj Adithya and starring Skanda Ashok and Kalyani in their Telugu debuts. The film is inspired by the Hollywood film '' If Only'' (2004). The film also marked ...

'' (2009) in Telugu and ''

Sindhanai Sei ''Sindhanai Sei'' () is a 2009 Indian Tamil-language heist film written and directed by R. Yuvan in his directorial debut. The film stars R. Yuvan and Madhu Sharma, with Shafi, Nitish Veera, Shashank, Bala, Tharsha, and Ajay playing suppor ...

'' (2009) in Tamil. He made his acting debut in ''

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

'' (2003). His breakout film as a music director was ''

Kick A kick is a physical Strike (attack), strike using the leg, in unison usually with an area of the knee or lower using the foot, heel, tibia (shin), ball of the foot, blade of the foot, toes or knee (the latter is also known as a knee (strike), ...

'' (2009). His notable compositions include films such as '' Eeram'' (2009), ''Brindavanam'' (2010), ''

Mirapakay ''Mirapakay'' ( Chili) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Harish Shankar. Produced by Ramesh Puppala under Yellow Flowers banner, it stars Ravi Teja, Richa Gangopadhyay, and Deeksha Seth with music scored by S. Tham ...

'' (2011), ''

Dookudu ''Dookudu'' () is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Srinu Vaitla and written by Vaitla, Kona Venkat, and Gopimohan. It is produced by Ram Achanta, Gopi Achanta, and Anil Sunkara under the banner 14 Reels Entertainmen ...

'' (2011), ''

Businessman A businessperson, businessman, or businesswoman is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial or industrial) for the ...

'' (2012), ''

Naayak ''Naayak'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by V. V. Vinayak who co-wrote the film with Akula Siva. The film was produced by DVV Danayya and presented by S. Radha Krishna under the banner Universal Media. The fi ...

'' (2013), ''Baadshah'' (2013), ''

Greeku Veerudu ''Greeku Veerudu'' () is a 2013 Telugu-language romantic comedy film produced by D. Sivaprasad Reddy on Kamakshi Movies banner, directed by Dasarath. Starring Nagarjuna Akkineni, Nayanthara and music composed by S. Thaman. It is dubbed into T ...

'' (2013), ''

Race Gurram ''Race Gurram'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Nallamalupu Srinivas under his banner Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Productions. The film stars Allu Arjun and Shruti Haasan while Shaam ...

'' (2014), ''

Aagadu ''Aagadu'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Srinu Vaitla. Written by Anil Ravipudi, Upendra Madhav and Praveen Varma, the film was jointly produced by Ram Achanta, Gopi Achanta, and Anil Sunkara under their b ...

'' (2014)'','' ''

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

'' (2015), ''

Sarrainodu ''Sarrainodu'' () is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts. The film stars Allu Arjun, Rakul Preet Singh, Catherine Tresa, Srikanth, and Aadhi Pinisetty. Br ...

'' (2016), '' Tholi Prema'' (2018),

Simmba ''Simmba'' is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Rohit Shetty from a script written by Yunus Sajawal and Sajid-Farhad. The third installment of Shetty's Cop Universe film franchise, the film was produced by Shetty and Relian ...

(2018),'' Ala Vaikuntapuramulo'' (2020), ''

Krack KRACK ("Key Reinstallation Attack") is a replay attack (a type of exploitable flaw) on the Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol that secures Wi-Fi connections. It was discovered in 2016 by the Belgian researchers Mathy Vanhoef and Frank Piessens o ...

'' (2021),

Vakeel Saab ''Vakeel Saab'' () is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action legal drama film written and directed by Venu Sriram. The film was produced by Dil Raju, Sirish and Boney Kapoor under their banners Sri Venkateswara Creations and Bayview Projects. It ...

(2021)'' ,Akhanda'' (2021), and ''

Bheemla Nayak ''Bheemla Nayak'' is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Saagar K Chandra from a screenplay by Trivikram Srinivas. It is an official remake of the 2020 Malayalam film ''Ayyappanum Koshiyum''. The film stars Pawan Ka ...

'' (2022). He won the

National Film Award for Best Music Direction The National Film Award for Best Music Direction (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals to a musician who has composed the best score for films produced within th ...

for ''Ala Vaikuntapuramulo'' and Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Telugu for ''Dookudu''.

Early life

Thaman was born as Ghantasala Sai Srinivas in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

into a

-speaking family of musicians from Pottepalem in Nellore district of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. He is the grandson of veteran director and producer Ghantasala Balaramayya. His father Ghantasala Siva Kumar was a drummer, who worked for seven hundred films, under the composer, K. Chakravarthy. His mother, Ghantasala Savitri, his sister Yamini Ghantasala, and his aunt

B. Vasantha B. Vasantha (born 29 March 1944) is a South Indian playback singer. She has received two state level awards, the Kalaimamani (Tamil Nadu) and the Ugadi Award (Andhra Pradesh). Early life B. Vasantha was born on 1944 March 29 in Machilipatnam, ...

are all playback singers. Sai Srinivas adopted the

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Thaman and suffixed it with an S, the initial of his father's name Sivakumar. Thaman studied at Don Bosco School in

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. He joined a music team consisting of

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...

and G. Anand as a rhythm pads player when he was nine years old, and discontinued studies when he lost his father at the age of 13. He was compelled to make his hobby into a profession to overcome the crisis in his family. He then joined the

Raj–Koti Thotakura Somaraju and Saluri Koteswara Rao, popularly known as Raj–Koti were Indian film music composers, singer-songwriters, record producers, musicians and multi-instrumentalists duo in Telugu cinema, In a notable career spanning a decade, ...

team and worked for three years on sixty films. He also worked with

M. M. Keeravani Koduri Marakathamani Keeravani (born 4 July 1961; credited as M. M. Keeravani) is an Indian film composer, playback singer, and lyricist, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema along with other languages including Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Ma ...

for three years on thirty films. Thaman considered Mani Sharma to be his guru and spent eight years under his tutelage while working on 94 films with him. On the whole he put in fourteen years of rhythm and keyboard programming with the veterans before branching out on his own.

Career

Thaman made his debut as a composer in through the

feature film ''

'' (2009), although the soundtrack album was released in 2008. Jeevi of ''Idlebrain'' credited Thaman's work in the film is credited as "good". The same year his second soundtrack, of the film ''

'', marked his debut in the

Tamil cinema Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywo ...

. He has also made his playback singing debut by recording "Uchimeedhu" song from the soundtrack. A critic rated the album 2 out of 5 and stated, "The music itself is rather dramatic, and sometimes strident. Almost all the songs, barring one seem to be pitched on the 6-kattai scale, which does not afford much variety in terms of listening". A Telugu version of the album was released for the film's dubbed Telugu version. Background score in the Tamil film '' Eeram'' (2009) received good reviews from the critics. Although he started composing the music of the film in 2007, the soundtrack was released in 2008 and eventually the film was released in 2009. Although Thaman got his major success with the album of the film ''

'' (2009), critics gave mixed reviews citing it as "mediocre". In the same year, he has four more soundtrack album releases–three in Telugu and one in Tamil. Composition of "Mahalakshmi" and "Dhakku Dhakku" songs from the film ''

Sankham ''Shankar'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film produced by J Bhagavan, J Pulla Rao under Sri Balaji Cine Media banner and directed by Siva and associated by Shiva Rama Krishna. Starring Gopichand, Trisha and Sathyaraj, th ...

'' were praised. In 2010, he has composed score and soundtrack album for nine films, with majority of them being Tamil. ''Brindavanam'' was the most successful composition of all. Released on 12 September 2010, the album received positive reviews. ''123Telugu'' gave a review stating "Overall the songs of Brindaavanam are fast, most of them soulful, enjoyable and a touch catering to the lovers of mass numbers. Most Telugu music directors have been going the Rahman way focusing on a fast beat while the song is slow. This album is an exception, where the songs are as fast as they can get. Thaman manages to keep everyone interested with his tunes, in spite of the pressure to cater to dance needs of Jr.NTR." In May 2017, Thaman made his Hindi debut when he was one of the six composers who featured in the soundtrack album of

Rohit Shetty Rohit Shetty (born 14 March 1974) is an Indian film director, stuntman, producer and television host who works in Hindi cinema. He is one of the most recognised film director of Hindi Cinema. His movies are often mix genres of action, comedy ...

's ''

Golmaal Again ''Golmaal Again'' () is a 2017 Indian Hindi-language supernatural comedy film written and directed by Rohit Shetty; produced by Rohit Shetty Pictures, Mangal Murti Films and Reliance Entertainment. The film is the fourth installment of '' Gol ...

'', a comedy franchise in

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

. In 2018, he composed a theme song for Rohit Shetty's successful venture ''

''. Thaman is working as a Judge for Telugu Indian Idol, which is streaming on Aha.

Personal life

Thaman is married to playback singer Sri Vardhini and they have a son. He owns a music band named Thakkali.

Filmography

Television

Discography

As composer

Original soundtracks

Music videos

As playback singer

Accolades

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

*2022: 68th National Film Awards – Best Music Direction for ''

Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo ''Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo'' () (), also known by the initialism ''AVPL'', is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. The film stars Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde, alongside Tabu, Jayaram, Susha ...

'' ;

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to apprec ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

: SIIMA Award for Best Music Director (Telugu) for ''

'' *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

: SIIMA Award for Best Male Playback Singer (Telugu) for "Sir Osthara" – ''

'' *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

: SIIMA Award for Most streaming song for "Aagadu title song" – ''

'' *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

: SIIMA Award for Best Music Director (Telugu) for ''

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

: SIIMA Award for Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada) for ''

Yuvarathnaa ''Yuvarathnaa'' () is a 2021 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written and directed by Santhosh Ananddram. produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films, it stars Puneeth Rajkumar, Sayyeshaa, Dhananjay, Prakash Raj, Digan ...

;

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

: Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Telugu for ''

'' ;Other awards *The Hyderabad Times Film Awards 2011 – Best Music Director for ''

'' *MAA Music Awards 2011 – Best Music Director for ''

'' *TSR TV9 Awards 2011 – Best Music Director for ''

''. *TSR TV9 Awards 2016 – Best Music Director for ''

'', ''

Srirastu Subhamastu ''Srirastu Subhamastu'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Parasuram and produced by Allu Aravind for Geetha Arts banner. The film features Allu Sirish and Lavanya Tripathi in the lead roles alongside Prakash Raj ...

''. *GAMA Awards 2016 – Best Love song "Nuvve Nuvve" in '' Kick 2''. *

Zee Cine Awards Telugu The Zee Cine Awards Telugu is an awards ceremony for the Telugu cinema and Telugu music. They were instituted in December 2017, under the name Zee Telugu Golden Awards to award the excellence in Telugu cinema and Telugu Music. History Zee Telu ...

– Favorite Music Director for '' Tholi Prema''. * 17th Santosham Film Awards 2019 – Best Music Director Award for ''

Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava ''Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava'' () is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Pooja Hegde and Jagapathi Babu. It revolves around Veera Raghava, a young m ...

'' (2018)''.''

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thaman, SS. Indian male playback singers Telugu film score composers Telugu playback singers Filmfare Awards South winners Living people Tamil film score composers 1983 births Indian male composers Film musicians from Andhra Pradesh 21st-century Indian composers Male film score composers 21st-century Indian male singers 21st-century Indian singers South Indian International Movie Awards winners Santosham Film Awards winners Zee Cine Awards Telugu winners Telugu Indian Idol Best Music Direction National Film Award winners