Uttam Singh (born 25 May 1948) is an Indian music director and a well-known violinist. He has also worked as a music arranger, programmer and recordist for many

Bollywood 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 ...

films. He worked as a music assistant for

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

in numerous

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

films before establishing himself as an independent composer.

Music career

Childhood

Uttam Singh's father was a

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in ...

player. His family moved to

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, when Singh was 12. He learned

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

and Western violin. His family used to sing

kirtan Kirtana ( sa, कीर्तन; ), also rendered as Kirtan, is a Sanskrit word that means "narrating, reciting, telling, describing" of an idea or story, specifically in Indian religions. It also refers to a genre of religious performance arts ...

s at various

Gurudwara A gurdwara (sometimes written as gurudwara) (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ''guradu'ārā'', meaning "Door to the Guru") is a place of assembly and worship for Sikhs. Sikhs also refer to gurdwaras as ''Gurdwara Sahib''. People from all faiths ...

s and religious functions to supplement their income.

Violinist

Uttam Singh worked as violinist for three years. His big break came in 1963, when he worked as a violinist for a documentary being made by Mohammad Safi (an assistant to

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

). After this, Uttam Singh played violin for major composers including

, Roshan,

Madan Mohan Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna. Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...

C. Ramchandra Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar (12 January 1918 – 5 January 1982), also known as C. Ramchandra or Chitalkar or Anna Sahib, was an Indian music director and playback singer.Sachin Dev Burman Sachin may refer to: * Sachin (given name), an Indian given name, including a list of people with the name ** Sachin (actor) (born 1957), Indian actor and filmmaker ** Sachin Tendulkar (born 1973), Indian cricketer Films * ''Sachein'', a 2005 Tam ...

. Later, he became the main violinist for S D Burman's son,

Rahul Dev Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...

Music arranger

Singh later partnered with another musician, Jagdish, to arrange music for films. The duo became reputed arrangers, working for over 65 films in several Indian languages. These films included major

Rajshri Productions Rajshri Productions Pvt. Ltd. is a film production and distribution company based in Mumbai, India, established in 1947, which is primarily involved in producing Hindi films. The most successful films produced by the company include ''Dosti'' ( ...

hits,

Maine Pyar Kiya ''Maine Pyar Kiya'' () is a 1989 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film written and directed by Sooraj Barjatya. Produced by Rajshri Productions, the film stars Salman Khan and Bhagyashree. It marked the debuts of Barjatya and Bhagyashre ...

and Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!. He also worked with

as a music arranger in various Tamil films.

Music director

Singh and Jagdish worked as music directors ("Uttam-Jagdish") for

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

's ''

Painter Babu ''Painter Babu'' is a 1983 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Ashok V. Bhushan, starring Rajiv Goswami, Meenakshi Sheshadri and Neelima in lead roles. Cast * Rajiv Goswami *Meenakshi Sheshadri * Neelima *Rakesh Bedi Soundtrack *''Kab Tal ...

''. Later they worked for

's other film, Clerk . Together, they also worked on the Smita Patil-Raj Babbar-Raj Kiran-Amrita Singh-Amrish Puri starrer, Waaris (1988). After Jagdish died in 1992, Singh started working independently. His most notable film as a music director was

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian people, Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chop ...

Dil To Pagal Hai ''Dil To Pagal Hai'' (; ), is a 1997 Indian Hindi-language musical romance film directed by Yash Chopra. The film follows the love lives of the members of a musical troupe, in which two dancers played by Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor get ent ...

. He also composed music for many other films including Hum Tumpe Marte Hain, Dushman, Farz and

Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai ''Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai'' (English: ''Love Is Crazy'') is a 2002 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film directed by Kirti Kumar, starring Govinda and Rani Mukerji. The film served as a remake of the Tamil film ''Sollamale'' (1998). Synops ...

. He also composed music for Anil Sharma's Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) and later for The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. His songs and score for the Chandra Prakash Dwivedi's 2003 partition drama Pinjar, in which he collaborated with the Wadali Brothers, won him much critical acclaim and is considered to be his finest work as composer.

Private albums

Singh recorded his first private album ''Om Sai Ram'' in 1996. Later, he also composed music for his daughter Preeti Singh's album ''Soor'' (2002).

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Awards *

Filmfare Best Music Director Award The Filmfare Best Music Album Award is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to the best composer/arranger of a soundtrack. This category was first presented in 1954. Naushad Ali was the firs ...

– 1997 (for

) Nominations * International Indian Film Academy Award (Best Music Director) – 2002 (for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha) *

– 2002 (for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha) * ''Screen Weekly'' Award (Best Background Music) -2004 (for Pinjar) * Zee Cine Award Best Background Music – 2003 (for Pinjar) * ''Screen Weekly'' Award (Best Music Director) -2002 (for Gadar: Ek Prem Katha)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Uttam Filmfare Awards winners Hindi film score composers Indian violinists Performers of Sikh music 1948 births Living people 21st-century violinists Indian Sikhs