It was in 2007 that the music of Anirudh Ravichander was available to the world. His band, Zinx, was part of a music contest judged by AR Rahman, and they emerged as joint winners along with five other bands. The band included musicians who would go on to become individual music composers in Tamil and Telugu cinema in the future. This band travelled the college culturals circuit for a while, and earned their stripes in the Tamil music space. That is why when the phenomenon of “Kolaveri Di” happened four years later in 2011. Many termed the composer as an overnight sensation, but he wasn’t considered a flash in the pan. “Kolaveri Di” and 3 was the closest a new generation of audience got to understanding the phenomenon of AR Rahman and Roja. He might have established his strong music credentials in 2012, but it wasn’t until 2014 that Anirudh truly entered into his Rockstar persona, a golden phase that has been going on for ten years and 32 films. 

Anirudh started his music journey in films by collaborating with family — Dhanush and Aishwarya Rajinikanth. If it was 3 that gave him the first break, it was the Dhanush-backed Ethir Neechal (2013), starring Sivakarthikeyan, that proved he was a force to reckon with. He entered into the romcom space with Vanakkam Chennai (2013), and did a guest song in Bejoy Nambiar’s ambitious bilingual, David (2013). And wrapped up the second year of his cinematic career with three songs in Selvaraghavan’s Irandaam Ulagam. While these showcased his talent, Anirudh had to do the music composer equivalent of a hero donning the khaki and playing an action star. He needed to go the ‘MASS’ way, and that’s when 2014 happened.

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Once again, it was Dhanush who pulled Anirudh Ravichander into the big leagues by giving him Velaiyilla Pattadhari (VIP) that was in stark contrast to their first collaboration, 3. This was an out-and-out commercial cinema that had space for not just songs, but mass theme music pieces that gets played when the hero walks in slow-motion, flips his hair, and looks at the camera with a smirk. Anirudh’s songs were still very much upmarket, but he incorporated a lot of Gaana elements. Even in Maan Karate, the “Royapuram Peter” number sounded rich, but it was a quintessential kuthu song. He even made veteran composer Deva, the King of Gaana, sing for him in the Sivakarthikeyan starrer.

The VIP theme music continues to be the ringtone of many, and the same year, he broke into the collective consciousness of a bigger audience through Vijay’s Kaththi. Once again, the songs were a huge success with numbers like Selfie Pulla and Aathi ruling the charts. But it was the theme music that started winning admiration and a lot of hearts. By now, people started recognising the sound of Anirudh, and that is a big step up for someone who had just been in the Tamil music scene for three years. 

This heady mix of gaana, guitar-heavy themes, and catchy tunes became the core of Anirudh’s music. Once again, it was one-two punch of Dhanush that elevated Anirudh to the top levels of the music chain. If Maari celebrated this heady mix like no other film before that, Dhanush’s home production, Naanum Rowdy Dhaan, headlined by Vijay Sethupathi-Nayanthara, and directed by Vignesh Shivan provided the composer with the platform to shout out to the world that his strength lies in foot-tapping gaana numbers and bopping themes, and soulful songs that had the potential to stand the test of time.

But the best part of the Anirudh Ravichander journey back then was the balance he managed to strike with the kind of films he was doing. But he was also well within the comfort zone of composing for films involving Dhanush or his friend Sivakarthikeyan. In between these assignments, he got to compose for the biggest stars in the commercial cinema space.

If it was Vijay in 2014, it was Ajith Kumar in 2015 as Vedhalam became the next big step in Anirudh’s ascension. The composer mellowed it down for Dhanush’s next, Thanga Magan, which had some lovely compositions but was overshadowed by the dismal run of the film. In many ways, Thanga Magan was the first movie since 2014 that didn’t run to packed houses. But make no mistake, the songs were gems. 

In 2016, for the first and only time, Anirudh had just one release in Sivakarthikeyan’s Remo. Once again, it was within his comfort zone, but he managed to capture the imagination of the audience who craved for romcoms in a sea of action dramas. 

Anirudh Ravichander started off 2017 with another family film, as in a movie featuring a family member, as he composed for his cousin Hrishikesh’s Rum. Interestingly, this was his last film for a ‘smaller’ star. After that, it was just bigger and bigger for Anirudh. 

It was Sivakarthikeyan (Velaikkaaran), and Ajith Kumar (Vivegam) in 2017, and he made his Telugu debut in 2018 with Pawan Kalyan’s Agnyaathavaasi. The Trivikram Srinivas film opened the doors for Anirudh’s ascension in the Telugu states. Meanwhile, 2018 also saw him collaborate with Nelson for the first time in Nayanthara’s Kolamaavu Kokila. This time, Anirudh proved that the elevation music wasn’t just for the actors, but for the story.

It was also the time when every big actor in Tamil had Anirudh Ravichander on their side to ensure their albums had the maximum reach among the young social media demographic. If Nelson’s collaboration brought out the quirky yet massy side, Vignesh Shivan’s collaboration gave him the space to go soulful and subtle. But all this while, Anirudh was just getting ready for the biggest opportunity of his career.

In 2019, Anirudh was roped in for Karthik Subbaraj’s Petta, headlined by Rajinikanth. Of course, this too was all about the family, but Rajinikanth was different. Petta became the seminal film in Anirudh’s career. Of course, the songs were a super success, but he managed to repeat the magic of Kaththi where every piece of theme music became celebrated.

It also gave him the first chance to balance a largely urban soundtrack with a slight dose of rural tunes to incorporate the Madurai leg of the film. With his Thalaivar’s approval, Anirudh had only one way to go… but interestingly, the composer took a step back to concentrate on two amazing Telugu albums with Nani’s Gang Leader and Jersey.

AR Murugadoss, who had previously worked with the likes of Yuvan Shankar Raja, Ilaiyaraaja, Harris Jayaraj, and AR Rahman, chose Anirudh for Rajinikanth’s Darbar (2020). Again, the themes were the biggest success of the film, and it is important to note that it was also the time when there were murmurs about Anirudh reducing the number of Tamil films he was involved in, because in three years, he had only composed for three films. Of course, the pandemic slowed down a lot of happenings in the world of cinema, but once again, this perceived absence from Tamil cinema was just the calm before the storm. 

It was in 2021 that Anirudh found the third trump card in his arsenal after Nelson Dilipkumar and Vignesh Shivan. Lokesh Kanagaraj roped in Anirudh for Vijay’s Master, and bam! The Anirudh Revolution received the biggest shot in its arm. It coincided with the rise and rise of Vijay, and Master became the first major film to hit theatres since the lockdown was lifted. The film’s success also meant the music’s success, and vice versa. It was exactly from this film that Anirudh’s name became synonymous with blockbuster success. Of course, there were huge hits before this film, but Master was different.

It was a time when social media was a different beast altogether, and with Master, Anirudh proved he knew how to tame it, and make it dance to his tunes. His next Nelson film Doctor, headlined by Sivakarthikeyan, made his hold over Tamil cinema’s musical consciousness all the more tighter. It was Anirudh’s way of saying he could walk the thin line between letting his music service the film, and elevate the star. 

It was just perfect that his crowning achievement came in the tenth year of his career as a composer. In 2022, he composed music for Vijay (Beast), Vijay Sethupathi (Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kadhal), Sivakarthikeyan (Don), Kamal Haasan (Vikram), and Dhanush (Thiruchitrambalam).

It was the year that cemented his position in the Indian musical scene. You wanted stylized theme music that was also perfect for social media content, there was Beast and Vikram. You wanted those beautiful dance numbers that can make you forget you have two left feet, and were perfect for social media content, there was Kaathuvaakula Rendu Kaadhal, Don and Thiruchitrambalam. Basically, 2022 proved to the world that Anirudh was at the top of his game, and it would be really tough for even him to do better. He was here, there, and almost everywhere. Oh, and Don and Vikram were the highest grossers for the actors and directors. 

Then, 2023 happened, and he removed the ‘almost’ part of almost everywhere to truly become here, there, and everywhere. Anirudh was part of three films, featuring arguably the three biggest stars of Indian cinema. He was part of Rajinikanth-Nelson’s Jailer, which went on to become the biggest grossers in their respective careers. He was part of Shah Rukh Khan-Atlee’s Jawan, which went on to become the biggest grosser in their respective careers. He was part of Lokesh Kanagaraj-Vijay’s Leo, which went on to become the biggest grosser in their respective careers.

Anirudh Ravichander wasn’t just a part of the success, but an important instrument that guaranteed the repeat value for the film. In fact, Anirudh wasn’t just creating hype for these big-ticket movies, he received top billing, and every one of those big names credited him at every possible stage. 

Of course, in 2024, the law of averages did catch up with Anirudh with mixed responses to his work in Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2 and Rajinikanth’s Vettaiyan. However, in between both these films, he delivered a blockbuster album in Telugu with Jr NTR-Koratala Siva’s Devara Part 1, which became the highest grosser in both their careers. In fact, this was a collaboration that wasn’t manifested by the actor, director, or the composer.

It was something that fans of Jr NTR wanted to happen. Devara was a result of fans wanting their favourite matinee idol to be showcased at his finest in the music of Anirudh. This has become an increasing trend for many superstar fans. It is impressive how even in one of his seemingly off years, Anirudh has managed to still maintain his hold over the musical taste of newer generations. He is set to enthrall that section of audience once again with Gowtam Tinnanuri’s Magic, which is set to hit the screens this December. 

In a recent interview, Anirudh Ravichander said he has a jam-packed 2025 with Ajith Kumar’s Vidaamuyarchi, Shah Rukh Khan’s next, Vignesh Shivan-Pradeep Ranganathan’s Love Insurance Kompany, Rajinikanth-Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Coolie, Vijay-H Vinoth’s Thalapathy 69, Nayanthara and Kavin’s next, Shankar-Kamal Haasan’s Indian 3, and Gowtam’s film with Vijay Deverakonda. Anirudh is still firmly fixed on working in his comfort zone, i.e. with actors and directors he has worked with multiple times before. It would genuinely be interesting to see if a newer facet of Anirudh gets unlocked after he gets done with these biggies, and collaborates with newer actors and different directors.

Anirudh has done everything expected of him in the past decade. He has delivered blockbuster music in every album. He has given the stars the wings to be elevated to the next level of stardom. He has given the songs that successfully find themselves in an endless loop on social media. He has given the fans the music suiting their gods. He has given musical experiences through his concerts and performances at the audio launches. He has given a lot, is giving a lot, and hopefully, will continue to give a lot. But, on the occasion of his 34th birthday, yours truly just hopes he takes a step back to not just give the music we want, but makes sure we receive the music he wants to give. It would be interesting to see him explore the world of music even more, on his own terms, and take his loyal audience on a journey through his vision.

Basically, Happy Birthday, Anirudh… the world is your stage with an audience that is exponentially growing.