Hyderabad: Following the humungous success of RRR and its music, MM Keeravani needs no introduction. The Golden Globe winner will be walking the 95th Academy Awards red carpet with the RRR team as his creation Naatu Naatu from RRR is up for the Best Original Song honour at the esteemed award gala. Before the Oscars 2023 gets announced in a few hours, read on here for some interesting trivia about MM Keeravani, the man who is on the cusp of a world takeover as he is perceived to be winning the first Oscar for the country in original song vertical.
Everyone knows who Keervani is post-RRR, but his life before fame has seemingly made less to the headlines. And rightly so, as in the film industry, everything changes with a Friday. The pan-India success of his blockbuster collaborations like Magadheera, Baahubali franchise, and RRR with SS Rajamouli made Keeravani one of the most sought-after music directors in India. But it took him years of perseverance to clinch the fame that he now enjoys beyond South.
Though he is the son of renowned lyricist Koduri Shiva Shakti Datta, Keeravani did not find footing easily. Keeravani is said to have learned the ropes, from Telugu composer K. Chakravarthy and Malayalam composer C. Rajamani before starting out as an independent music composer. Keeravani is among those whose first films, unfortunately, did not see the day of light. After having an unreleased debut in Kalki, Keeravani's work in Manasu Mamatha brought him some recognition.
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The desired breakthrough, however, happened for Keeravani a year later. It was his collaboration with this new-age director, who in his late twenties breathed some fresh air into Indian cinema. The man was Ram Gopal Varma and the film that gave Keeravani his ticket to fame was Sridevi and Venkatesh starrer Kshana Kshanam. From romantic melody Jaamu Raatiri to playful Jumbaare, RGV and Keeravani's film boasts of an album with immense repeat value. After the release of Kshana Kshanam, there was no dearth of opportunities for Keeravani, and the rest as they say is history!
RGV and Keeravani during Cobra movie poster launch in 2019.
Another interesting piece of trivia about Keeravani is that he is probably the only music director in India with three trade identities. While he is known as MM Keeravani in the Telugu industry, the 61-year-old music composer goes by the name Marakathamani in the Tamil film industry, while his credit in Hindi films reads MM Kreem.
With Golden Globe win, Keeravani successfully uplifted Indian cinema in the global space. And now, billions of people are waiting with bated breath as his Naatu Naatu contends in the Best Original Song category at this year's Oscar Awards. If Naatu Naatu wins the Oscars tomorrow, Keeravani's name will be etched in the history of Indian cinema for bringing home the first-ever Oscar in the Original Song category. May the best one win!
