From the Telugu MM Keeravani to the Tamil Maragathamani and the Hindi M M Kreem, to the world-renowned Golden Globe and the Oscars. It has been an arduous, stressful yet artistically satisfying journey for the music director of the now globally known “Naatu, Naatu” song from SS Rajamouli’s mega global celluloid showpiece, RRR.
Koduri MarakathaMani Keeravani (MM Keeravani) was born on the 4th of July, 1961, in Kovvur, near Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh’s Godavari district.
Humble Beginnings
MM Keeravani’s journey to success began when he was just 10 years old, playing the violin for the Pranalingam Accordion Party, a travelling band from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. His musical talent drew crowds, and he often performed a solo version of “Ek Pyaar ka Nagma hai,” impressing audiences with his skills. However, it was a case of misheard lyrics that helped him perfect the song – he thought the second line went ‘Maujo keeravani hai’ instead of ‘Maujo ki ravaani hai’, a common mistake among those growing up on Hindi film music.
His Artistic Family
MM Keeravani comes from a family with a variety of artistic passions – music, painting, storytelling, song lyrics, script writing, and film direction!! However, all his talented family members have had to work hard, withstand financial pressures, persevere with their creative pursuits, and overcome several technical and economic hurdles before their talents finally got recognition, appreciation, and reward. Keeravani’s father and the now well-known film director, SS Rajamouli’s (Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli) father are brothers, artists in their own right, and certainly, appear to have passed on their creative passions to their respective sons.
Keeravani’s father is Koduri Siva Shakthi Datta (birth name: Koduri Subba Rao) a lyricist, screenwriter, and painter who works in Telugu cinema. In Telugu films, the lyrics he wrote were commonly based on Sanskrit. Inclined towards the arts from an early age, he ran away from his landlord father’s home in Andhra and joined Sir J. J. School of Art in Mumbai, from where he graduated with a diploma two years later. His passion for films led him to move to Madras/Chennai when the Telugu film industry still operated from there before its move to Hyderabad. Keeravani’s father found recognition and reward late in life and as the future would have it, Keeravani also had his share of struggles before his hard-earned break in 1990.
From Maragathamani To Kreem And Finally Keeravani: A Composer With Multiple Names And Talents
M M Keeravani was how he was known in the Telugu film industry. He called himself Maragathamani in the Tamil film industry and was known as MM Kreem in Bollywood. Some of his well-known compositions in Telugu, Tamil, or Hindi have been enjoyed by millions in India as brooding, melodious tunes, with total absorption in the tune, leaving the music composer in near obscurity!
In Tamil, the song “Sangeetha Swarangal Ezhezhu Kanakka” from the K Balachander movie, Azhagan, is a MM Keeravani super hit song. In fact, the same film was a musical chartbuster – other songs such as ‘Saathi Malli Poocharame’ and the Thathithom song from the same film are still popular among the people. In Hindi, the mellifluous “Tum Mile Dil Khile” from the Mahesh Bhat-directed movie “Criminal” is another chart-busting, pan-Indian super hit song composed by MM Keeravani, whose name remained unknown but his songs earned a place in the hearts of music aficionados.
For die-hard music lovers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and the Telugu states, the heavenly notes he struck with songs in the Sridevi-Arvind Swamy starrer ‘Devaraagam’ are all-time favourites – Ya Ya, Yadava, Devaraagam, Sisirakaala Meghamidhuna.
Unforgettable tunes for Telugu audiences range from his path-breaking music for Kshana Kshanam, Pelli Sandadi, Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu, Garana Mogudu, Sundarakanda, Rakshana, Student No 1, Vikramudu, Yamadonga, Magadheera, and numerous others to the divine ragas in the biopics of the Hindu saints, Sri Annamayya, and Sri Ramadasu.
One interesting anecdote about how his names caused confusion – MM Keeravani, who composed for several films produced by media baron Ramoji Rao, reportedly had a disagreement with one of the directors and expressed his desire to opt out of the project. This did not sit well with Rao, who may have viewed it as unprofessional. In a conversation with his associates, Rao expressed his intention to replace Keeravani with a new composer who had caught his attention – a certain MM Kreem. However, one of Rao’s associates revealed to Keeravani that MM Kreem was, in fact, Keeravani himself!
How Keeravani Became Kreem
His career took a dramatic turn when he was 33 and his wife was expecting their child. His guru advised him to live like a hermit for 18 months to avoid a fatal danger. A devout follower of Shiva, he obeyed his guru and gave up his worldly possessions and pleasures, he even lived away from his wife. During this period, he met Kumar Sanu, a popular singer, and collaborated with him on the song “Tu Mile Dil Khile”. The song became a huge hit and marked the debut of MM Kreem, an alias suggested by his guru. Keeravani is said to have been inspired by Stephen King, who also wrote under two names.
Keeravani And Rajamouli
Bahubali and RRR movie Director SS Rajamouli’s father is Koduri Viswa Vijayendra Prasad, a screenwriter and film director who predominantly works in the Telugu film industry. He has worked as a screenwriter for more than 25 films, most of which were commercial successes. His notable work as a screenwriter includes films like Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Manikarnika (2019) in Hindi, and the original Baahubali series and RRR in Telugu.
The rest of Keeravani’s family’s artistic talents have been recognized too. Music composer and singer Kalyani Malik is his brother and M M Srilekha, the music composer, is his cousin. Keeravani’s older son, Kaala Bhairava is a music director and playback singer.
Underrated In The Hindi Film Industry
Despite being underrated, Keeravani’s work in Hindi films has endured, with songs that stand the test of time. His later work on films such as Special 26 continued to showcase his exceptional talent. However, it was the success of the two-part epic film series Bahubali that truly changed Keeravani’s fortunes. The film’s grandeur, featuring a confluence of folk, military music, shlokas, and sweet melodies mounted on a symphony structure, was a historic success that made Keeravani and his entire family household names.
How Bahubali Brought Him Back
Keeravani decided to retire in 2014 after being dissatisfied with the quality of his projects. He poured his heart and soul into Bahubali, a two-part epic that he considered his masterpiece and his final work.
Bahubali, which was supposed to be Keeravani’s swan song, turned out to be the biggest success, and the acclaim the film received made him change his mind. This led him to abandon his retirement plans, and he continues to create incredible music to this day.
Awards And Accolades
M M Keeravani’s awards and accolades are an impressive list and include both national and international ones:
Indian: a National Film award, 8 Filmfare awards, 11 Nandi awards (Tollywood – Andhra and Telangana state awards), a Padmashree.
Western/global: Critics Choice Movie award, Los Angeles Film Critics Association award, a Golden Globe award, and the most internationally coveted Oscar “Academy” award.
Here is a complete list of M M Keeravani’s music compositions.
Keeravani: A RRRaga to riches tale of a musical genius
Keeravani’s story is one of perseverance, passion, and talent. Rising from humble beginnings as a child violinist to become one of the most celebrated composers in India, he faced many challenges and hardships in his career, but he never gave up on his musical dreams. He created songs in different languages and genres and won the hearts of millions of listeners. He reached the pinnacle of his success with Bahubali, a historic film that showcased his musical genius and now his work has got international recognition through the Oscar award for Naatu Naatu. He is a living legend and an inspiration for many aspiring musicians.
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