Midhun Mukundan Explained

Midhun Mukundan
Birth Place:Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Years Active:2016–present

Midhun Mukundan is an Indian music composer and singer[1] who works predominantly in Kannada cinema and Malayalam cinema. His film music career began with the 2016 Kannada film Kahi. His other notable works include Ondu Motteya Kathe (2017), Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021) and Rorschach (2022).

Early life

Mukundan was born in Bangalore, to a Malayali family and was a Doctor by profession. He completed his MBBS in A J Institute of Medical Science, Mangalore, Karnataka.[2] He switched his profession to music following his passion.

Career

Midhun began his film career through Arvind Sastry's directorial Kahi released in 2016. The film took one and a half year to release and Midhun's score was generally appreciated after release.[3] Reviewer from The News Minute wrote "The genre-bending soundtrack composed by Midhun Mukundan, in particular, marks itself off as one of the stars of the show, setting and unsettling moods with equal rapidity".[4] Even before the release of Kahi, Midhun met filmmaker and actor Raj B. Shetty who was looking out for a newcomer for his film Ondu Motteya Kathe (2017).[5] The music was widely recognized and appreciated upon release. His other works in 2017 include Srinivasa Kalyana followed by a single track score for the film Kaafi Thota. The soundtrack of "Ondu Motteya Kathe" was well received and marked the beginning of Midhun's association with director-actor Raj[6]

Following the success of Ondu Motteya Kathe, Midhun went on to compose for five films in 2019 including Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha and D/O Parvathamma. In 2020, he composed for the PRK Productions and Raj B. Shetty starrer comedy film Mayabazar 2016 which had a song recorded by popular playback singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and featured Puneeth Rajkumar.[7]

Midhun's biggest breakthrough came with Raj B. Shetty and Rishab Shetty starrer gangster film Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV)(2021). The soundtrack won him Best Music Director nomination at the SIIMA Awards.[8] Midhun went on to say that working for this film was his most creatively satisfying project in his career.[9] Impressed by his work in the film GGVV, Malayalam director Nissam Basheer signed him for his psychological thriller film Rorschach (2022) starring Mammootty in the lead role.[10] This marked the Malayalam film score debut of Midhun.[11] In the same year, Midhun worked on some Kannada films such as Sakutumba Sametha, Dasara and Ramanu Kaadige Hodanu.

In 2023, Midhun collaborated with Raj B. Shetty the third time with the film Toby. His other releases include Poovan and Ramachandra Boss & Co both in Malayalam and Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye in Kannada. He debuted in Telugu cinema by composing a single song for the film Kota Bommali PS.[12]

Discography

As music composer

width=30 Yearwidth=280Film[13] width=70 Language width=65 Songswidth=65 Score Notes
2016 Kahi Debut
2017 Srinivasa Kalyana
Ondu Motteya Kathe
Kaafi Thota Only 1 song: "Indu Ninna Edurali"
2019 Sarvajanikarige Suvarnavakasha
Mahira
Lambodara
D/O Parvathamma
Alidu Ulidavaru
2020Mayabazar 2016
2021Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) Nominated - SIIMA Award for Best Music Director
2022 Sakutumba Sametha
Rorschach
Ramanu Kaadige Hodanu Kannada
Dasara
2023 Toby
Poovan Malayalam
Ramachandra Boss & Co
Swathi Mutthina Male Haniye Kannada
Kota Bommali PS Only 1 song: "Lingi Lingi Lingidi"
2024 Abraham Ozler Malayalam [14]
Roopanthara Kannada [15]
Bazooka Malayalam [16]

Notes and References

  1. News: How to get composer Midhun Mukundan running the other way. The Times of India. English. 1 February 2022. Bangalore.
  2. News: Midhun Mukundan - Karnataka, India Professional Profile. LinkedIn. Bangalore.
  3. News: Review: Kannada movie Kahi garners rave reviews. IBTimes.com. English. 5 November 2016. Bangalore.
  4. News: Review: 'Kahi' weaves strong narratives into a surprisingly good ensemble film. The News Minute. English. 5 November 2016. Bangalore.
  5. News: Midhun on being creative and staying relevant. Deccan Herald. English. 4 March 2023. Bangalore.
  6. News: Ondu Motteya Kathe's simplicity wowed me: Midhun Mukundan. The Times of India. English. 3 July 2017. Bangalore.
  7. News: Mayabazar 2016 Movie: Showtimes,Review, Songs. The Times of India. English. 28 February 2020. Bangalore.
  8. News: Midhun Mukundan: It was challenging to score music for GGVV. Cinema Express. English. 9 November 2021. Bangalore.
  9. News: Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana' has to be the most creatively satisfying project in my career so far: composer Midhun Mukundan. The Times of India. English. 31 October 2021. Bangalore.
  10. News: Midhun on being creative and staying relevant. Deccan Herald. English. 4 March 2023. Bangalore.
  11. News: Midhun Mukundan to make Malayalam debut in Mammootty's next. The Times of India. English. 31 March 2022. Bangalore.
  12. News: Kota Bommali PS gets a release date. Cinema Express.com. English. 1 November 2023. Hyderabad.
  13. Web site: Discography .
  14. Web site: Jayaram's Abraham Ozler gets a release date . 2023-12-07 . The New Indian Express . en.
  15. News: Features . C. E. . Chaithra Achar lends her voice to Roopantara’s new single ‘Kittale’ . 1 August 2024 . The New Indian Express . 8 July 2024 . en.
  16. Web site: Features . C. E. . 2024-08-15 . Bazooka Teaser: Mammooty exudes ample style to Midhun Mukundan's beats . 2024-08-20 . Cinema Express . en.