Ravi Shankar Sharma

Biography

Bombay Ravi, the professional name of Ravi Shankar Sharma (3 March 1926 – 7 March 2012), was a renowned Indian film music composer who worked extensively in Hindi and Malayalam cinema. Born in Delhi, he began his film career in the 1950s and became one of the prominent music directors of Hindi cinema.

He composed music for numerous successful Hindi films, including Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Gharana (1961), Khandan (1965), Waqt (1965), Hamraaz (1967), and Aankhen (1968). His melodic compositions and skillful use of Indian classical influences made him an important figure in Hindi film music.

After taking a break from film music during the 1970s, Ravi made a major comeback through Malayalam cinema in the 1980s, adopting the name Bombay Ravi. His first Malayalam film was Nakhakshathangal (1986), which marked the beginning of an exceptionally successful second phase of his career.

He went on to compose music for acclaimed Malayalam films such as Vaishali (1988), Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Vidhyarambham (1990), Sargam (1992), Parinayam (1994), Sukrutham (1994), Ghazal (1993), Five Star Hospital (1997), and Mayookham (2005). His Malayalam compositions became especially admired for their lyrical melodies and incorporation of classical and traditional musical elements.

Bombay Ravi received several major honours during his career. He won the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Parinayam and Sukrutham in 1994 and received Kerala State Film Awards for Nakhakshathangal and Sargam. He was also awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1971.

He died in Mumbai on 7 March 2012, four days after his 86th birthday. His music, particularly his Malayalam film compositions, remains an important part of the history of Indian film music.