S.P. Venkatesh
Biography
S.P. Venkatesh (5 March 1955 – 3 February 2026), also known as Sangeetharajan or Sangeetha Raja, was an Indian music director and composer best known for his work in Malayalam cinema. He also worked in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, and Bengali films.
He began his musical career as an instrumentalist, playing guitar, banjo, and mandolin, and later worked as an assistant to composers including Shyam and Raveendran. He was introduced to Malayalam cinema by filmmaker Dennis Joseph, with his early breakthrough coming through Rajavinte Makan.
Venkatesh became one of the prominent Malayalam film composers of the late 1980s and 1990s. His notable works include Douthyam (1989), Indrajaalam (1990), Kauravar (1992), Dhruvam (1993), Paithrukam (1993), Kilukkam (1991), Mahanagaram (1992), Minnaram (1994), Spadikam (1995), Johnnie Walker (1992), Kizhakkan Pathrose (1992) and Hitler (1996).
He won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director for Paithrukam and Janam in 1993. His compositions were noted for their memorable melodies, energetic arrangements and distinctive background scores.
S.P. Venkatesh died in Chennai on 3 February 2026, aged 70, reportedly following a cardiac arrest. He left behind a substantial body of work and is remembered as an important composer of Malayalam cinema's 1990s musical era.
