Anu Malik: Son of a music composer who went on to create a legacy of his own
Check out lesser-known facts about the singer-composer-TV judge
Anu Malik is 67-years-old today
Music composer and singer Anu Malik turns a year older today. The 67-year-old composer was born as Anwar Sardar and made his film debut in 1978 with Hunterwali 77. That is when he started using the stage name Anu Malik. This film did not give him much recognition. His breakthrough came years later, with the 1984 film Aasmaan and Sohni Mahiwal, which secured him a Filmfare nomination for Best Music Director. The National Award-winning composer’s last venture was Hungama 2. Read on for more interesting facts about the composer that you may not know about...
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Anu Malik is from a family of musicians
Anu Malik was born as Anwar Sardar on November 2, 1960. His father is music director Sardar Malik, and his family hails from Kapurthala, Punjab. He has two brothers, Daboo and Abu Malik, who both are music composers.
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Anu Malik’s first film outing was a damp squib
Anu started his career as a music director in 1978 with the film Hunterwali 77. This is when he adopted the stage name Anu Malik. lthough he didn't receive recognition for the film, it began his long-standing association with legendary singer Asha Bhosle.
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Composing for Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle gave Anu recognition
Anu got his breakthrough with the 1984 film Aasmaan, with songs such as "Banke Nazar Dil Ki Zubaan" rendered by Kishore Kumar and "Time Bomb", rendered by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar. This gave him critical acclaim. His soundtrack for the film Shoni Mahiwal bagged him his first nomination for a Filmfare award — for Best Music Director.
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Anu Malik has composed over 350 songs, and sung for blockbusters like Main Khiladi Tu Anari
Apart from being a composer, Anu has also lent his voice to many hit songs, such as "Maari Gayi" from Jaanam (1992), "My Adorable Darling" and the rapping portion of title song of Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), and "Oonchi Hai Building" and "East or West" from Judwaa (1997).
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Anu has been a long-standing judge on Indian Idol since 2004
Anu Malik has been a long-standing judge on the reality television show, Indian Idol, since its inception in 2004. The show marked Anu’s debut on television. He has also been a judge on other shows, such as Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega and Asian Idol.
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Armaan and Amal are Anu Malik's nephew
The musical legacy continues in Anu’s family. He is married to Anjali Vasudev Bhat and has two daughters, Anmol Malik and Ada Malik. His nephews, Armaan and Amal Malik, are also music composers and enjoy a massive fan following.
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Anu Malik: Controversy’s favourite child
Anu has had his fair share of controversies over the years, with many allegations of plagiarism. It was alleged that his song “Mera Piya Ghar Aaya" in Yaarana was copied from a Pakistani Qawwali. Malik was also an accused in the #MeToo movement. Many women, such as Shweta Pandit, Sona Mohapatra and Neha Bhasin accused him of sexual harassment.