Chandrabose is an Indian lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films. He struck international stardom for the song “Naatu Naatu” from the pan-India film RRR (2022) for which he won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award in 2023.
Wiki/Biography
Kanukuntla Subhash Chandrabose was born on Sunday, 10 May 1970 (age 53 years; as of 2023) in Challagariga, Warangal district, Telangana (now in Jayashankar Bhupalpally district, Telangana). His zodiac sign is Taurus. There was a Shiva temple and a library near his house in Challagariga. Chandrabose spent his childhood listening to devotional songs, which started playing at 4 o’clock in the morning every day. He would also listen to the radio. Soon, he memorized the songs, and he would often sing along. He was a voracious reader and used to go to the library and browse different books after school. He grew up listening to folk music and started writing songs at the age of 11. In an interview, while talking about his childhood, he said,
I grew up in a village in Warangal district amid the folk music as well as Potana’s Bhgavatam and Annamayya kritis. I was a voracious reader of children’s magazines then which widened my imaginations. I derived my sense of music from oral traditions such as hari katha , burra katha , yakshaganas and Chindu Bhagavatam . I would write, sing and perfect it further.”
He pursued a diploma in Electrical & Electronics Engineering at J. N. Government Polytechnic Ramanthapur in Hyderabad. Thereafter, he enrolled at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU), Hyderabad to obtain a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) degree in the same discipline. While pursuing engineering, he tried working as a singer for the channel Doordarshan, but he was unsuccessful. Thereafter, his friend Srinathanna suggested that he focus on writing rather than singing.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
He belongs to a backward-class family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Narsaiah, worked as a primary school teacher. He is the youngest of four siblings, two brothers, Rajender and Koti, and a sister, Swaroop. His mother, Kankuntla Madhunamma, used to work as a labourer in the fields as it was difficult to support the household with his father’s salary; she died in 2019 due to a heart attack.
Wife & Children
On 7 March 1999 Chandrabose got married to Suchitra, a choreographer in the Telugu film industry, in Bhadrachalam, Andhra Pradesh. The two first made acquaintance on a flight in 1998 from Chennai to Hyderabad. Initially, they faced difficulty in convincing their parents for marriage as Suchitra is elder than Chandrabose and they belong to different castes. While Suchitra belongs to a Brahmin family, Chandrabose belongs to a backward-class family. Together, they have two children, a son, Nanda Vanamali, and a daughter, Amrita Varshini.
Chandrabose and Suchitra
Career
Chandrabose has set a record in the Telugu film industry by penning more than 3600 songs in over 850 films during his career spanning over 25 years. He ventured into the Telugu film industry with Muppalaneni Shiva’s film Taj Mahal (1995). The first song he wrote for the film was Manchu kondallona Chandram with the assistance of M. M. Srilekha. The song gained immense appreciation, establishing Chandrabose’s name in the industry. He wrote three crowd-puller songs in 2001, Chai Chatukkuna Tagara Bhai for Mrugaraju, Evaremi Anukunna for Budget Padmanabham, and Ekkado Putti Ekkado Perigi for Student No.1. In 2018, he gained popularity for the soundtrack Rangasthalam of the 2018 Telugu film of the same name. Some of the hit songs of the soundtrack were Jigelu Rani, Entha Sakkagunnave, and Ee Sethithone. He worked with AR Rahman on the popular Telugu song Pedave Palikina from Naani (2004). Other notable Telugu songs by him include Namasthe Namasthe Neeku Namasthe from Samba (2004), Sai Ante Thalli from Shiridi Sai (2012), and Kani Penchina Ma Ammake from Manam (2014). In 2022, he rose to prominence with the song Naatu Naatu from the pan-India RRR, which went on to win numerous accolades including the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
Academy Awards
- 2023 – Best Original Song award for ‘Naatu Naatu’ from “RRR”
Chandrabose and M. M. Keeravani accept the Best Original Song award for ‘Naatu Naatu’ from “RRR” onstage during the 95th Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on 12 March 2023
Critics’ Choice Movie Awards
- For Best Song for “Naatu Naatu” in RRR (2022)
Golden Globe Awards
- For Best Original Song for “Naatu Naatu” in RRR (2022)
Nandi Awards
- Best Lyricist for “Nee Navvula Thelladanaanni” in Aadi (2002)
- Best Lyricist for “Cheekatito Veluge Cheppenu Nenunnanani” in Nenunnanu (2004)
Filmfare Awards South
- Best Lyricist – Telugu for “Kanipinchina Maa Amma” in Manam (2014)
- Best Lyricist – Telugu for “Entha Sakkagunnave” in Rangasthalam (2018)
SIIMA Awards
- Best Lyricist – Telugu for “Kanipinchina Maa Amma” from Manam (2014)
- Best Lyricist – Telugu for “Entha Sakkagunnave” from Rangasthalam (2018)
- Best Lyricist – Telugu for “Srivalli” from Pushpa: The Rise (2022)
Favourites
- Poet(s): Sri Sri, Joshua, Jandhyala Papayya Sastry (commonly known as Karunasri), Alishetty Prabhakar
- Author: Madhurantakam Rajaram
- Lyricist(s): Acharya Atreya, C. Narayana Reddy
Facts/Trivia
- It was Muppalaneni Shiva, the director of the Taj Mahal (1995), who introduced Chandrabose as a songwriter and suggested that he use only his last name for the screen.
- In an interview, he revealed that earlier he used to consume Pan Parag and smoke cigarettes, but later he quit both.