Anu Malik

by Bhasker Gupta
Anu Malik (aka Anwar Malik) never denied plagiarism; he never discounted plagiarism, either. Despite continuous criticism for picking tunes from illustrious as well as obscure sources, Malik has his finger on the pulse of the commercial mainstream music of India and has delivered hits that are lovable, delightful, and above all marketable to Bollywood's regular audience. Anu Malik was the son of the famous music composer Sardar Malik, and got his first break with the film Poonam in 1981. After composing for almost a decade, Anu received wide recognition with the film Baazigar in 1993, which also won him a Filmfare Award for the Best Music Director. It was around this time that Anu provided some of his best music for films such as Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Ayee, Sir, and Akele Hum Akele Tum. In 2001, Anu won a National Film Award for the Best Music Director for Refugee. Anu occasionally dabbles with playback singing, too. He won his second Filmfare Award in 2004 for the film Main Hoon Na. His song "Chamma Chamma" from the film China Gate was also used in the movie Moulin Rouge.