R. K. Shekhar

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R. K. Shekhar
Photo of R. K. Shekhar
Background information
Birth name	Rajagopala Kulashekharan
Born	(1933-06-21)21 June 1933
Origin	Tiruvallur, British India
Died	9 September 1976(1976-09-09) (aged 43)
Genres	Film score, classical
Occupation(s)	Film composer, music director, Arranger, Music conductor
Instrument	Harmonium
Years active	1964 – 1976

Rajagopala Kulashekharan or R. K. Shekhar (21 June 1933 – 09 September 1976) was an Indian music composer who worked mainly for Malayalam movies. He composed music for 52 films (23 in Malayalam with 127 songs), and was the music conductor for more than 100 films. He is the father of music composers and singers A. R. Rahman and A. R. Reihana. His grandsons G. V. Prakash Kumar and A. R. Ameen are also involved in music production.^[1]

His debut song as a music director was "Chotta Muthal Chudala Vare" ("from cradle to grave"), which was a big hit in Kerala. This was composed for the film Pazhassi Raja (1964).