RIP Shravan Kumar Rathod: An inseparable part of Bollywood

Shravan and his friend Nadeem had worked together on films such as 'Aashiqui' and 'Raaz'

Noted music composer Shravan Kumar Rathod, one half of the iconic Nadeem-Shravan duo, passed away in Mumbai on Thursday at the age of 66. He had been admitted to a hospital in a 'critical state' a few days ago after testing positive for Covid-19. Shravan began his career in 1973 when he teamed with Nadeem Akhtar Saifi to compose a song for the Bhojpuri movie Dangal. The film, however, got delayed and released in 1977.

They made their Bollywood debut with the 1982 release Maine Jeena Seekh Liya and subsequently worked on films such as Aprahadhi Kaun? and Zakhmi Insaan but failed to find a foothold in the industry.

The year 1989 proved to be an important one for Nadeem-Shravan as they had three major releases--Ilaaka. Laskhar and Hisaab Khoon Ka. The films, however, failed to establish them as household names as their music did not live up to the expectations.

The two finally got their big break when the Mahesh Bhatt-directed Aashiqui released in 1990. The romantic drama featured the iconic songs Bas Ek Sanam Chahiye and Dheere Dheere, which proved to be chartbusters. The Dheere Dheere number in particular attained cult status, emerging as the 'love anthem' of the 90s.

Nadeem-Shravan subsequently consolidated their standing in the industry with their work on popular films such as Raja Hindustani. Saajan and Phool Aur Kante.

They worked with some of the biggest lyricists of the 90s--right from Sameer to Anand Bakshi-- which played a role in their success. The two shared a strong professional rapport with Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik.

After ruling the charts in the 1990s, they faced competition from younger music composers in the early 2000's. This, however, did not have much of an impact on Nadeem-Shravan as the duo gave strong proof of their talent with Raaz. The film featured chartbusters such as Aapke Pyaar Mein, Jo Bhi Kasmein and Main Agar Saamne, which became a rage.

The consensus is that the positive response to the album helped the film exceed expectations at the box office. The duo went on to compose tunes for films such as Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Kasoor and Ek Rishta.

The two split in 2005 due to personal reasons. Dosti: Friends Forever marked their last major collaboration. Shravan's death is a big loss for the film industry and marks the end of an era.