Good at studies, Anirudh Ravichander was 'IIT material' and prepared for it. Why did he change his career path suddenly

Anirudh Ravichander rose to fame at just 21 years old with the song Why This Kolaveri Di from the movie 3. It was one of the earliest Indian music videos to go globally viral on YouTube. Since then, he has composed numerous soundtracks for massive blockbusters, not just in the Tamil industry but also in Hindi and Telugu. His father used to call him 'IIT material', but the music composer chose a different career. Here's how.

Why Anirudh Ravichander changed his career path?

In a 2014 interview with SILVERSCREEN INDIA, Anirudh's mother, Lakshmi, recalled that he was an excellent student and popular among his classmates. She said he was particularly good at mathematics, so his parents moved him from PSBB T Nagar to its KK Nagar branch to help him attend additional coaching classes. His father also believed that Anirudh had the potential to study at IIT.

"His father always said he was IIT material."




Alongside academics, Anirudh continued learning music and completed all eight grades of piano training from Trinity College London. While in school, he participated in the music-based reality show Ooh La La La as part of a Carnatic fusion band called Zinx. The group was among those selected by AR Rahman to record an album at his studio. During his college years, he was also part of a funk-rock band called Circuit. He later pursued a sound engineering course at Soundtech Media in Chennai.

After graduating with a commerce degree from Loyola College, Chennai, Anirudh got his first major break when filmmaker Aishwarya Dhanush approached him to compose music for her directorial debut, 3. She had been impressed by his work on short films. The rest, as they say, is history. The song Why This Kolaveri Di became a massive sensation, bringing Anirudh into the spotlight and changing the course of his career.

Anirudh Ravichander's personal and work front

Meanwhile, on the personal front, Anirudh Ravichander is all set to tie the knot with Sunrisers Hyderabad CEO Kavya Maran. Their intimate wedding is reportedly set to take place in Greece on November 10 and 11. From Rajinikanth to MK Stalin, several guests have already left for the ceremony. A grand reception is slated for November 21 in Chennai.

On the work front, Anirudh recently composed music for Rajinikanth's Jailer 2. Directed by Nelson Dilipkumar, the film became a massive Rs 825-crore blockbuster. The film is set to stream on Netflix this week. Stay tuned.