INFORMATION
| Artist Birthday : | 05/09/1980 (Age 44) |
| Born In : | Mumbai |
| Occupation(s) : | score composer, music director |
| Genres : | Film score, soundtrack |
| Web Site : | http://salimsulaiman.com/ |
Indian composer duo Salim-Sulaiman represent the new wave of Indian cinema that came to life post the change of the millennium. The two brothers, Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant have remained at the helm of the Bollywood film industry owing to their peppy music and youthful beats.
The duo hails from Kutch in Gujarat. However, they were born in Mumbai to Sadruddin Merchant. Though some people believe they are twins, Sulaiman is actually 4 years older to Salim. Sulaiman was born on March 3, 1974 while Salim was born on December 21, 1970. Their father was a veteran musician in Bollywood and lead the Ismaili Scouts Orchestra as well.
The two brothers were interested in music from a very young age and remained steeped in the family tradition to the brim. As they grew up, Sulaiman took up an interest in tabla and started training under legends like Ustad Zakir Hussain and Taufiq Qureshi. Salim learnt piano at the Trinity College of Music in London.
They went on to become big on the Indi-pop scene, composing music for the girl band Viva, Aasmaan, Shweta Shetty, Style Bhai and Jasmine. They also composed several TV commercials and collaborated with artists like Ustad Sultan Khan and Ustad Zakir Hussain.
They have composed music for several films including Bhoot, Neal ‘n’ Nikki and more. It was Chak De! India, the 2007 film focused on a forgotten and dysfunctional Indian women’s hockey team, that really made them a shining star in Bollywood. Compositions like “Chak De! Title song”, “Chalako” and “Badal pe Paon Hai” were mega hits and the massive success of the movie at the box office helped in creating more room for the music director duo.
Then came another Shah Rukh Khan movie where Salim- Sulaiman’s talents were exploited. The 2008 movie Rab ne Bana Di Jodi was a smash hit and so were the movie’s songs. Be it “Haule” or “Dance Pe Chance,” the entire soundtrack of the movie covered different aspects of love and life and fit in so perfectly with the theme of the film that the duo became of the hottest music directors in Bollywood.
They also composed music for the critically acclaimed film Fashion and its track “Mar Jawan” was considered a terrific composition by critics and became popular too. Internationally, they worked on Bollywood remixes of Judas and Born This Way by Lady Gaga and I’m a Freak by Enrique. They have also worked for the Hollywood film Sold.
