Gopi Sundar, also known as Gopisundar C. S., is a talented Indian music director, singer, and songwriter. With a passion for music that began in his childhood, Gopi Sundar has established himself as a prominent figure in the Indian film industry. Starting his career as a jingle maker, he has composed an impressive 5,000 jingles to date. Collaborating with renowned music composers, Gopi Sundar’s talent as a keyboard programmer has been recognized and appreciated. Since his debut as a music director in 2006 with the film ‘Notebook’, he has been involved in over a hundred projects across various languages, including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi. His exceptional work has earned him two Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. In addition to his successful music career, Gopi Sundar is dedicated to supporting aspiring musicians through his record label, Gopi Sundar Music Company, and has even formed his own live performance music band, Band Big G, in Dubai.
Quick Facts
- Indian Celebrities Born In May
- Also Known As: Gopisundar C. S
- Age: 46 Years, 46 Year Old Males
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Priya Sunder (m. 2001)
- Father: Suresh, Suresh Babu
- Mother: Livi
- Children: Madhav, Yadhav
- Born Country: India
- Actors
- Record Producers
- Height: 5’8″ (173 cm), 5’8″ Males
- City: Kochi, India
Childhood & Early Life
Gopi Sundar was born on May 30, 1977, in Kochi, Kerala, India, to Suresh Babu and Livi. His father owned a recording studio, where Sundar had worked since he was young. He also spent much time listening to the radio with his mother. After failing in his SSLC exams, he left schooling and subsequently decided to pursue music as a career. His parents were fully supportive of his move. He relocated to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where he enrolled at the Government Music College. However, he dropped out after becoming disenchanted.
Career
Gopi Sundar’s father helped him secure a position in the music troupe of Malayalam composer Ouseppachan. He played the tabla and keyboard and began garnering attention for his composing skills. It was not long before he started making jingles for commercial campaigns. Over the years, he has composed about 5,000 jingles for various brands.
He served as the keyboard programmer for the Bollywood music director duo, Vishal-Shekhar. They collaborated on songs like ‘Ek Main Aur Ek Tu Hai’ (‘Bluffmaster!’) and ‘Aankhon Mein Teri’ (‘Om Shanti Om’) and the music of the 2006 film ‘Taxi No. 9211’.
His first film as a music composer was Rosshan Andrews’ 2006 Malayalam musical-drama ‘Notebook’. The film’s success gave him a solid footing in the industry, and he went on to compose music for the Malayalam film ‘Flash’ (2007), starring Mohanlal. That year, he also made his Bollywood debut with the comedy thriller ‘Dhol’.
In 2008, his first Tamil film, ‘Poi Solla Porom’ was released. Gopi Sundar composed the music of the 2010 Malayalam action thriller ‘Anwar’. Directed by Amal Neerad and starring Prithviraj and Mamta Mohandas, the movie earned him his first Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.
For the 2012 Malayalam drama film ‘Ustad Hotel’, he won the Asianet Film Award for Best Music Director and the Pearl Award for Best Background Score and was nominated for a Filmfare Award Best Music Director.
Gopi Sundar debuted in the Telugu film industry with the 2015 romance drama ‘Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju’, for which he won another Filmfare nomination. He also received a National Film Award for Best Background Score for ‘1983’ in 2014.
In recent years, he has composed music for films like ‘1971: Beyond Borders’ (2017), ‘Abrahaminte Santhathikal’ (2018), and ‘Mikhael (2019). He is involved with several upcoming films, including romantic comedy ‘Margamkali’ and action thriller ‘Jack Daniel’, and drama ‘Vellam’.
In 2014, Sundar set up his record label, Gopi Sundar Music Company, to provide aspiring musicians with a platform through which they can launch their careers. It also helps aspiring filmmakers and promising low-budget films by creating the music while keeping the copyrights of the work. Gopi Sundar also has a personal recording studio in Chennai, named Sunsa Digital Workstation.
During a live performance in front of a capacity crowd at Al Nasr Leisureland, Dubai in 2016, Sundar created his music group, Band Big G. The band performs alongside Gopi Sundar at live shows and is comprised of a revolving group of singers and musicians.
In 2019, he became a judge on Zee Keralam’s reality show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Keralam’.
Major Works
The Malayalam film ‘Bangalore Days’ is one of the most important films of his career. Besides winning a Filmfare Award, Gopi Sundar also received the Asianet Film Award and Vanitha Film Award for Best Music Director for the film.
He won the National Film Award for Best Background Score for the 2014 film titled ‘1983’.
Family & Personal Life
In 2001, Gopi Sundar married Priya. They have two sons together, Madhav and Yadhav. The couple has since separated and the divorce proceedings are pending in court. He is currently living together with singer Abhaya Hiranmayi.
In July 2018, he made it public that he and singer Abhaya Hiranmayi are in a relationship for the past nine years.