14 Facts About Hamsalekha

Hamsalekha is a screenplay writer, dialogue writer, instrumentalist and conductor, having composed and written over 500 albums.

Hamsalekha has won one National Film Award, six Filmfare Awards in the Best Music Director Category, seven Karnataka State Film Awards - four for music direction and three for lyrics - and is a recipient of an honorary doctorate from Bangalore University.

Hamsalekha was born as Gangaraju in 1951, to K H Govindaraju and Rajamma in Tulasikatte, near Akkipete in Bangalore.

Hamsalekha is married to Latha Hamsalekha who was a playback singer in the 1990s.

Hamsalekha made occasional use of many genres of music, including Western, pop, rock, hip hop, Indian classical, folk, ghazals, Sufi, and item songs.

Hamsalekha composed the background score for one movie using a single instrument and made the music for Kona Eedaite with no instruments at all.

Shanti, a film by Baraguru Ramachandrappa with music by Hamsalekha, was mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the film with only one character.

Hamsalekha composed for the National Award-winning movie Puttakkana Highway in 2011.

Hamsalekha recorded some of the rare and distinct voices like M Balamuralikrishna for a song in Muthina Haara, C Ashwath for Hoovu Hannu and Pankaj Udhas for Sparsha.

Hamsalekha has written music for stage plays and private albums.

Hamsalekha has written stories, screenplays and dialogues for several movies.

Hamsalekha has mentored several notable singers, music directors, lyricist, directors in Kannada movie industry.

Hamsalekha laid the foundation stone for Desi Music University on the day of Kannada Rajyotsava on 1 November 2010.

Hamsalekha has received many awards over the past three decades.