Niladri Kumaar
#358,008 Most Popular
About
Indian sitar player, composer, and instrumentalist known for modernizing Indian classical music, for creating the five-string electric sitar known as the zitar, and being known for his albums including If, Sitar Gaze, Zitar, and Priority.
Before fame
He began learning the sitar from his father when he was 4 years old. He gave his first public performance at 6 years old and released an album with his father as a teenager. He released his first solo album Revelation in 1998 and created the electric sitar known as the zitar in 2002.
Trivia
He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar in 2007. He composed music for the 2018 film Laila Majnu and won the Filmfare RD Burman Award for its soundtrack in 2019. He has also amassed a large following on Instagram.
Family life
His father and musical teacher was sitar player Pandit Kartick Kumar. He represents the fifth generation of sitar players in his family. He has a daughter named Kiana.
Associated with
He has worked with composer AR Rahman and has performed extensively with Zakir Hussain.
