Viju Shah

Early career and breakthrough (1985–1992)

Shah made his Bollywood debut in 1985 with Rajiv Rai's action thriller Yudh, where he was credited as Vijay Shah.^[3] This was the first of his multiple collaborations with Rai.

In 1989, Shah gained recognition with the soundtrack for Rai's musical action thriller Tridev. The film's soundtrack included the song "Tirchi Topiwale,” for which received his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director and inspired a 1998 film of the same name.

Rise to prominence (1992–1997)

In 1992, following the success of Tridev, Shah composed the soundtrack for Rai's action thriller Vishwatma and horror thriller Junoon. The following year, he composed the score for the action drama Lootere (1993), which earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score.

In 1994, Shah composed the soundtrack for Rai's action thriller Mohra, which featured songs including "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast" and "Tip Tip Barsa Pani."^[4] The album emerged as the second highest-selling Bollywood soundtrack album of the year (after Hum Aapke Hain Koun),^[5] with over 8 million units.^[6] The film earned Shah his second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director. That same year, he composed the background score for Rajkumar Santoshi's comedy Andaz Apna Apna, which earned him a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score.

He composed the soundtrack for the romantic drama Tere Mere Sapne (1996), produced by Amitabh Bachchan's ABCL. The film's soundtrack earned Shah his third nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director.

Shah and Rai next collaborated on the murder mystery thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997). The film's soundtrack emerged as the third highest-selling Bollywood album of the year (after Dil To Pagal Hai and Pardes).^[5] It earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score, along with his fourth nomination for Best Music Director.^{[citation needed]}

Later work (1998–present)

In 1998, Shah composed for David Dhawan's action comedy Bade Miyan Chote Miyan.^[7] The film's soundtrack included the song 'Makhna,' which gained popularity during the film's release. Shah received his fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Music Director for the film's soundtrack.

His collaboration with Rai continued with Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (2001) and Asambhav (2004).

In 2020, Shah composed the score for the Netflix crime drama film Class of '83.^[8]