Ravi Shankar
Biography
Ravi Shankar was an Indian sitarist and composer who became the most famous exponent of Indian classical music worldwide. Born in Varanasi, he first toured as a dancer with his brother Uday's troupe before studying sitar under Allauddin Khan. After finishing his training in 1944, he composed music for Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy and served as music director of All India Radio from 1949 to 1956. From 1956 he toured Europe and America, raising the profile of Indian classical music through performances and teaching, and collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison. He wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra, performed at the Concert for Bangladesh (1972), and won four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for The Concert for Bangladesh. He also earned an Academy Award nomination for scoring Gandhi (1982), received India's Bharat Ratna in 1999, and performed at the Concert for George (2003).
92years old at death
- Born Varanasi
- Died San Diego
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Pandit Ravi Shankar and Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury
Movie Career
- Films
- 5
- Career span
- 45 years1972 to 2017
Every film, newest first
- 2017Sgt Pepper's Musical RevolutionIMDb rating 8.0
- 2014Awake: The Life of YoganandaIMDb rating 7.3
- 2007Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve PartsIMDb rating 7.3
- 2003Concert for GeorgeIMDb rating 8.6
- 1972The Concert for BangladeshIMDb rating 8.2
Genres
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A first
Starting in 1961, Ravi Shankar toured Europe, the United States, and Australia. He also became the first Indian to write music for films that were not Indian.
Early training
In 1938, Shankar chose to give up dancing and learn Indian classical music with Khan in Maihar. As part of the traditional gurukul system, he stayed with Khan's family.
First role
In December 1939, Ravi Shankar gave his first public performance on the sitar. He played a duet with Ali Akbar Khan, who performed on the string instrument sarod.
Behind the camera
Ravi Shankar founded the Indian National Orchestra at All India Radio and composed for it, combining Western and Indian instrumentation.
A first
Shankar introduced at least 31 new ragas during his career, among them Nat Bhairav, Ahir Lalit, Rasiya, Yaman Manjh, Gunji Kanhara and Tilak Shyam. Others included Mohan Kauns, Mishra Gara, Purvi Kalyan, Kameshwari, Gangeshwari, Jogeshwari and Nanda Dhwani.
Getting ready for a role
In 2011, Ravi Shankar performed a concert that came out in 2012 as Tenth Decade in Concert: Ravi Shankar Live in Escondido. There he introduced Goonga Sitar, a percussive sitar method in which a cloth muffles the strings.
Ravi Shankar movies on Netflix
Most often with
Two actors appear in three of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Ringo Starr's page
George Harrison's page
Paul McCartney's page
Eric Clapton's page
Billy Preston's page
Klaus Voormann's page
Awards
Twelve awards and honors from 1967 to 2013, five of them major.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | |||
| 2013 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (posthumous) | Won | |
| 2001 | Best Global Music Album | Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 | Won |
| 1972 | Album of the Year | The Concert for Bangladesh | Won |
| 1967 | Best Chamber Music Performance | West Meets East | Won |
| Best Global Music Album | Won | ||
| Other honors | |||
| 2012 | Tagore Award | Won | |
| 1999 | Bharat Ratna | Won | |
| 1998 | Polar Music Prize | Won | |
| 1997 | Praemium Imperiale | Won | |
| 1992 | Ramon Magsaysay Award | Won | |
| 1991 | Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize | Won | |
| 1981 | Padma Vibhushan | Won | |
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.