Nikhita Gandhi (born 1 October 1991) is an Indian playback singer who has worked in Indian films in five different languages. She has worked in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, and Kannada film projects.[1]
Nikhita Gandhi | |
|---|---|
 Gandhi in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nikita |
| Born | 1 October 1991 Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Genres | Playback singing |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 2013–present |
She sang as the face of Deepika Padukone in Raabta for the title track "Raabta".[2] Her duet song " Ullu Ka Pattha" with Arijit Singh from the film Jagga Jasoos is a hit.[3] She has sang for many Hindi films including Sachin: A Billion Dreams, Jab Harry Met Sejal, Kedarnath, Luka Chuppi, Sooryavanshi and Tiger 3. She has also sang Bengali and Tamil songs from movies like Leo, Varisu, Cockpit and Kishmish. Her songs "Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe" and "Poster Lagwa Do" also became popular. The song "Jugnu" with Badshah turned out a viral hit.
Personal life
Nikhita was born in Kolkata and lived in Chennai while doing her graduation. Growing up she learnt Odissi dance and Hindustani music for almost 12 years.[4]
Career
Born into a mixed Bengali and Punjabi family in Kolkata. Nikhita has done her schooling from the prestigious La Martiniere for Girls, Kolkata. Nikhita relocated to Chennai in 2010 to pursue a degree in dentistry.[5] A former student of A. R. Rahman's K. M. College of Music and Technology, Nikhita's first association with Rahman was during an Indo-German exchange, where she was a part of a choir which performed with the German orchestra. Rahman then individually auditioned her for a commercial project titled 'Qyuki' with Shekhar Kapur, the duo were working on.[1] In 2012, she cut a Bengali album titled Kotha, a re-arrangement of Nazrul Geeti, songs written by renowned poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.[6]
After having worked on her personal studio album and sung as a part of songs in regional films, Nikhita got a breakthrough by performing the song "Ladio" from Shankar's film, I (2015). Composed by A. R. Rahman, she managed to record the song within four hours after translating it into Hindi. She then also subsequently recorded the Telugu and Hindi versions of the song, earning critical acclaim for her work.[1] Other projects she worked for in 2015 include Rahman's O Kadhal Kanmani and Anirudh's Thanga Magan.
Apart from singing in the movies, she has put together a band and has also performed at Kerala and Kolkata. Gandhi's five-member band includes Sajith Sathya, Jerard Felix, Godfrey Immanuel and Joshua Gopal.[4]
She has been adjudged as the best female playback singer of the year by Zee Cine Awards 2018 for the title track of Raabta.[7]
She was nominated for best playback singer (female) category in the 63rd Filmfare Awards[8] for her song "Ghar" from Jab Harry Met Sejal.
She was also nominated for best playback singer (female) in the 3rd Filmfare Awards East[9] for her Bengali song "Tomra Ekhono Ki" from Meghnad Badh Rahasya.
In November 2018 she did playback for the song "Qaafirana" from the film Kedarnath and became a hit.[10] In April 2019, she won the Nestle Kitkat Sony Mix Audience Music Award for the best duet for Qaafirana from Kedarnath along with Arijit Singh.[11]
In April 2019, she released her single Ek Do Teen on Zee Music Company that has been composed by Raees & Zain - Sam, she later followed it up with Madari from the film The Extraordinary Journey of The Fakir along with Vishal Dadlani in June 2019[12] and followed it up with Main Deewana Tera from Arjun Patiala[13]
In 2024, Nikhita participated in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa as a wild card entrant but did not get selected.[14]
Discography
| Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Film | Song title | Co-Singer | Music Director | Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kalyana Samayal Saadham | "Modern Kalyanam" | Megha | Navin | Tamil |
| 2015 | I | "Ladio" | Solo | A. R. Rahman | Tamil |
| "Lady O" (Dubbed version) | Hindi | ||||
| "Ladiyo" (Dubbed version) | Telugu | ||||
| Yevade Subramanyam | "Beautiful Zindagi" | Solo | Radhan | Telugu | |
| O Kadhal Kanmani | "Theera Ulaa" | A. R. Rahman, Darshana | A. R. Rahman | Tamil | |
| Ouija | "Nam Sexy Looksu" | Solo | Hari Nikesh | Kannada | |
| Aata | "Ma sexy lookse" | Telugu | |||
| Thanga Magan | "Oh Oh" | Dhanush | Anirudh Ravichander | Tamil | |
| Muhammad: The Messenger of God | "Prologue —The Infinite Light" | Faarooqi Parissa | A. R. Rahman | Arabic | |
| "Signs of the Last Prophet" | Solo | ||||
| "And He was Named Muhammad (SAL)" | |||||
| 2016 | Dhruva | Neethone Dance Tonight | Hiphop Tamizha | Hiphop Tamizha | Telugu |
| Singam 3 (Dubbed version) | Wi Wi Wi Wifi | Karthik, Christopher Stanley | Harris Jayaraj | Tamil | |
| 2017 | Dhayam | "Nee Yaaro" | Solo | Sathish Selvam | Tamil |
| Kaatru Veliyidai | "Saarattu Vandiyila" | A. R. Reihana, Tippu | A. R. Rahman | Tamil | |
| Cheliyaa (Dubbed version) | "Morethukuchindi" | Telugu | |||
| Kavan | "Boomerang" | Hiphop Tamizha, Velmurugan | Hiphop Tamizha | Tamil | |
| Raabta | "Raabta Title Song" | Arijit Singh | Pritam | Hindi | |
| Jagga Jasoos | "Ullu ka Pattha" | ||||
| Maacher Jhol | "Bangali Maacher Jhol" | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | Bengali | |
| Sachin: A Billion Dreams (Dubbed version) | "Sachin Sachin" | Sid Sriram, Poorvi Koutish | A. R. Rahman | Tamil | |
| "Sachin Sachin" | Parag Chhabra, Poorvi Koutish | Telugu | |||
| "Sachin Sachin" | Nakash Aziz, Poorvi Koutish | Marathi | |||
| Jab Harry Met Sejal | "Ghar" | Mohit Chauhan | Pritam | Hindi | |
| Arjun Reddy | "Dhooram" | Solo | Radhan | Telugu | |
| Spyder | "Boom Boom" | Solo | Harris Jayaraj | Telugu Tamil | |
| Cockpit | "Mithe Alo" | Atif Aslam | Arindom Chatterjee | Bengali | |
| Mental Madhilo | "Malik Tere" | Solo | Prashanth R Vihari | Telugu | |
| Yuddham Sharanam | "Padmavyuham" | Pranav Chaganty | Vivek Sagar | Telugu | |
| Chef | "Tan Tan" | Solo | Raghu Dixit | Hindi | |
| Ittefaq | "Ittefaq Se (Raat Baaki)" | Jubin Nautiyal | Tanishk Bagchi | ||
| 2018 | Beyond the Clouds | "Beyond The Clouds" | Solo | A. R. Rahman | Hindi, Tamil, English |
| "Ala Re Ala" | Dilshaad Shabbir Shaikh, Srinivas Raghunathan, MC Heam | ||||
| "Ey Chhote Motor Chala" | MC Heam, Arjun Chandy, Sid Sriram | ||||
| Oru Nalla Naal Paathu Solren | "Hey Reengara" | Saisharan, Mark Thomas | Justin Prabhakaran | Tamil | |
| Sanju | "Mujhe Chand Pe Le Chalo" | Solo | A. R. Rahman | Hindi | |
| Fidaa | "Tomake" | Arindam Chatterjee | Arindom Chatterjee | Bengali | |
| Crisscross | "Duniya" | Solo | JAM8 | ||
| "Bari Phire Aye" | |||||
| Villain | "Bhole Baba" | Badshah | |||
| Hoichoi Unlimited | "Oh Baby" | Armaan Malik | Savvy | ||
| Kabir | "Kabir (Title Track)" | Ishaan Mitra, Arijit Dev | Indraadip Dasgupta | Bengali | |
| Mitron | "Sawarne Laage" (Female Version) | Solo | Tanishk Bagchi | Hindi | |
| Stree | "Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe" | Badshah, Sachin–Jigar | Sachin–Jigar | ||
| Manmarziyaan | "Dhyaanchand" | Vijay Yamla, Amit Trivedi, Suhas Sawant | Amit Trivedi | ||
| Kedarnath | "Qafirana" | Arijit Singh | |||
| 2019 | Bhobishyoter Bhoot | Bhobishyoter Bhoot Title Song | Solo | Debojyoti Mishra | Bengali |
| Luka Chuppi | "Poster Lagwa Do" | Mika Singh, Sunanda Sharma | White Noise | Hindi | |
| Ek Do Teen (Music Video) | "Ek Do Teen" | Solo | Raees, Zain-Sam | Hindi, Punjabi | |
| Mukherjee Dar Bou | Khachar Pakhi | Solo | Rabindranath Tagore, Indraadip Dasgupta | Bengali | |
| Chikati Gadilo Chithakotudu | "Nuvvele Nuvve" | Sanjith Hegde | Balamurali Balu | Telugu | |
| Majili | "Naa Gundello" | Yazin Nizar | Gopi Sundar | Telugu | |
| "Yedetthu Mallele" | Kaala Bhairava | ||||
| The Extraordinary Journey Of The Fakir | "Madari" | Vishal Dadlani | Amit Trivedi | Hindi | |
| Meghnadbodh Rohoshyo | "End Song" | Solo | Debojyoti Mishra | Bengali | |
| Uronchondi | "Saiyo Re" | Solo | Debojyoti Mishra | Bengali | |
| Arjun Patiala | "Main Deewana Tera" | Guru Randhawa | Sachin Jigar, Guru Randhawa | Hindi | |
| Ranarangam | :Pilla Picture Perfect" | Solo | Sunny MR | Telugu | |
| Panther: Hindustan Meri Jaan | "Marhaba" | Abhay Jodhpurkar, Shovon Ganguly | Amit-Ishan | Bengali | |
| Oriplast Originals | "Eh Shomoy (এ সময়)" | Javed Ali | Subhadeep Mitra | Bengali | |
| Ghost (2019 film) | "Dil Maang Raha Hai" (Female Version) | Yasser Desai | Sanjeev–Darshan | Hindi | |
| Paap (Hoichoi Web Series) | "Paap Ki Parchayi" | Solo | Subho Pramanik | Bengali | |
| 2020 | Love Aaj Kal Porshu | "Shune ne" | Dev Arijit | Arindam Chatterjee | Bengali |
| "Shune Ne" (Reprise Version) | Ash King | Arindam Chatterjee | Bengali | ||
| Baaghi 3 | "Do You Love Me" | Solo | Tanishk Bagchi | Hindi | |
| V | "Ranga Rangeli" | Yazin Nizar | Amit Trivedi | Telugu | |
| Titli | "Serial song" | Solo | Arindom Chatterjee, Suvam Moitra | Bengali | |
| SOS Kolkata | "Raagi Raja" | Oindrila Sanyal, Dev Arijit | Savvy Gupta | Bengali | |
| Durga Puja Special Song | "Bolo Dugga Maiki" | Nakash Aziz | Jeet Gannguli | Bengali | |
| Laxmii | "Burjkhalifaa" | Shashi-DJ Khushi | Shashi-DJ Khushi | Hindi | |
| Angrezi Medium | "Nachan Nu Jee Karda" | Romy | Tanishk Bagchi | Hindi | |
| Naach Meri Rani (Music Video) | "Naach Meri Rani" | Guru Randhawa | Tanishk Bagchi | Hindi | |
| 2021 | Bad Boy x Bad Girl (Music Video) | "Bad Boy x Bad Girl" | Badshah | Badshah | Hindi |
| Baazi | "Baare Baare" | Dev Negi | Jeet Gannguli | Bengali | |
| Ranjha Tere Naal (Music Video) | "Ranjha Tere Naal" | Solo | Haroon Gavin | Hindi | |
| Jugnu (Music Video) | "Jugnu" | Badshah | Hiten, Badshah | ||
| Sardar Ka Grandson | "Jee Ni Karda" | Jass Manak | Tanishk Bagchi | ||
| Shiddat | "Barbaadiyan" | Sachet Tandon, Madhubanti Bagchi, Sachin–Jigar | Sachin–Jigar | ||
| Sooryavanshi | "Najaa" | Pav Dharia | Tanishk Bagchi | ||
| Jhoota Lagda(Music Video) | "Jhoota Lagda" | Solo | Nitesh T | ||
| 2022 | Badhaai Do | "Bandi Tot" | Ankit Tiwari | Ankit Tiwari | |
| Freddy | "Kala Jaadu" | Arijit Singh | Pritam | ||
| Govinda Naam Mera | "Kya Baat Ay 2.0" | Hardy Sandhu | Tanishk Bagchi, B Praak | ||
| Etharkkum Thunindhavan | "Summa Surrunu" | Armaan Malik | D. Imman | Tamil | |
| Kishmish | "Tui Bolbo Na Tumi" | Subhadeep Pan | Nilayan Chatterjee | Bengali | |
| "Janina Bhalolaga" | Shaswat Singh | ||||
| Kolkatar Harry | "Tara Khosa Raat" | Solo | Jeet Ganguli | ||
| Dhaakad | "She's On Fire" | Badshah | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | Hindi | |
| "Namonishan" | Shankar Mahadevan | ||||
| O Kala | "Selayeti" | Abhay Jodhpurkar, Arun Kaundinya | Neelesh Mandalapu | Telugu | |
| Naughty Balam(Music Video) | Naughty Balam | Rahul Vaidya and Mellow D | Rahul Vaidya | Hindi | |
| 2023 | Shehzada | "Munda Sona Hoon Main" | Diljit Dosanjh | Pritam | |
| "Chedkhaniyan" | Arijit Singh | ||||
| Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar | "Tere Pyaar Mein" | ||||
| Jogira Sara Ra Ra | "Cocktail" | Nakash Aziz | Tanishk Bagchi | ||
| Varisu (D) | "Jimki Song" | Harshvardhan Wavre | Thaman S | ||
| Thank You for Coming | "Desi Wine" | Qaran, The Rish, Arjun | Qaran | ||
| "Duniya Farzi" | Vishal Mishra, Hansika Pareek | Vishal Mishra | |||
| Leo | "Ordinary Person" | Solo | Anirudh Ravichander | Tamil | |
| Aankh Micholi | "Shaadi Dope Hai" | Dev Negi, Rakesh Maini | Sachin-Jigar | Hindi | |
| Tiger 3 | "Leke Prabhu Ka Naam" | Arijit Singh | Pritam | ||
| 2024 | Bade Miyan Chote Miyan | "Mast Malang Jhoom" | Arijit Singh, Vishal Mishra | Vishal Mishra | |
| Madgaon Express | "Baby Bring It On" | Ajay Gogavale | Ajay-Atul |
Accolades
| Award Ceremony | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref.(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Mirchi Music Awards | Female Vocalist of The Year | "Ghar" from Jab Harry Met Sejal | Nominated | [15] |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Playback Singer (Female) | Nominated | [16] | |
| Sony MIX Audience Music Awards | Best Duet | Qaafirana from Kedarnath | Won | [11] |
References
- ^ a b c "Nikhita Gandhi: AR Rahman never lets his singers get nervous". The Times of India. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "I don't think I could have asked for something better: Nikhita Gandhi on 'Raabta'". Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "From KM to Jagga Jasoos, tracing Nikhita Gandhi's musical journey". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ a b Ramanujam, Srinivasa (18 June 2015). "Ladio girl and her band". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "I did not know that I was singing the final version of Raabta". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ "Taking the next step". The Hindu. 5 June 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ^ "Zee Cine Awards 2018 complete winners list: Secret Superstar, Golmaal Again and Toilet Ek Prem Katha win big". The Indian Express. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- ^ "63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018: Official list of nominations". The Times of India. 23 January 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards East 2018 Nominations - Filmfare.com". filmfare.com.
- ^ ANI (20 November 2018). "'Qaafirana' highlights soulful love between Sara, Sushant". Business Standard India. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Best Duet". facebook.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
- ^ "Dhanush sets the dance floor on fire in the song Madaari from The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
- ^ T-Series (25 June 2019), Guru Randhawa: Main Deewana Tera |Arjun Patiala | Diljit D, Kriti S |Sachin -Jigar | Nikhita Gandhi, retrieved 9 July 2019
- ^ "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 11: Nikhita Gandhi gets eliminated; wildcard contestants Manisha Rani, Dhanashree Verma and others enter the show". 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Nominations - Mirchi Music Awards 2017". MMAMirchiMusicAwards. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
- ^ "Filmfare Awards 2018 Nominations - 63rd Filmfare Awards 2018". filmfare.com.