Mohan Sithara

Mohan Sithara is an Indian music composer. He received the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Music Director (2009) for the songs in Priyanandan's Sufi Paranja Kadha. Since 1986 he has been an active musician in the Malayalam film industry. His work mixes Western, Classical and folk styles. He has worked with famous lyricists and poets like O. N. V Kurup, Yusufali Kechery, Sreekumaran Thampi, Rajeev Alunkal, P K Gopi, Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, Rafeeq Ahmed, S. Ramesan Nair, B. R. Prasad, Vinayan, Bharanikkavu Sivakumar, Anil Panachooran, Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, Gireesh Puthenchery, and Bichu Thirumala. Many prominent singers have sung his songs, including K. J. Yesudas, P. Jayachandran, M.G.Sreekumar, K. S. Chithra, Sujatha Mohan, Madhu Balakrishnan, G. Venugopal, Vidhu Prathap, Afsal, Manjari, Jyotsna Radhakrishnan, Swarnalatha, Sheelamani, Biju Narayanan, Priya R. Pai, Anvar Saduth and Poornasree.

Mohan Sithara was born at Peruvallur, Thrissur, Kerala, India in 1959. He started his music career as violinist in some music troupes, one of which was Sithara troupe (from which he took the name Mohan Sithara). Later he worked with various music composers including M. G. Radhakrishnan, Shyam, and Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath. He did orchestration for the film Thoovanathumbikal with Perumbavoor G. Raveendranath, which led to several hit songs. His first work as independent music director in the Malayalam film industry was the film Onnu Muthal Poojyam Vare (From One to Zero), for which he composed the song "Raree Rareeram Raro" (it was also the first song for G. Venugopal).