Salil Chowdhury

One of India's greatest film composers, Salil Chowdhury was the son of a Bengal doctor who grew up witnessing the barbarism of British colonization first-hand. After the Bengal famine of the 1940s, Chowdhury joined the Communist party and began penning songs of resistance that are celebrated to this day. As Chowdhury's talent blossomed, it became clear he would change the face of Bengali popular music. (His body of songs now have their own name: "Salil sangeet.") Chowdhury made the leap to Bollywood in the 1950s and had great success with soundtracks for films like 1958's Madumathi. His early exposure to both Western classical music and indigenous folk led to an unusual versatility and penchant for complexity that set him apart from other composers. He was also a terrific singer and skilled at playing many instruments. Chowdhury died in 1995.