At the onset of the 1990s, composer and arranger Viju Shah introduced synth and electronic music to Bollywood soundtracks in a bold, innovative way. His style was a mirror to the new age movement, famously on 1997’s Gupt: The Hidden Truth. • Born to Kalyanji Virji Shah from the prolific composing duo Kalyanji-Anandji, Shah began experimenting with synthesisers in his early teens, assisting his father and uncle. • One of Shah’s earliest film projects came in 1978 when he played synth on the song “Yeh Mera Dil Yaar Ka Diwana” from the movie Don. • Shah worked with Kalyanji-Anandji as arranger on the soundtrack to action flick Tridev in 1989. The film, directed by Rajiv Rai, was the catalyst for a long-running partnership between the two. • Shah became synonymous with synthesisers and dance-pop as he delivered hits like “Saat Samundar Paar” from 1992’s Vishwatma and “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” and “Tip Tip Barsa Paani” from 1994’s Mohra. • In 1997, Shah perfected an air of intrigue and mystery with the title track for Rai’s thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth. On “Duniya Hasino Ka Mela”, he paired synth music with urgent string arrangements and singers Udit Narayan and Suneeta Rao. • Even as Shah’s work from the 1990s was remade—like “Tip Tip” from the 2021 movie Sooryavanshi—the composer continued honing his synth, pop and acoustic arrangements on movies like 2017’s Julie 2 as well as the 2020 TV series Class of ’83.