Anil Johnson

Anil Johnson, born back in ‘73 in Cochin—yeah, that’s Kerala for anyone who’s not clued in—has been quietly killing it in the Indian film music scene for years. Not the kind of guy to hog the spotlight, but honestly, his tracks have carried more than a few movies on their backs. People probably know him best for his work on Drishyam. That film, man, the way his score creeps in just at the right second, makes you sweat even if you’ve watched it before. Then, he came back for Drishyam 2, and the vibe was just as tense, somehow even more unsettling, like he’d been saving something up all those years between. It’s not like he just does one genre either. Flip over to Aadhi, and suddenly he’s all about this moody, modern energy—still cinematic but with a pulse. There’s this knack he has for making the music feel like it’s another character in the story, weaving in and out of the plot instead of just sitting in the background, you know? And even though he’s been married to Anjana Joy since 2000 and keeps his personal life pretty hush-hush, there’s something kind of cool about that too. Lets his work do the talking. What’s wild is that he manages to balance traditional sounds with these slick, contemporary touches, so whether you’re old school or more into the new wave of Malayalam cinema, you’re probably vibing with his stuff. Not a household name everywhere, maybe, but in Kerala? The guy’s a legend.