Mumbai, June 5: A schoolboy secretly skipped class and headed straight to a recording studio in Mumbai. There, he created a melody on the electronic keyboard (synthesizer) that would become the signature tune for the film ‘Don’ (1978). The iconic synth sound in the song “Ye Mera Dil Yaar Ka Deewana” was produced by none other than Vijay Kalyanji Shah, known today as Vijju Shah.
Vijju Shah was born on June 5, 1959, in Mumbai. That same year, his father, Kalyanji Veerji Shah, gained national recognition for the ‘been’ tune played on the clavioline (an early electronic keyboard) in the film ‘Naagin’ (1954). During this time, his father founded the “Kalyanji Veerji and Party” orchestra. Notably, 1956 also marked the beginning of renowned lyricist Anand Bakshi’s career, who would later become Vijju Shah’s closest collaborator.
Vijju’s family originally hailed from Kutch in Gujarat but settled in Girgaum, Mumbai, where they ran a grocery store. An interesting anecdote is that Vijju’s father and uncle, Anandji Veerji Shah, received their early music education from a teacher who taught them music in exchange for groceries.
Growing up amidst Marathi and Gujarati culture, Vijju learned to play the harmonium at the tender age of 4-5. However, his true passion ignited with the arrival of synthesizers in India during the 1970s.
After enhancing the electronic music in Feroz Khan’s films ‘Qurbani’ (1980) and ‘Jaanbaaz’ (1986), he released his bold solo album ‘Why Not Synthesizer’ in 1988.
The duo of Vijju Shah and director Rajiv Rai brought a new sound to Hindi cinema in the 1990s. The blockbuster song “Oye Oye” from ‘Tridev’ (1989) became immensely popular, followed by “Saat Samundar Paar” from ‘Vishwatma’ (1992).
The songs “Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast” and “Tip Tip Barsa Pani” from ‘Mohra’ (1994) shattered all records, selling over 8 million copies of the album. In ‘Gupt’ (1997), he introduced dark trance and garage music to Indian cinema, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Background Score in 1998.
After a brief hiatus from mainstream cinema, Vijju Shah made a comeback in 2020 with the Netflix film ‘Class of 83,’ featuring an authentic 1980s synth score. Following nearly two decades, the historic duo of Rajiv Rai and Vijju Shah made a sensational return in 2025 with the low-budget suspense thriller ‘Jora,’ released directly on YouTube.
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