Malayali musician Steve Thomas Kottoor on ‘Dhurandhar’ background score and career

Steve Thomas Kottoor’s musical journey began at the age of six, when he composed his first track. Since then, the Mumbai-based Malayali has built an eclectic body of work — whether as a keyboardist with Masala Coffee, a collaborator in Pakistani singer Atif Aslam’s collective, or as a music producer for the Netflix series Ba**ds of Bollywood (2025), directed by Aryan Khan.

The latest addition to his growing list of projects is the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, released in two parts. On the film, he serves as an additional composer alongside Shashwat Sachdev and has co-produced the background score with him.

“I met Shashwat when he was working on Ba**ds of Bollywood,” says Steve over a phone call from Mumbai. “He was looking for a music producer at the time, and JK (Crishna JK), vocalist for Masala Coffee, suggested my name. During one of our meetings last June, he mentioned Dhurandhar and said he was looking for an additional composer.”

Steve recalls that Shashwat was intent on crafting a landmark soundscape for Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar. “I had no idea how the film would pan out,” he says. “But Shashwat was certain that the background score should become something people would reference in the years to come.”

Steve with Shashwat Sachdev
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The spy drama, which went on to become a box-office success, moves through a series of emotionally charged and action-heavy moments. “It wasn’t easy to compose the score,” Steve admits. “We had to be very measured in our approach and avoid being overly loud. It was about choosing the right moments — working with silences and understanding where the music truly needed to come in.”

Early days

Hailing from Thripunithura in Kochi, Steve is the son of musician Samson Kottoor, who co-composed music for Malayalam films such as Traffic and Melvilasom. “Appa is my first guru,” says Steve, who has trained in piano and keyboard for 14 years and holds a Grade 8 certification in piano from Trinity College London. “Whenever I played, I found myself creating new tunes,” he adds. A devoted listener of AR Rahman, Ilaiyaraaja and Yanni, Steve credits them as early influences. “All three are keyboardists and composers, which really inspired me. Their ability to come up with melodies so quickly fascinated me.”

Steve Thomas Kottoor playing the piano
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He joined Masala Coffee while still in college. “It was JK and Varun Sunil who suggested I move to Mumbai and pursue music full-time,” he says. Crishna JK, who also runs The Audio Guys Institute in Andheri, encouraged him to teach music production there.

In 2022, Steve joined Atif Aslam’s band after being spotted at a concert featuring his collective and the Firdaus Orchestra, an all-women ensemble founded by AR Rahman in the United Arab Emirates. “I was initially called to do the orchestral arrangement for the show, but when they saw me play the keyboard, I was asked to join the band,” he says. He now serves as the ensemble’s live music director and recently completed a South African tour with them.

“I haven’t rested for six months,” Steve admits, as he looks forward to a month-long break at home in Kochi. He is currently working on two films, as an independent composer, in Telugu and Malayalam, and adds, “A UK tour with Atif Aslam is also scheduled for June-July.”