Amitabh Bhattacharya

Who is Amitabh Bhattacharya?

Amitabh Bhattacharya is an Indian lyricist and playback singer regarded as one of the most gifted songwriters in modern Hindi cinema. Born and raised in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh — a city famous for its Urdu literary culture — he is celebrated for a conversational, image-rich style that turns everyday Hindi and Urdu into poetry without ever sounding forced. (He is not, despite the shared first name, the actor Amitabh Bachchan; on song credits he often appears as "Amitabh B".)

From aspiring singer to star lyricist

Bhattacharya moved to Mumbai dreaming of becoming a playback singer, and spent lean, uncertain years chasing that goal. The breakthrough, when it came, was for his words rather than his voice: his lyrics for Anurag Kashyap's Dev.D (2009) — most famously the irreverent "Emotional Atyachar" — announced a fearless, original new writer who could be playful, raw and poetic all at once.

A signature partnership

He soon became a core creative partner of composer Pritam, and together — frequently with singer Arijit Singh — they authored a run of modern standards: "Channa Mereya", "Kabira", "Agar Tum Saath Ho", "Gerua", "Bulleya", "Galliyan" and "Kesariya". His lyrics tend to do the hardest thing in pop songwriting: sound like something a real person would actually say, while still landing like verse.

A writer who also sings

True to his original ambition, Bhattacharya has also lent his voice to a number of his own compositions over the years, giving him a rare double perspective as both the author and, occasionally, the performer of a song.

Recent work and standing

In 2026 he wrote the lyrics for Cocktail 2, including the ballad Leher, reuniting the trio behind so many of the era's defining love songs. A multiple Filmfare Award winner, he is today one of Bollywood's most in-demand and respected lyricists.