बेनेडिक्ट टेलर

Benedict Taylor is a British violist and composer whose improvisation-driven approach has made him one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Indian film scoring. Trained on viola and violin, he built his reputation in avant-garde and free-improvisation circles, received the Royal Philharmonic Society's Sir John Barbirolli Award for solo viola, and since 2013 has run Subverten, a commission series and label devoted to new viola music. His long-running partnership with Mumbai composer Naren Chandavarkar began after the two met in Mumbai in 2009, and the duo went on to score many of the most acclaimed Indian films and series of the following decade — Ship of Theseus (2013), the Berlinale Crystal Bear winner Killa (2014), Udta Punjab (2016), Newton (2017), Ghoul, Sonchiriya (2019), Laal Kaptaan, Paatal Lok, The Disciple (2020), Trial by Fire, Kohrra, Killer Soup and Heeramandi. Working between London and Mumbai, Taylor typically records live string improvisations while watching the scene, favouring texture, found sound and invented instruments over conventional orchestration — an approach credited with raising the standing of the background score in Hindi cinema. His recent credits include the 2026 film The Fall, where he shares songwriting and composing duties with Chandavarkar on tracks such as 'Rahaa Di Dhoorh'.