The Curious Case Of SS Thaman’s Original Name

Except for him being that superstar composer who literally becomes a big hero in any star hero’s movie, his name, Thaman, doesn’t ring any bells as it never sounds like any religious name or any name that has a meaning. While Thaman’s father is known as Gantasala Sivakumar, this young composer was named Sai Srinivas at birth. So, what led to changing to this name, and that too a word that has no big meaning at all?

Speaking on a podcast, Thaman himself explained why he named himself that way after coming into films. “My father, Gantasala Sivakumar garu, was a legendary drummer who worked for the likes of K Chakravarthy. He died when I was very young, and I’ve felt at that time that carrying his legacy on my shoulders is a tough thing. At a time when we cannot afford even a proper meal thrice a day, I felt like carrying on my father's legacy would be tough, so I want to move out from the Ghantasala name,” said Thaman. So why did he arrive at the name Thaman S?

“I wanted a name that wouldn’t sound religious, that wouldn’t recall any other name in the country about anything, and I’ve arrived at the word Thaman” the composer said, adding that he has to rechristen himself after looking at the hardships his mother faced to gift him his first-ever drum kit. Thaman started working for money from the age of 11, after his father expired, and worked for the likes of Raj-Koti, MM Keeravani, Mani Sharma and others as a drummer and rhythm box player, before becoming a music director.