Rajesh Thapa

Shantiram Rai (also known as Pragya Shanti Ram Rai) is a highly respected Nepali music composer, singer, and songwriter originally from Khotang, Diktel. Active for over four decades, he is recognized as one of the most influential creators in modern Nepali folk and contemporary music. His official profile describes him as a “Renowned Music Composer, Singer, Songwriter in the Nepali Music Industry.”A prolific creator, Shantiram Rai has composed more than 2,000 songs, a milestone highlighted during his major solo concert covered by Kantipur Daily, which celebrated his lifelong contribution to Nepali music. His work spans folk, lok‑pop, patriotic, sentimental, and modern Nepali genres, and he is known for both studio compositions and powerful live performances.His albums such as Aagaman (2011), Musukkai Hasera (2011), and Dui Mutu (2010), along with singles like “Swadeshmai Rojagari” (2024) and “Shiraima Hamro Charatare Jhanda” (2025), reflect his evolving musical identity across decades.In recent years, he has been actively performing solo musical concerts (Ekal Saanjh) across Nepal, collaborating with respected artists such as Smita Pradhan, Shambhu Rai, Uday Sotang, Manila Sotang, Kankaisht Rai, Roshan Rai, and many others. His concerts feature both his classic hits and new compositions, often broadcast live on national platforms like NTV.

Rajan Ishan is a Nepali singer, composer and one of the most popular music arrangers in the Nepali Music Industry. He has acted in movies, "Karkash", "Awaran" "2 Rupaiyan" and "Rudrapriya". His music making began in 1996. It was the success of one of his biggest hits, Baashma chaina mero mann, that made his name.

Nischal Basnet is a celebrated Nepali director, actor, writer, and playback singer known for revolutionizing modern Nepali cinema. Born on January 17, 1980, in Birtamod, Jhapa, he studied film at Oscar International College. His directorial debut Loot (2012) became a cult hit, followed by acclaimed films like Talakjung vs Tulke (2014) and Loot 2 (2017). As an actor, he starred in Kabaddi Kabaddi, Dui Rupaiyan, and Prasad. Known for blending realism, dark humor, and social commentary, Basnet is married to actress Swastima Khadka. His work continues to shape the narrative and technical evolution of Nepali cinema.

Manohari Singh (1931–2010), born in Kolkata to a Nepalese Bhusal family, is celebrated as one of South Asia’s finest woodwind and orchestral arrangers. Though globally known for his work with R.D. Burman, his Nepali heritage and musical upbringing in a Nepali household shaped his tonal sensibility, melodic phrasing, and emotional depth — qualities that strongly resonated with Nepali film composers.His mastery of alto saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet, mandolin, and bansuri made him a sought‑after session musician whose sound influenced the orchestral palette of Nepali film music in the 1980s–1990s. Many Nepali composers — especially those working in Mumbai and Kolkata studios — relied on his phrasing style, brass‑woodwind layering, and melodic counterlines as a reference point.Although he did not score many Nepali films directly, his arrangement style, brass band roots, and Nepali musical lineage helped shape the cross‑border sound that Nepali cinema adopted during its modern era. His work as part of the Basu–Manohari duo also inspired Nepali arrangers who studied Indian studio orchestration.