Actor, film producer, singer, songwriter, composer, saxophonist
Years active
1999–present
Manu Narayan (born August 16, 1973) is an American actor, film producer, singer, songwriter, composer and saxophonist. He served as a Trustee ofCarnegie Mellon University, his alma mater, from 2013-2016.[1]
Narayan was hailed as a "promising young star...a compelling actor and outstanding singer who can light up a stage with sheer force of personality," by UPI in 2004[2] when he made hisBroadway debut in theAndrew Lloyd Webber,A.R. Rahman musicalBombay Dreams, originating the role of the "hero" Akaash.[3] Narayan co-starred as Rajneesh alongside Mike Myers in theParamount Pictures' feature filmThe Love Guru (2008).[4]
He is an accomplished classical saxophonist in the western andSouth IndianCarnatic styles. When Narayan was a freshman atCarnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, he won the Concerto Competition and performed theGlazunov Saxophone Concerto with orchestra atCarnegie Hall in Pittsburgh. Narayan studied the Carnatic saxophone inMangalore, India with SriKadri Gopalnath, and played onAll India Radio as the winner of the All India Radio music competition of Mangalore.
As a recording artist, Narayan has collaborated on and recorded original and cover tracks for feature film soundtracks includingThe Love Guru,A Cinderella Story: Once Upon a Song,Good Night Good Morning andWalkaway. He co-wrote and recorded the singleHelp Me to Find for the filmHiding Divya starring Madhur Jaffrey. Narayan has collaborated with Grammy winnerFrank London numerous times around the world, most recently recording and performing for his Soundbrush Records'klezmer concept album,A Night in the Old Marketplace. As the lead vocalist, Narayan performed the concert version of the album throughout Europe and North America. He is currently working on a new klezmer/Desi collaboration calledSHARABI withLondon and master percussionist Deep Singh, whom he performed with inBombay Dreams. SHARABI performed at the 2014Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków,Poland.[17]
Narayan is also lead singer of the band D A R U N A M with Radovan Jovicevic, founding member of Yugoslavia's Grupa Zana. The band brings together the melodies and rhythms from three countries: America, India and Serbia. He recorded with D A R U N A M bandmate Radovan Jovicevic the singleHave Me for the 2007 filmAnd Then Came Love starringVanessa Williams. Narayan and Jovicevic have released the 2007 EPAll That's Beautiful Must Die and thetitle track's video featuringJanina Gavankar. Their album of Electronic Lounge/World Gypsy music with Canadian clarinetist Milan Milosevic entitledThe Last Angel on Earth was released live on CBC national radio in Canada in 2010. D A R U N A M is currently collaborating on an original theatre piece with playwrightAditi Kapil. Their untitled piece was selected to theBerkeley Repertory Theatre's 2014 Ground Floor Writer's Summer Residency Lab.[18]
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