Mahalakshmi Iyer, born on July 11, 1976, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, is an Indian playback singer who rose to fame thanks to her renditions of Hindi, Assamese, and Tamil songs. Though she made her debut with the film Dus in 1997, unfortunate circumstances led to the film's completion and release being halted following the sudden passing of the director. However, the album was eventually released in 1999 as a tribute. It was Mahalakshmi's collaboration with Udit Narayan on the track "Ae Ajnabee" for A.R. Rahman in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998) that is considered her true debut as a playback singer. Having worked extensively with renowned composers like Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and A.R. Rahman, she has lent her voice to numerous films and achieved notable success. She has been associated with popular soundtracks such as Mission Kashmir (2000), Yaadein (2001), and Saathiya (2002). Over the following years, her collaboration with Yash Raj Films resulted in hit songs from movies like Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Dhoom 2 (2006), and Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007). In 2008, Mahalakshmi Iyer contributed to the Academy Award-winning song "Jai Ho" in the movie Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which was named Best Original Song at the 2009 Academy Awards. She has also showcased her versatility by providing background vocals for Pankaj Udhas' renowned Ghazal, "Aur Ahistaa." In 2011, scored one of the biggest hits of her career with the track "Laung Da Lashkara" from the movie Patiala House, which was followed by appearances on the soundtracks of films such as Rajinimurugan (2016), Amma I Love You (2018), and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019).
