Born in Mumbai, Tauseef Akhtar is a Bollywood composer and Indian vocalist who specializes in the Ghazal genre. He was raised by his father, Urdu specialist Akhtar Azad, and trained as a classical singer under musicians Pandit Govind Prasad Jaipurwale and Jagjit Singh. Following his college graduation, he began partnering with Nadeem–Shravan — the iconic duo of Indian film composers Nadeem Akhtar Saifi and Shravan Kumar Rathod — as a songwriter. Although he initially wrote songs for artists' albums, he became increasingly involved with film scores, too. The 2002 movie Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa marked his debut as an assistant music director, and Akhtar quickly expanded his filmography to include additional titles like Dhadkan, Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya, Dil Hai Tumhaara, and Qayamat: City Under Threat. Although best known as a music director during this period, he also sang several hits songs himself, including the popular title track from Tumse Achcha Kaun Hai as well as "Kabhi Hasna Hai Kabhi" from Dil Hai Tumhara. His performance of the latter song earned Akhtar a nomination for "Best Singer Category" at the Stardust Awards in 2002. Tauseef Akhtar continued to explore the intersection between music and film for decades, often with chart success. In 2023, his video for "Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai Chand Tare Phool" (from Tum Se Achcha Kaun Hai) hit Number 74 on India's Top 100 YouTube Music chart.
