Anu Malik began his career as a music composer in the late 1970s, with his early work including Hunterwali 77 (1977). His first full film soundtrack was for Poonam (1981). After years of struggle, he gained wider recognition with Mard (1985) and later achieved a major breakthrough with Baazigar (1993).
During the 1990s and 2000s, Anu Malik became one of Bollywood's leading music directors. He composed music for successful films including Baazigar, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Vijaypath, Border, Refugee, Josh, Asoka, Mela, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai, and Main Hoon Na. He has composed music for more than 300 films.
Anu Malik received the National Film Award for Best Music Direction for Refugee (2000) and has also won major Filmfare and other music awards. Alongside composing, he has worked as a playback singer and became widely known to television audiences as a judge on Indian Idol.