Vedan

Hirandas Murali (born 25 October 1994), known professionally as Vedan, is an Indian rapper and songwriter from Kerala, India. His songs often address themes of savarna caste politics, class, and resistance, and span both independent releases and contributions to Malayalam cinema. In 2025, he was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist.

He is best known for his tracks, "Kuthanthram" (from "Manjummel Boys"), "Kondal Vedan Song" (from "Kondal"), "La Vida", "Mauna Loa", and "Voice of Voiceless".

Early life Vedan was born in Thrissur, Kerala. His mother, an Eelam Tamil from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, migrated to Ooty, Tamil Nadu, during the Sri Lankan civil war. She was granted asylum in India and later received Indian citizenship from the Government of India. Vedan’s father, Murali, is a Malayali from the Paniya community and a native of Thrissur. Vedan spent his childhood in a residential complex called Swapnabhoomi, located near the Thrissur railway station.

His early musical influences included Tamil hip-hop artists such as Yogi B, Natchatra, and Dhilip Varman, as well as international musicians like Michael Jackson and Bob Marley. He gave his first public performance of an original composition during a protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Fort Kochi. The performance, by an invitation from the band Oorali, marked the beginning of his career as a socially engaged artist.

Career

2020: Debut with "Voice of the Voiceless" Vedan began his career in 2020 with the release of his debut music video “Voice of the Voiceless,” which addressed caste-based discrimination, marginalization, and social injustice. The video, released on YouTube, received attention for its political themes and direct lyricism, and has garnered over 1.8 crore views.

He followed it the same year with "Bhoomi", a song reflecting on global humanitarian issues, including the Syrian civil war, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and the death of Aylan Kurdi.

2021–2023: Film debut, label deals In 2021, Vedan made his debut in film music with the track "Narabali" from the Malayalam film “Nayattu”. Later that year, he released the music video for “Vaa”, which addressed themes of caste-based oppression and the societal position of marginalized communities. The video garnered over seven million views on YouTube.

He continued to grow his presence with "Social Criminal", released in 2023, a track that challenged systems of oppression on both local and global levels. That same year, Vedan signed a non-exclusive deal with the music label Mass Appeal India. He collaborated with KSHMR and Dabzee on “La Vida” featured on the album “Karam,” released through Mass Appeal India and Dharma Worldwide.

2024 - present: Mainstream recognition with Manjummel Boys, launching "Karupp Records" In 2024, Vedan gained mainstream recognition with the track "Kuthanthram", which he co-wrote and performed for the Malayalam film "Manjummel Boys", composed by Sushin Shyam. The song received widespread attention alongside the success of the film and accumulated over 50 million streams. He followed this with Kondal (2024) for the film Kondal, Veeran for the film "Checkmate" and Maranathin Niram for the film "No Way Out". His most recent film contribution is Va Veda (2025) for the movie "Narivetta". He was also featured in the song Kisses in the Clouds from the critically acclaimed movie All We Imagine as Light (2024).

In May 2024, Vedan launched Karupp Records, an independent record label aimed at promoting and supporting underrepresented artists. Since its beginning, the label has signed several talents. Alongside his film works, Vedan continued to release independent tracks that explored a range of themes. Later In 2024, he released Theruvinte Mon, a song rooted in street life and resistance. In 2025, he surprised his listeners with Mauna Loa, a love themed song that was widely appreciated and showed a new side to his music. Released through Mass Appeal India, it became his fastest track to surpass 10 million streams.

Notable performances In 2024, he performed at Gully Fest, in Mumbai, one of India’s major hip-hop festivals, headlined by rapper Divine. The same year, he was also part of Rap91, another prominent event featuring rap artists from across the country. His other notable performances include Para Hip Hop Festival (2024) organised by the Kochi Music Foundation, Royal Enfield Motoverse (2024) in Goa, and Ocha Festival (2024), Kochi, among many others.

Accolades YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultNotes202555th Kerala State Film AwardsBest Lyrics"Kuthanthram" from Manjummel Boys

Controversies

Drug activities and the possession of protected wildlife assets

On 28 April 2025, Vedan and eight others were arrested by the Kerala Excise Department for alleged possession of approximately six grams of cannabis at a flat in Kochi. During a search of his residence, authorities discovered a tiger tooth pendant, which had been gifted to him by a Sri Lankan national he met through Instagram. Following this, the Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department took him into custody under provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act. After a case was registered against Vedan for alleged possession of a tiger tooth, a resident of Thrissur filed a separate complaint against actor and politician Suresh Gopi, alleging that he was also in possession of a pendant featuring a leopard tooth. Possession of such items is considered a non-bailable offense under the Wildlife Protection Act. Vedan was later released on bail.

Discography Singles

Film songs Year Song title Film Composer Co-singer(s) Notes2021 "Narabali" NayattuVishnu Vijay Lyricist, Singer 2022"Maranathin Niram"No Way OutHrishi"Paanju Paanju" PadavettuGovind Vasantha 2024 "Kuthanthram" Manjummel BoysSushin Shyam "Veeran"CheckmateRatish Sekhar "Kondal Vedan Song"KondalSam C. S. "Kisses in the Clouds"All We Imagine as LightTopsheHaniya Nafisa 2025"Vaada Veda"NarivettaTippushan, Shiyas HassanJakes Bejoy "Rekka Rekka"Bison KaalamaadanNivas K. PrasannaArivuTamil song "Bhootha Ganam"Nellikkampoyil Night RidersYakzan Gary Pereira, Neha S NairAlso lyrics2026"Bum Baa Diga Diga"DCAnirudh RavichanderHeisenbergTamil song"Mannea En Makkalea"ArisiIlaiyaraaja