Papon

Who is Papon?

Papon — the stage name of Angaraag Mahanta — is one of India's most distinctive and respected voices, an Assamese singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist celebrated for his warm, soulful tone and genre-spanning artistry. Equally at home in folk-fusion, Bollywood playback and independent music, he is known for songs such as "Moh Moh Ke Dhage", "Bulleya" and the Pritam-composed "Yaad" from Metro... In Dino (2025).

Early life and musical family

Papon was born Angaraag Mahanta on 24 November 1975 in Nagaon, Assam, into one of the state's most celebrated musical families. He is the son of the renowned Assamese vocalists Khagen Mahanta and Archana Mahanta, and grew up steeped in Assamese folk traditions, classical training and the rich musical heritage of the region — a foundation that would shape his later fusion of folk and contemporary sounds.

Papon and The East India Company

In 2007 he founded and became the lead vocalist of Papon and The East India Company, an electronic folk-fusion band that blended traditional Indian folk with modern electronic textures. The project earned him a devoted following on India's independent-music circuit and established his reputation as an artist unafraid to cross genre boundaries, long before he became a mainstream playback star.

Bollywood breakthrough

Papon's first major Bollywood hit came with "Jiyein Kyun" from Dum Maro Dum (2011). He reached an even wider audience with "Moh Moh Ke Dhage" from Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) — a tender, understated ballad that became one of his signature songs — and "Bulleya" from Sultan (2016). These performances showcased the qualities that define his playback work: restraint, emotional honesty and a voice that conveys deep feeling without ever oversinging.

Coke Studio and independent music

Beyond film playback, Papon became one of the most recognisable faces of India's independent and fusion-music scene, in particular through his work on Coke Studio India, where his blend of folk roots and contemporary production reached a wide national audience. His reinterpretations of traditional and folk material, alongside original compositions, helped popularise folk-fusion as a mainstream genre and built him a reputation as an artist who could honour tradition while making it feel modern and alive.

An Assamese cultural icon

In his home state of Assam, Papon is far more than a Bollywood name — he is a major cultural figure who carries forward one of the region's great musical legacies. As the son of Khagen Mahanta, a towering figure in Assamese music, and Archana Mahanta, he has championed Assamese folk and Bihu traditions on national platforms, recording extensively in his mother tongue and using his mainstream profile to spotlight the music of the Northeast. That dual identity — a custodian of regional heritage and a pan-Indian star — is central to who he is as an artist.

A multilingual, multi-genre artist

One of Papon's defining traits is his range across languages and styles. He has recorded in Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, Odia, Tamil and Marathi, moving fluidly between folk, fusion, ghazal-inflected ballads and mainstream film songs. That versatility made him a natural choice for "Yaad", a Pritam composition that adapts a 19th-century ghazal by the classical Urdu poet Momin Khan Momin — a song demanding exactly the kind of poised, emotive delivery Papon is known for.

Awards and recognition

Papon's artistry has been widely honoured. His work on "Moh Moh Ke Dhage" brought a sweep of recognition in 2016, including an IIFA Award for Best Male Playback Singer, alongside honours at the Screen Awards, GiMA Awards and Mirchi Music Awards. Beyond formal trophies, he is held in high regard by peers and listeners as one of the most authentic and musically literate voices of his generation.

Legacy

From an Assamese musical dynasty to the national Bollywood stage, Papon has carved out a singular place in Indian music — an artist who carries folk roots into the mainstream without diluting them. As both a folk-fusion pioneer and a sought-after playback singer, he continues to bridge tradition and modernity, and songs like "Yaad" reaffirm his standing as a go-to voice when a film needs depth, restraint and genuine emotional weight. Few contemporary Indian artists move so credibly between a folk stage in Assam, an independent fusion set and a marquee Bollywood soundtrack — and fewer still do it while keeping their regional roots so firmly intact.