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Shashwat Sachdev is an Indian music composer, lyricist, and singer. He is best known for composing the music as well as background score for the Bollywood action film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019).
Wiki/Biography
Shashwat Sachdev was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Although Shashwat comes from a non-musical background, with a father who is a doctor and a mother who is a Philosophy lecturer, he was inclined towards music since childhood. He first started learning music at the age of 4. It was her mother who started teaching him music in the first place. Additionally, his father was also a music lover.
Childhood picture of Shashwat Sachdev singing at an event
For 21 years, he trained in Indian Classical Music in guru–shishya tradition under his Guru Ustad Ramzan Khan. Talking about the same in an interview, he said,
I remember my guruji refused to teach me any other raag apart from Raag Yaman for 11 years until I perfected it and could sing it without any ornamentation.”
Shashwat Sachdev with his Guru Ustad Ramzan Khan
He started learning Western Classical Piano when he was in Class 7. He learnt to play the Western Classical Piano for 11 years. He moved to Hollywood, Los Angeles in 2011 and worked there for a few years before moving back to India in 2016. From 2006 to 2011, he studied Law at Symbiosis Law School, Pune. Later, he started living in an apartment in Versova, Mumbai.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
His family hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Sudhir Sachdev, is the vice chancellor at Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences & Technology (MGUMST). He previously worked as a Professor of Anaesthesiology at MGUMST. His mother, Mani Sachdev, is a lecturer at Manipal University Jaipur. His sister, Sahiba Tandon, is an architect.
Shashwat Sachdev with his parents
Shashwat Sachdev with his sister, Sahiba Tandon
Wife & Children
His wife’s name is Shruti Sachdev (née Shruti Siag).
Shashwat Sachdev with his wife
Career
After completing his formal education, he moved to Los Angeles after the Grammy Award winner Tony Maserati invited him there to work with him. Shashwat and Tony met at an audio engineering workshop in Europe and stayed in touch thereafter. In LA, Shashwat started off his career in Hollywood. In an interview, while talking about the same he said,
I first got the opportunity in Hollywood. I attended a small seminar in France for sound designing and sound engineering. The person who was taking the seminar invited me to work with him. So, that’s how it started.”
He has worked alongside various eminent musical personalities in Hollywood like Marc Shaiman, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Mariah Carey.
Bollywood
As a Composer
It was Rhea Kapoor who gave Shashwat Sachdev his first break in her film Veere Di Wedding (2018). While working on Veere Di Wedding, he secured the opportunity to work on the film Phillauri. He made his Bollywood debut in 2017, scoring music for Phillauri, which featured the crowd-puller tracks Dum Dum and Sahiba. Shedding light on how he secured the opportunity to work in Phillauri, he said,
While I was in LA, I was searching for an agency to handle my work. Then, I met Chaitanya Hegde and Datta Dave, who manage some great writers in the country. They put me in touch with Karnesh sir. He asked me to compose a song.”
For his work in Phillauri, he earned nominations in the categories of Upcoming Music Composer of The Year for “Bajaake Tumba,” Upcoming Music Composer of The Year for “Sahiba,” and Best Song Engineer (Recording & Mixing) for “Naughty Billo” at 10th Mirchi Music Awards. He composed four songs for buddy comedy film Veere Di Wedding (2018) and then he scored for the streaming TV series Selection Day (2018).
Shashwat Sachdev composing music in a studio
In 2019, Sachdev composed the music as well as the background score for Uri: The Surgical Strike, which garnered rave reviews and various accolades for him. His track “Jagga Jiteya” from the film was widely appreciated. Additionally, the background score of Uri was appreciated to such an extent that it was released separately on popular demand.
As a Singer
In 2018, he lent his voice to film Kaalakaandi’s title track, along with Vivek Hariharan, Romy, and Arun Kamath.
Shashwat Sachdev working with Romy
He collaborated with Sunidhi Chauhan for the song Pappi Le Loon and with Neha Kakkar and Romy for the song Bhangra Ta Sajda from Veere Di Wedding (2018). He lent his voice to various songs of the film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) and Attack: Part 1 (2022).
Independent Work
Shashwat Sachdev singing and playing the guitar
He worked with Madhubanti Bagchi as a lyricist and composer for the songs Kahaniya (2019), Maan Ja (2020), and Roko Na (2020). In 2022, he dropped his first single Awaara Ho under the label IndieA Records – UMG. The song was written, composed, and sung by Shashwat himeself.
Other songs in which he worked as lyricist and composer are Sha – Dobara (2021) with Shreya Jain, Sha – O Jaana (2021), and Awaara Ho – Dream Pop (2022) with Shilpa Rao. He worked as a composer for Jubin Nautiyal’s song Meri Jaan (2021), Shirley Setia’s Tenu Vekhan Da (2021), and Prateek Kuhad’ s Kaisi Jadugari (2023).
Albums
In 2021, he released his first production album Euphoria And The Following Realties, under the music label Extreme Music. His track Dharma from the album won Best World Production Music 2021, while Shashwat himself won PRS Foundation The Best Newcomer 2021.
He also released a self-titled lo-fi album ‘Sha’ helmed by Shivam Malhotra of Malsons Media. In 2022, he released his second album Shades of Cashmere, under Extreme Music.
Awards
- Won National Film Award for Best Music Direction at 66th National Film Awards for the film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Shashwat Sachdev receving the National Film Award for Best Music Direction from Vice President Venkaiah Naidu in 2019
- Won R. D. Burman Award at 65th Filmfare Awards for the film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
Shashwat Sachdev posing with his RD Burman Filmfare Award
- Won Best Background Score Award at 21st IIFA Awards for the film Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019)
- Won the title of Best World Music for the song “Dharma” from his album Euphoria And The Following Realties at The Production Music Awards 2021
- Won PRS Foundation Best Newcomer at the Production Music Awards 2021 for his album Euphoria And The Following Realties
Favourites
- Singer:Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
- Composer(s): Salil Chowdhury, S. D. Burman, Madan Mohan
Facts/Trivia
- Once, in an interview, he revealed that in one of his slam books in Class VII, he had written that he wanted to be a composer.
- He is a travel enthusiast and says that his travels influnces his work.