Shankar Mahadevan

Shankar Mahadevan
Mahadevan in 2009
Born (1967-03-03) 3 March 1967 (age 59)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Children2, Siddharth, Shivam
Musical career
GenreIndian music
Occupations
InstrumentVocals
Years active1994–present
Member ofShankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Websiteshankarmahadevan.com

Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that makes music for Indian films. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (honoris causa degree) by Birmingham City University.

Early and personal life

Shankar Mahadevan was born in Chembur, Mumbai into a Tamil Iyer Brahmin family originally from Palakkad, Kerala. He learned Hindustani classical and Carnatic music as a child and began playing the veena at the age of five under Shri Lalitha Venkataraman. Mahadevan studied music under Pandit Shrinivas Khale and T.R. Balamani.

He is an alumnus of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School, Chembur and graduated in 1988 with a degree in Computer Science and Software Engineering from the Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology in Navi Mumbai, affiliated with Mumbai University, and was a software engineer for the company Leading Edge. After working for Leading Edge Systems (now Trigyn Technologies Limited), Mahadevan ventured into music.

He has two sons, Siddharth Mahadevan and Shivam Mahadevan, both of whom are singers.

Musical career

Mahadevan got early fame as an Indi-pop star with his fusion of Carnatic, Hindustani, and jazz. He earned his first award as a playback singer in a Tamil movie, collaborating with A. R. Rahman and winning a National Film Award for his song in Kandukondain Kandukondain. At that time, his debut non-film album, Breathless released and topped the Indian music charts in 1998. He won one Grammy Award and received three nominations. Mahadevan has composed songs in the Hindi film music industry as part of the trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, since 1999. In 2019, he was felicitated with the Padma Shri Award for his contribution to film music.

He has remained active in music. In 2024, he also contributed vocals to the stage production Humare Ram. The production was produced by Rahul Bhuchar.

Awards and honors

The President, Shri Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Padma Shree Award to Mahadevan, at an Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 11 March 2019

Filmography

As actor

Television

Discography

As composer

As playback singer

Solo albums

Shankar Mahadevan Academy

The Shankar Mahadevan Academy is a music academy founded by composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan along with Sridhar Ranganathan Founder and CEO of Cloodon- Personalized Learning Platform.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bollywood star to be recognised with top university honour". Birmingham City University. 9 November 2022. Archived from the original on 25 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  2. ↑ Puri, Amit (21 October 2002). "Nerd who started at 5 and still not Breathless". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 10 March 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  3. ↑ "Interesting facts about musical genius Shankar Mahadevan". India TV. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Narayan, Shoba (17 January 2015). "The psychology of a Matunga Tamilian". mint. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  5. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan – Artist Biography". JioSaavn. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  6. ↑ "Khale a maestro till his last breath: Mahadevan". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017.
  7. ↑ "Best Marathi songs by Shankar Mahadevan you would love to listen to". Times of India. 5 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Ramani, Hema Iyer Ramani and V. v (27 July 2017). "The sound of his music". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  9. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan Alumni".
  10. ↑ Network, Post News (3 March 2021). "Happy B'day Shankar Mahadevan; Ace singer ditched software job for music - OrissaPOST". Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
  11. ↑ "Eminent Alumni | RAIT". Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  12. ↑ Yasir, S.M. (6 November 2003). "Striking the right note... for his supper". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2004. Retrieved 20 November 2009.
  13. ↑ "Folk music is above even classical music: Shankar Mahadevan". DNA India. 23 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Kumar, R. ed., 2003. Essays on Indian music. Discovery Publishing House.
  15. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 13 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Mukherjee, Tatsam (9 July 2021). "Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy: The Trio who has proven to be game-changing for Hindi film music". India Today. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  17. ↑ "Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy turns 20: 25 songs by the Dil Chahta Hai trio which changed Bollywood". India Today. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  18. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan dedicates Padma Shri to partners Ehsaan and Loy". India Today. Indo-Asian News Service. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "Ramayana to Mahabharata: The rise of epic theatre in India". The Indian Express. 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  20. ↑ "Humare Ram Ramayana drama theatre play Ashutosh Rana questions on Sanatana Dharma Adipurush OTT". India Today. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  21. ↑ "Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award". Thiraseela.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kerala State Film Awards". Kerala State Chalachitra Academy. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  23. ↑ Juhan Samuel. "Mohan Lal, Kaniha to get best actor, actress award!". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2009.
  24. ↑ Antao, Lisa (1 October 2011). "Lata Mangeshkar Award for Shankar Mahadevan". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  25. ↑ "Critics award: Gaddama adjudged best film". The Indian Express. 26 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  26. ↑ "Mohanlal, Prabhudheva and Shankar Mahadevan receive Padma Awards". The Indian Express. 11 March 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  27. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan & Zakir Hussain Triumph at 2024 Grammy Awards with 'The moment' album". Bru Times News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  28. ↑ "Grammy Awards 2024 winner Shakti: 5 things you need to know about Shankar Mahadevan and Zakir Hussain's fusion band". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2024. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  29. ↑ "Shankar Mahadevan | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  30. ↑ Netaji and Chatrapati Shivaji featuring Thai Manne 2.0 Ravi Murrugiah/ Shankar Mahadevan #ThaiManne. Vasan Digitz. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024 – via YouTube.
  31. ↑ Netaji and Chatrapati Shivaji featuring Bharat Maa 2.0 Ravi Murrugiah/ Shankar Mahadevan #ThaiManne. Vasan Digitz. 31 July 2023. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2023 – via YouTube.