Vishal-Shekhar, formed in 1999, is an Indian music producing duo comprising of prominent musicians Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani. They regularly compose music for Hindi films, many of which have gone on to be blockbuster hits. Although Vishal Dadlani is the lead singer of indie electro-rock band Pentagram and Shekhar Ravjiani is a classical singer, the two compose music across multiple genres. The duo is widely regarded as the architects of modern Bollywood music.
Movie CareerVishal-Shekhar made their Bollywood debut in 1999, composing music for Raj Kaushal's Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. The musical duo shot to prominence a few years later, when their music for Sujoy Ghosh's critical hit Jhankaar Beats (2003) was widely appreciated. In 2004, they bagged the RD Burman Award for New Music Talent for their works in the movie, which led to the two receiving offers to compose music for numerous more movies. Their next notable project came in 2005 with the multi-starrer Dus. The movie was a commercial success and Vishal-Shekhar's work in the movie was lauded. Later that year, they composed music for the Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta-starrer Salaam Namaste.
After composing music for notable Bollywood films like Taxi No. 9211 (2006), Bluffmaster (2006), and Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), the duo worked on Om Shanti Om (2008), starring Bollywood icon Shah Rukh Khan and Bollywood debutante Deepika Padukone. The duo won a lot of praise for the movie's music, won Best Composer at the Asian Film Awards and was nominated for Best Music Director at the 2009 Filmfare Awards. The year 2011 saw the release of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Ra.One and a breakthrough for music in Bollywood. The music composers of the film Vishal-Shekhar collaborated with American R&B and rap icon Akon for the song Chammak Challo, which won an IIFA award for Best Song Recording and received two Filmfare Award nominations as well.
The years 2013 and 2014 saw Vishal-Shekhar rack up two Filmfare award nominations for Best Music Director for Student of the Year and Chennai Express, respectively. In 2016, the composers, once again, worked with Shah Rukh Khan on his blockbuster hit Fan. Later that year, they were involved with another blockbuster hit- Sultan, this time starring “the bad boy of Bollywood”, Salman Khan. The duo's other 2016 releases include Banjo, Akira, and Aditya Chopra's Befikre, starring Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor.
Independent ProjectsVishal-Shekhar composed the theme song for the Indian Premier League in seasons three, six, and seven. The duo has also composed the theme song for IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders. The musicians have been judges for multiple reality TV shows including Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star, and Indian Idol Junior. Vishal-Shekhar has also performed at numerous concerts and events all over India and even abroad.