Quick facts
| Born | 28 June 1973 |
| Birthplace | Bandra, Bombay (Mumbai), Maharashtra, India |
| Profession | Singer, composer, lyricist, screenwriter, television personality |
| Debut | 1994, as lead vocalist of Pentagram |
| Music partner | Shekhar Ravjiani (Vishal-Shekhar, formed 1999) |
Music career
With Pentagram he released We’re Not Listening (1996), Up (2002), It’s OK, It’s All Good (2007) and Bloodywood (2011). As part of Vishal-Shekhar he composed music for Jhankaar Beats (2003), Dus (2005), Om Shanti Om (2007), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Ra.One (2011), Student of the Year (2012), Chennai Express (2013), Happy New Year (2014), Sultan (2016) and Befikre (2016).
As a playback singer his songs include Kiss of Love from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007), and Chammak Challo from Ra.One (2011), sung with Akon. He collaborated with international artists including Imogen Heap, Diplo, The Vamps and Akon.
Awards and recognition
Vishal-Shekhar won the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent in 2003 for Jhankaar Beats. He has received several Filmfare nominations for best playback singer and best lyricist, including for Chammak Challo in 2012.
- Pioneered the Indian indie-rock movement as the lead vocalist of Pentagram in 1994 before forming the powerhouse composer duo Vishal-Shekhar, delivering iconic Bollywood soundtracks for blockbuster hits like Om Shanti Om, Ra.One, and Chennai Express.
- Established a dominant presence in playback singing and international collaborations—partnering with global heavyweights like Akon, Diplo, and Imogen Heap—while earning prestigious accolades including the Filmfare RD Burman Award.
- Expanded his multimedia footprint into prime-time television as a recurring judge on prominent singing and talent reality shows, alongside recent digital appearances including India's Got Latent.
Television and public matters
He has been a judge on Happy New Year (2014) and Student of the Year 2 (2019), and appeared as himself on India’s Got Latent in 2026. In 2016 a tweet of his about the Jain monk Muni Tarun Sagar drew criticism and several complaints, and he later apologised in an open letter. In the same year he was named in the Panama Papers leaks over investments through a British Virgin Islands company.
Net worth
Not publicly estimated.
