Vishal Dadlani

Vishal Dadlani (born 28 June 1973) is an Indian singer, songwriter, actor and music composer. He is one half of the duo Vishal–Shekhar, Front Man and vocalist of one of India's leading rock bands Pentagram.

As a singer he has sung various hit songs for various genre's notably Dhoom Again, Kurban Hua, Jee le Zara, Marjaiyann, I feel Good, Jab Mila Tu, Tu Meri, Swag Se Swagat, Bala, Har funn Maula, Khuda Hafiz. In an interview he has claimed to be able to "sing any genre from Rock to Romantic, as he has particular voice texture for kind of genre". As a vocalist of band Pentagram, notable works are Voice, Tomorrow's Decided, Must I, Love Drug Climbdown and more to go. As music director, he has composed songs for films such as Om Shanti Om, Anjaana Anjaani, Dostana, I Hate Luv Storys, Bang Bang!, Sultan, Student of the Year, Befikre, War, etc.

Dadlani has been in collaboration with many international artists like Imogen Heap, Diplo, The Vamps and Akon.

Early life

Dadlani was born and raised in a Sindhi Hindu family in Bandra, West Bombay. He went to Hill Grange High School in Pedder Road, Cumbala Hill, South Bombay and subsequently attended Jai Hind College, University of Mumbai for two years (1989–90), after which he went to H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, HSNC University, both in Churchgate, South Bombay. He graduated in 1994 with a bachelor's degree in commerce.

Career

Dadlani's musical journey started in 1994 with the Mumbai-based electronica/indie-rock band Pentagram, which he fronted. Pentagram has gained recognition as one of the pioneers of Indian independent music.

While active with the band, Dadlani found fame as a Bollywood music composer, singer, and lyricist, with movies like Jhankaar Beats, Bluff Master, and Salaam Namaste.

Collaboration with Shekhar

In 1999, Vishal–Shekhar, the Bollywood composing/producing and performing music duo, was formed. Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani have worked together on Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Marathi films. Their notable works include Jhankaar Beats (2003), Dus (2005), Bluffmaster (2005), I See You (2006), Om Shanti Om (2007), Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), Dostana (2008), Anjaana Anjaani (2010), Ra.One (2011), Student of the Year (2012), Chennai Express (2013), Bang Bang! (2014), Happy New Year (2014), Sultan (2016), and Befikre (2016). The duo has gained nationwide recognition, and today are credited with being amongst the architects of the modern Bollywood sound, having composed music for over 60 films, released over 300 songs, and performed over 1,000 shows worldwide. The two rose to prominence in 2003 when they wrote the score for the film Jhankaar Beats, which included the song "Tu Aashiqui Hai". They won the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent for their work on the film.

Controversies

• In the aftermath of the Panama Paper leaks, the names of Dadlani and some of his family members surfaced due to investments they made through his company Sunny Blessing Holding Inc. in the British Virgin Islands. Some of these transactions are currently under investigation by the enforcement directorate.
• In 2016, Dadlani received strong opposition for criticizing the Jain monk Muni Tarun Sagar in a tweet. He was accused of hurting religious sentiments and several First information reports were filed against him, though the monk is said to not have taken the issue seriously. Dadlani later wrote an open letter, saying that the tweets had been his biggest mistake. He was reprimanded and fined by the Punjab and Haryana High Court for the tweet.

Playback singer

Dadlani got his first break as a playback singer when Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy asked him to sing "Kiss Of Love" for the movie Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. But because of some reasons the track delayed and he had recorded a track called "Dhoom Again" for Pritam as asked by Aditya Chopra which came out before "Kiss of Love".

Partial list of films Dadlani has recorded vocals for:

Lyrics by Vishal Dadlani

Discography

Pentagram

• We're Not Listening (1996)
• Up (2002)
• It's OK, It's All Good (2007)
• Bloodywood (2011)

Filmography

• Om Shanti Om (2007) as a director
• Tees Maar Khan (2010) as a director in the song "Sheila Ki Jawani"
• Happy New Year (2014) as a Judge

Awards and nominations

The following is a list of awards and nominations received by Vishal Dadlani alone. A list of awards and nominations received by Vishal–Shekhar can be seen here.

Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Award

BIG Star Entertainment Awards

Filmfare Awards

Global Indian Music Academy Awards

International Indian Film Academy Awards

Mirchi Music Awards

References

External links

• Vishal Dadlani at IMDb