Shantanu Nandan Herlekar

Shantanu Nandan Herlekar was born and brought up in Shahpur Belagavi. Shantanu is a music director working predominantly in the Marathi Language Entertainment Sector. Shantanu's father is Shri Nanadan Herlekar, his very first music teacher. Shantanu was born into a family of musicians. He spent his childhood in a family of the Sanskrit Pandits, surrounded by their influence. Shantanu later studied music under the guidance of Smt. Shubha Mudgal. 

Shantanu studied at the School of Audio Engineering. He also completed a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in History. Since childhood, Shantanu has thrived in music and inspiration. Shantanu won a scholarship from the government of India to study music when he was ten. Shantanu's favorite genre of music is Indian Classical Music. He has tried and experimented with different sounds and genres and has found his passion in Indian Classical music. 

Shantanu has worked as a playback singer, composer, and main singer. He has performed for various TV serials and movies. Shantanu releases most of his artwork in Hindi, Kannada, and Marathi Languages. Shantanu was honored with the Sangeet Alankar degree in Hindustani Classic Music. Recently, he was awarded with the Pt. Vishnu Digambar Paluskar Award. Shantanu has also studied and completed his diploma in Electronic Music Production. 

Shantanu was the lead singer for the band 'Avyakta.' The band was featured by EMI Music in their album 'India Rocks.' This album was about the top and best thirty bands around India. Kingfisher Strong Backstage featured Shantanu in his song 'Dongravari Gao.' The song was much appreciated and collected almost two lakh views from the audience. Shantanu worked as a music teacher at the Shankar Mahadevan Academy. He also worked with his teacher, Guru Shubha Mudgal, at Underscore Record Private Limited. Shantanu has also worked with Dr. Aneesh Pradhan. 

Shantanu Nandan Herlekar is most known for his songs in the 2018 Marathi Movie, ‘Vanilla Strawberry & Chocolate,’ written and directed by Girish Vishvanath. Shantanu composed soundtracks for the 2015 Marathi Movie 'Daaravtha' directed by Nishant Roy and Bombarde. The movie was a nominee at the Indian Film Festival in Los Angeles (IFFLA) and the 2016 Boston LGBT Film Festival. Other musical projects Shantanu was a part of are listed here: Balentine (2016), Evening Shadows (2018), One Night with Right and Wrong (2014), Kohkana (2019), and others.

Another version of this bio...

Shantanu Nandan Herlekar is a Marathi music director associated with the Marathi film industry. His family is composed of musicians and Sanskrit scholars. Shantanu’s father, Shri Nandan Herlekar, was his first music guru. He also learned classical music from the popular singer, Smt. Shubha Mudgal. Shantanu has a diploma in electronic music production and was awarded a Sangeet Alankar degree in Hindustani classical music.

Shantanu is not only a music director, but he is also a playback singer and composer as well. He has composed and sung songs for many serials and films in Kannada, Marathi, and Hindi. Shantanu has also performed at several shows globally. Shantanu’s recent film project is the Marathi film Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate (2018). His movie Daaravtha (2016) was nominated for the Boston LGBT Film Festival and the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.