Guest bio
- Singer and composer, the "Shankar" of Shankar Ehsaan Loy and the Grammy-winning frontman of Shakti.
- A Padma Shri awardee whose film albums include Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, and whose song Breathless became an anthem.
- Co-founder of Malgudi, the South Indian café brand, and runs a digital music academy with students in more than 90 countries.
Shankar Mahadevan is a singer and composer, the "Shankar" of Shankar Ehsaan Loy and the Grammy-winning frontman of Shakti. A Padma Shri awardee, he grew up in a Tamil Iyer family in Chembur, began veena lessons at five, trained in Carnatic and Hindustani music, and started his career as a software engineer. His song Breathless became a generational anthem, and with Shankar Ehsaan Loy he reshaped the sound of modern Hindi cinema through albums such as Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho. He has shared the stage with John McLaughlin and Ustad Zakir Hussain. He is a co-founder of Malgudi, the South Indian café brand in Mumbai and Dubai, and runs a digital music academy with students in more than 90 countries.
Show notes
What if one man’s voice could change the way we hear music, eat food and celebrate life?
In this special Money Majlis XTRA episode, Suvo Sarkar is joined by Padma Shri awardee Shankar Mahadevan, singer, composer, Grammy winning frontman of Shakti and co founder of the South Indian resto café brand Malgudi. Together they trace a remarkable journey from a Tamil Iyer childhood in Chembur and veena lessons at five, to becoming the “Shankar” of Shankar Ehsaan Loy and reshaping the sound of modern Hindi cinema with albums like Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Shankar opens up about the surreal moment of walking onto the Grammy stage with Shakti and why, for him, the biggest award is simply sharing a platform with maestros like John McLaughlin and Ustad Zakir Hussain. He revisits the making of Breathless, the three minute marvel that began as an experimental meter in a composer’s office and went on to become a generational anthem that refuses to age after twenty-seven years.
The conversation dives into craft and technology as Shankar reflects on how his early career as a software engineer now shapes his studio process, from composing inside a DAW to thinking of plug ins as creative partners. He explains how rigorous Carnatic and Hindustani training built the grammar that lets him move effortlessly between classical, film, fusion and folk, and why he believes folk music, born from life’s milestones, sits even “above” classical in its raw power.
From there, Suvo steers the discussion into food and entrepreneurship. Shankar shares the manifestation story behind Malgudi, how a chance meeting with Chembur friend Ramakrishnan turned a foodie’s dream into a fast growing chain in Mumbai and Dubai, and why they obsessed over every element, from the exact texture of the idli to the signature Malgudi sambar and filter coffee. He reveals his plans to turn Malgudi into a cultural brand with live music, spiritual mornings and curated experiences that blend sound and flavour.
Along the way, you will hear about his global tours, the healing power of music, his 15 year old digital academy reaching students in 90 plus countries, and his clear eyed view on AI as a powerful but ultimately subordinate tool in the creative process. This is an episode about excellence, humility and celebrating life, whether on stage, in the studio or over a hot dosa.
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