Raghav Sachar (born 24 July 1981, in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

) is an Indian singer, composer and film scorer.

Early life and career

Sachar was born to father, R. K. Sachar, and mother, Usha Sachar in Calcutta. He is the youngest of three children. He started playing his first instrument, the

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica incl ...

, at the age of four. Every year since then his parents have given him an instrument. Born into a family of music lovers, Raghav was interested in music from a very early age. Childhoodraghav

He won the Best Drummer Award at the Pepsi Cornucopia contest in Delhi in 1994 besides being adjudged the best keyboard player at the

BITS Pilani The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (BITS Pilani) is a private deemed university in Pilani, Rajasthan, India. It focuses primarily on higher education and research in engineering and sciences. BITS Pilani was one of the first ...

Festival. At the age of 15, he was chosen by the government of India as their representative in Russia for a cultural exchange program. He also formed a band,

Canzona The canzona, also known as the canzon or canzone, is an Italian musical form derived from the Franco-Flemish and Parisian '' chansons''. Background The canzona is an instrumental musical form that differs from the similar forms of ricercare ...

, with some friends where they toured all over India and played at key places like the IITs, BITS Pilani etc. before proceeding to Monash Conservatory of Music,

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

in 2000 to study music. Raghav is an alumnus of Mount St. Mary's, Delhi Cantt. He studied Music & Composition and Performance with the main instrument, the

Saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...

and minor instrument being

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

, and did his majors in

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

at Monash. It was during this time that Raghav toured as a "One-Man Band" to countries in South East Asia including Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Raghav has also done affiliated courses from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and

Trinity College Trinity College may refer to: Australia * Trinity Anglican College, an Anglican coeducational primary and secondary school in , New South Wales * Trinity Catholic College, Auburn, a coeducational school in the inner-western suburbs of Sydney, New ...

of London. He gave solo concerts while visiting India and worked with Viva and

Shubha Mudgal Shubha Mudgal (born 1 January 1959) is an Indian singer, and composer, known for her works in Hindustani classical music, Indian pop, and Tamil cinema. Her repertoire includes the genres of khyal, thumri, and dadra. She has received the Padma S ...

on albums apart from recording for jingles for advertisements such as

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...

Pepsi Pepsi is a Carbonated water, carbonated soft drink with a cola flavor, manufactured by PepsiCo which serves as its flagship product. In 2023, Pepsi was the second most valuable soft drink brand worldwide behind Coca-Cola; the two share a long ...

Sony Walkman is a brand of portable audio players manufactured by Sony since 1979. It was originally introduced as a portable cassette player and later expanded to include a range of portable audio products. Since 2011, the brand has referred exclusivel ...

etc. and film soundtracks. His crowning glory was being awarded the Golden Key Award and Earnest Award for academic excellence in 2000 and 2001 at Monash. He was termed as a Born Genius and featured in

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

’s Worldwide Television Series titled “My Brilliant Brain”. He has performed live for over 2000 public, corporate and private shows since 2003. Raghav now plays more than 33 instruments.

Albums

He released his first album "Raghav- For The First Time" in 2003 through

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

, followed by three other albums released through

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum ...

in 2005 and 2007. Raghav's albums such as "24 Carat", "

Play It Loud ''Play It Loud'' is the second studio album by the British rock group Slade. It was released by Polydor in November 1970 but did not enter the charts. The album, produced by Chas Chandler, was the first to be released under the Slade name, as t ...

" and "Charming Lootera" enjoyed commercial success throughout India. "Vande Mataram" released in 2010 was launched by Hon'ble Ministers Kamalnath and Jaipal Reddy. 12 of his albums have been released under his own label " Raghav Sachar Music" (founded in 2009) between 2009 and 2015.

Raghav Sachar Productions

Founded in 2011, "Raghav Sachar Productions" tends to films, and live events and music videos.

Films

Raghav debuted as a music director for the film “

Kabul Express ''Kabul Express'' is a 2006 Indian Hindi-language adventure thriller film written and directed by Kabir Khan in his feature directorial debut, produced by Aditya Chopra and starring John Abraham, Arshad Warsi, Salman Shahid, Hanif Humgaam, a ...

”, by “ Yash Raj Productions” in 2005. Since then he has composed songs for films such as "One Two three", and " Bittoo Boss" amongst many others. He also played numerous instruments in various Bollywood blockbuster films, such as,

Salaam Namaste ''Salaam Namaste'' (transl. ''Hello Greetings'') is a 2005 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Siddharth Anand, in his directorial debut, and produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film star ...

, Parineeta,

Dhoom ''Dhoom'' (transl. ''Blast'') is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language motorcycle, moto action film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and produced by Aditya Chopra under the banner of Yash Raj Films. The story was written by Chopra with a screenplay by Vijay Kr ...

, Kaal, Hum Tum, Yehaan, Black Friday,

Kal Ho Na Ho ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' (, ), also abbreviated as ''KHNH'', is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy drama film directed by debutant Nikhil Advani from a script written by Karan Johar and Niranjan Iyengar, and produced by Yash Johar under ...

, Don to name a few. He has played in over 150 films till date.

Collaborations

Raghav has collaborated with leading music directors such as:

A.R. Rahman Allah Rakha Rahman (; born A. S. Dileep Kumar; 6 January 1967), also known by the initialism ARR, is an Indian music composer, record producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and philanthropist known for his works in Indian cinema ...

Vishal–Shekhar Vishal–Shekhar are an Indian music composition, production, singing, and songwriting duo consisting of Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani from Mumbai. Known predominantly for their work as music composers in Hindi cinema, Vishal–Shekhar h ...

Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy () is an Indian musical trio consisting of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa. They have composed music for over 50 soundtracks across five languages: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi and English. Amongst ...

Salim–Sulaiman Salim–Sulaiman are an Indian music composer duo consisting of siblings Salim Merchant and Sulaiman Merchant. The duo has composed music predominantly for Hindi films. Life and early career Salim–Sulaiman's ancestral town is Mundra, Kutch, ...

Anu Malik Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik (born 2 November 1960) is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is the recipient of a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film ...

and

Pritam Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked as an ad jin ...

He has also recorded and performed with leading artists such as:

Dave Weckl Dave Weckl (born January 8, 1960, in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American jazz fusion drummer and the leader of the Dave Weckl Band. He was inducted into the ''Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2000. Biography Weckl started playing his first se ...

(International Jazz Drummer),

Sonu Nigam Sonu Nigam (born 30 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, dubbing artist and actor. He is one of the most versatile singers and widest vocal ranges in the history of Indian music. His songs vary from romantic to break-up, cla ...

Shreya Ghoshal Shreya Ghoshal (; born 12 March 1984) is an Indian singer. Noted for her wide vocal range and versatility, she is one of the most prolific and influential singers of India. Often referred to as the "Queen of Dynamics'' for her remarkable voc ...

Sunidhi Chauhan Sunidhi Chauhan (pronounced ; born Nidhi Chauhan, 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer. Known for her Bold vocal range, she has recorded songs for films in several Indian languages and List of awards and nominations received by Sunidhi ...

Kailash Kher Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, live performer, and composer. He sings songs with a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians Kumar Gandharva, Hrida ...

Shankar Mahadevan Shankar Mahadevan (born 3 March 1967) is an Indian singer and composer who is part of the Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy trio that writes music for Indian films. In 2023, he was awarded an honorary doctorate (''honoris causa'' degree) by Birmingham Ci ...

Adnan Sami Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1969) is an Indian singer, musician, composer, actor and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music in many languages, such as Hindi, Urdu, English, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. He has been awarded ...

Neeraj Shridhar Neeraj Shridhar is an Indian film playback singer, composer and singer-songwriter who was the lead vocalist of Indian pop and rock group Bombay Vikings. Bombay Vikings became popular with remix hits like "Kya Soorat Hai", "Woh Chali" and "Cho ...

Kunal Ganjawala Kunal Ganjawala (born 14 April 1972) is an Indian playback singer whose songs are mostly featured in Hindi, Bengali, and Kannada films. He has also sung in Marathi, and other official languages of India. Kunal began his career by singing ji ...

, Sivamani,

Niladri Kumar Pandit Niladri Kumar is an Indian sitar player and music composer. Early life He was born to sitar player Kartick Kumar, a disciple of Ravi Shankar. He started learning sitar under his father at the age of four. Kumar gave his first public per ...

Taufiq Qureshi Ustad Taufiq Qureshi (born 1962) is an Indian classical musician. He is a percussionist and composer. Early life Born in Mumbai to the tabla player Alla Rakha. His eldest brother was a legendary tabla player, Zakir Hussain. He received guidanc ...

Louis Banks Louis Banks (born Dambar Bahadur Budaprithi on 11 February 1941) is an Indian film composer, record producer, keyboardist, and singer. He has often been referred to as the 'Godfather of Indian jazz'.Ranjit Barot Ranjit Barot is an Indian film score composer, music director and arranger, drummer, and singer based in Mumbai, India. He is a long-time associate of A. R. Rahman. John McLaughlin has described him as one of the "leading edges" in drumming. ...

, etc.

Performing and other projects

* Performed for Satyapaul at Madam Tussauds (London) in 2004. * Performed on behalf of Government of India as a Cultural Ambassador in Germany, Japan and UK in 2006–2007. * Performed in a 26-city concert tour titled “Idea Rocks India” as their headline act in 2007. * Performed at the

Waldorf Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story, Art Deco landmark des ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

for award ceremonies of overseas Indian community in 2007 and 2009. * Performed live at the closing ceremony of

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

held in Delhi, India in 2010. * Performed live at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

held in Davos, Switzerland in 2011. * Live performances at several fashion shows like Lakme India Fashion Week, Wills India Fashion Week, India International Jewelry Week (IIJW) to name a few. * Several performances for various IPL teams like

Mumbai Indians The Mumbai Indians are a professional Twenty20, Twenty20 cricket team based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Indians were founded in 2008 and are owned by India's largest Conglomerate (company), co ...

Rajasthan Royals The Rajasthan Royals, also known as RR, are a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Founded in 2008 as one of the initial eight franchises, the team is owned by Manoj ...

etc. * Performed for a New Year's Eve event of Mr.

Mukesh Ambani Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (born 19 April 1957) is an Indian billionaire and businessman who is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries. As of May 2025, he is the richest person in Asia and The World's Billionaires, 13th richest ...

in Serengeti National Park (Africa) in 2010–11. * Performed in

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal elective monarchy made up of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi serving as i ...

, Thailand,

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kenya, Australia, USA among others for various Corporate, Fashion, private and public events between 2000 and 2015. * Raghavperforming

* Performed for various Product Launches of leading brands such as, Audi, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota, Honda, Lakme, Wills Lifestyle, Provogue, Samsung, Blackberry, Nokia, Sony, Vodafone, Airtel, Google and Reliance to name some. * Judged and appeared in numerous reality TV shows viz., Indian Idol, The Voice, Saregamapa, Little Champs, Fame Gurukul, Movers & Shakers and has had several TV interviews on all leading channels.

Endorsements

* Endorsed by the Leading guitar Gibson since 2010. * Endorsed by

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: People * Torakusu Yamaha, a Japanese businessman and founder of the Yamaha Corporation Companies * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organi ...

for Wind Instruments since 2012. * By Samsung for Smartphones in 2012.

Brand ambassador

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

MP3 Walkman in 2006. * For Kwality Walls Cornetto in 2010

Personal life

On 21 January 2014 Raghav married actress

Amita Pathak Amita Pathak Sachar is an actress, model, and producer. She studied acting at the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Academy and the Shiamak Davar Shiamak Davar is an Indian choreographer, noted as one of the first to bring contemporary jazz an ...

in Mumbai.

Albums

Film soundtracks

Filmography

References

External links

"Ragav new movie One Two Three""Home page"Raghav Sachar interview with QNA India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachar, Raghav 1981 births Living people Indian male pop singers Indian male singer-songwriters Indian singer-songwriters Indian male playback singers Bollywood playback singers Singers from Delhi Musicians from West Bengal