Once He Didn't Have a Roof on His Head, Now His Song Features on Times Square: The Unknown Story of 'Gulabi Sadi' Singer Sanju Rathod

SANJU RATHOD, 28, the voice behind global chartbusters and Marathi hits Gulabi Sadi and Shaky, has his own account of struggles and success to boast about in a world that is becoming too fast and dynamic in the age of internet. He’s known for blending traditional Marathi music with global pop influences. Even when he was struggling, money was never his goal but to follow the passion that was burning in his heart.

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Sanju Rathod's Life Before Fame and His Take on Money

Belonging to Dhanwad village in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, Sanju left his degree in mechanical engineering in the middle and moved to Mumbai in pursuit of artistic liberation without having much financial backing. The days that followed were grim and poverty-stricken whether it be to sleep at the floor of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) railway station or being cut off for months after he got robbed of his phone. His story has all the ingredients to even melt away a stone-hearted machismo.

A patch of doing tiring jobs came in his life to keep going and funding his career at the beginning stage. At one point, Sanju was also at the mercy of lenders for the repayment of a loan. 

In an interview with NDTV he shared more about his life and all the travails he had to tread upon in order to get fame.

"Back then, I had nothing. I left my studies. My family was under a lot of pressure. But we kept working, trying one thing after another. If you put your whole heart into your work, success does come,” the singer said upon being asked if the struggle ever seemed to him useless.

His take on money is different. He considers money a necessary entity to survive through the trials of life. But for the 28 years old singer the most important thing is how he can elevate his art or how he can take his music to greater heights.

How the Platform 'Believe' Changed the Marathi Singer's Life

Believe is a global platform solely dedicated for the empowerment of local artists, songwriters and publishers. Sanju joined it in 2021, and his first breakthrough came in 2023. A Marathi song Nauvari in partnership with Believe India, became his first major hit. He hasn’t looked back ever since. 

His next hit Gulabi Sadi, 2024, was a global sensation and featured on a billboard in New York's Times Square. Celebs like Madhuri Dixit even created reels on the song, which made his day. “It was a massive moment for my family, especially my father," Sanju said. The song has crossed 500 million views on YouTube.

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The Marathi singer delivered another 500 million banger, Shaky, which became even more popular than the last one. It became the fastest Marathi song to reach 100 Million on YouTube.

But he doesn’t give much value to the numbers as they are volatile in nature. At one song you get 500 million views and for another you probably might end up below 50. His focus is to make his listeners proud as his next song is a bigger hit than the previous one.

In an interview with ‘Believe’ when he was asked about how he mixes regional Marathi tunes on lines with global pop, he said that by retaining the original Marathi soul 70-80%, following the global trend in the remaining 20-30% space is the formula that works. “We add that and make a fusion. And that is something everyone loves to listen to,” Sanju said.

Sanju Rathod, in his journey to create a new dimension of popularity for the Marathi music in the world, is not showing any trace of fatigue and ill-mannerism. In his successful partnership with Believe He remains promising in his quest to be polished further like a diamond and shine as bright as a moon.

(Edited by Harsh Pandey)

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