Suresh Wadkar

Suresh Eshwara Wadkar (born 7 August 1955) is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films. He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films, Odia albums and bhajans and in Konkani films.

He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2018 for Sugam Sangeet. In 2020, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri.

Early life and musical training Suresh Eshwara Wadkar was born in Kolhapur in a middle-class family that soon moved to Girangaon. His father Eshwara Wadkar worked in cloth mills and his mother cooked food for the mill workers. In youth, he wrestled at akhadas and frequented the Talwalkar gym with his father, who was also a wrestler. Jaidev also offered him the song "Seene Mein Jalan" in the film Gaman (1978).

At the time, Lata Mangeshkar was so impressed with his voice that she strongly recommended him to film personalities including Laxmikant–Pyarelal, Khayyam and Kalyanji-Anandji. Laxmikant-Pyarelal, impressed with his voice, soon recorded a duet with Lata, "Chal Chameli Bagh Mein" for Krodhi (1981). In 2003, he collaborated with arist Shivanand (Udayraj A. Gadnis) on Cosmic Raga Mandal project. He was a judge on the Indian TV singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs and at the 2005 Sangeet Awards. In 2022, he was the judge for Zee TV's devotional music reality show Swarna Swar Bharat along with Kumar Vishwas and Kailash Kher. Music schools Wadkar is the director of the Ajivasan(Acharya Jialal Vasant Sangeet NIkaetan) Music Academy in Mumbai He also has a training institute in and New Jersey/New York City area. He has also started an online music school, called SWAMA (Suresh Wadkar Ajivasan Music Academy), under Ace Open University.

Personal life Wadkar is married to classical singer Padma and the couple has two daughters, Ananya and Jiya.

Awards and nominations Wadkar was conferred upon the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer by President Pratibha Patil for his rendition of Hey Bhaskara in the biopic Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010). In 1976, Wadkar won the Madan Mohan Best Male Playback Singer Award at the Sur-Singar competition. He also won the 2007 Maharashtra Pride Award which is given by the government of Maharashtra to citizens of note. He got awarded by Late Sadashiv Amarapurkar Award 2017 by Ahmednagar's Think Global Foundation.

He was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 2018 for Sugam Sangeet.

National Film Awards

Wins

2010 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Hey Bhaskara Kshitijavari Ya" (Mee Sindhutai Sapkal)

Filmfare Awards He, along with KK, holds the record for most number of nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer without ever winning.

Nominations

1983 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Mein Hoon Prem Rogi" (Prem Rog) 1983 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Meri Kismat Mein Tu" (Prem Rog) 1986 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Main Hi Main Hoon" (Ram Teri Ganga Maili) 1990 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Lagi Aaj Sawan Ki" (Chandni) 1991 – Best Male Playback Singer – "O Priya Priya" (Dil) 1997 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale" (shared with Hariharan) (Maachis)

Maharashtra State Film Awards Source: 1980 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Gandh Phulancha Gela Sangun" (Bhalu) 1981 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Aga Naach Naach Radhe" (Gondhalat Gondhal) 1982 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Aga Dis Jatil Dis Yetil" (Shapit) 1983 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Pahile Na Mi Tula" (Gupchup Gupchup) 1984 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Jeevanachi Ghadi" (Rath Jagannathacha) 1987 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Urala Surala Gharpan Sarala" (Khatyal Sasu Nathal Soon) 1988 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Me Avaguni" (Pandharichi Waari) 1990 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Ubhe Abhagi Jeevan Sare" (Aaghat) 1993 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Saibabancha Mahima Apaar" (Saibaba) 2000 – Best Male Playback Singer – "Kshitijavaril Tara" (Jodidaar)

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

1986 – Best Hindi Male Playback Singer – "Ram Teri Ganga Maili Ho Gayee Hain" (Ram Teri Ganga Maili) Collaborators Suresh Wadkar has sung for a variety of composers in the Indian film industry. These include:

Shrinivas Khale (Marathi) Shridhar Phadke (Marathi) Anil-Arun Laxmikant Pyarelal Kalyanji Anandji R.D. Burman Ilayaraja Ravindra Jain Bappi Lahiri Khaiyyam Usha Khanna Arun Paudwal A.R. Rahman Vidyasagar Nadeem-Shravan Vishal Bhardwaj Rajesh Roshan Raamlaxman Shiv-Hari Jatin–Lalit Hridaynath Mangeshkar Shridhar Phadke Anand–Milind Anu Malik Himesh Reshammiya Shankar–Jaikishan Ravi Chitragupta Rajkamal Jaidev Mohinderjit Singh Brahma Kumaris Kaushal Inamdar Dr Swaroop Roy