# Shantanu Maheshwari

Shantanu Maheshwari (born 7 March 1991) is an Indian actor, dancer, and choreographer. He gained fame for his debut role as Swayam Shekhawat in the popular youth television show Dil Dosti Dance. Shantanu's impressive dance skills earned him widespread recognition, leading to his victory in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8. He has also represented India internationally as part of the Desi Hoppers dance crew, winning the World of Dance Championship in Los Angeles. Additionally, he made his Bollywood debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022).

## Early life

Shantanu Maheshwari was born on 7 March 1991 in Kolkata, India, into a Marwari family. He completed his early education at The Park English School and St. Joseph's College, Kolkata. For his higher education, he moved to Mumbai, where he attended H.R. College of Commerce and Economics. During his college years, Maheshwari became an active member of the Street Soul Dance Crew (SSDC). While he is a versatile dancer, he specialises in Popping and Liquid Waving, showcasing his unique skills across various platforms.

## Career

Maheshwari began his acting career with Dil Dosti Dance for Channel V. He rose to fame by essaying the role of Swayam Shekhawat during the four-years run of the show. His chemistry with co-star Vrushika Mehta earned him widespread adulation as they went on to win the third spot in the Hottest Indian TV Jodi list by the UK-based newspaper Eastern Eye. The duo also earned the ITA Award for Onscreen Couple of the Year in 2014.
In 2015, he appeared in Zing's episodic show Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya where he played the role of a cancer patient. He returned to the small screen with his Dil Dosti Dance co-star Vrushika Mehta in Yeh Hai Aashiqui on Bindass, playing an episodic character of a verbally-challenged law student. He also dubbed for some episodes of Yeh Hai Aashiqui. In 2015, Maheshwari appeared in the Bindass show Bindass Naach. The finite series, which had appearances by the likes of Jaja Vaňková and Terence Lewis, showcased the formation of his crew Desi Hoppers and their subsequent victory at World of Dance 2015. Desi Hoppers became the first dance crew in the history to represent India at World of Dance and win it too. The crew was invited to give a special performance on America's Got Talent 11 and received praise from the judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum and Nick Cannon. It was also invited to give a special performance on China's famous talk show Day Day Up.
Maheshwari returned to fiction shows with MTV India's Girls On Top playing an aspiring musician Sahir Bhasin.
In 2016, Maheshwari participated in the celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 on Colors TV. He was one of the most consistent performers in the show and became the most popular and strongest contender for the title. He received praises from seasoned actor and ex-Jhalak contestant Ronit Roy who called him the winner of the show. Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan called Maheshwari a "flying star". However, he lost the trophy to Teriya Magar and Salman Yusuff Khan and became the 2nd runner-up.
In 2017, he starred in a short film Something Like Love which marked his foray into the digital cinema. Maheshwari participated in Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 which was shot in Spain and hosted by Bollywood director Rohit Shetty. He was the most consistent performer and got in the danger zone for the fewest times. Rohit Shetty called him the "silent killer" of the show. He won the show by beating Hina Khan and Ravi Dubey in the finale. Along with his dance crew Desi Hoppers, Maheshwari was invited to perform an exhibition act at the World of Dance 2017 finals in Los Angeles.
The crew also went on to perform at Asian Battleground, a cross-national dance reality show shot in Malaysia. Among the twelve dance crews that participated in the competition, Desi Hoppers came 3rd in the showcase rankings and were a part of the top 4 finalists that advanced for the face-off round.
In 2018, Maheshwari hosted MTV India's episodic series Love on the Run. Maheshwari then along with his crew Desi Hoppers participated in the world's biggest dance reality show World of Dance (TV series) and in doing so they became the first-ever Indian dance crew to represent India on such a big platform. They received high praise from judges Jennifer Lopez, Ne-Yo and Derek Hough who loved their unique style and fusion of hip-hop with Indian culture. They also scored an impressive 96 to qualify for the next round which was also the highest score in round one. Maheshwari launched the spring collection of Lee Cooper with #MasterofDenim look. He also gained popularity as the host of Zee TV's reality show India's Best Dramebaaz, which later won the Favorite Non-Fiction Show award at Zee Rishtey Awards.
Along with his crew, Desi Hoppers, Maheshwari gave special performances at the University of Oxford, UK, as part of a social entrepreneur summit with the likes of Academy Award winner Chiwetel Ejiofor, Grammy award winner Sarah McLachlan and chief international anchor for CNN, Christiane Amanpour present. Maheshwari has also given numerous stage performances on Indian Television Academy Awards, Radio Mirchi Top 20 & Golden Petal Awards on Colors TV,&TV It's Diwali, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards India, DID Li'l Masters (Season 4 Finale) & Gold Awards on Zee TV, Adbhut Ganesh Utsav and Dandiya Nights over the years.
Owing to his influence on aspiring youth, IIMUN invited Shantanu to be one of the motivational speakers of IIMUN championship conference MUNCLAVE 2019/20. Shantanu along with Desi Hoppers has choreographed and directed dance performances for the Zee TV show Yeh Teri Galiyan. Shantanu also appeared in a promotional video by Netflix for The Umbrella Academy (TV series) with Tiku Talsania, Supriya Pilgaonkar and Kubbra Sait. His third music video composed by Qaran and sung by Ash King on Sony Music India named "Haaye Oye" featuring Elli Avram opposite him, crossed 45 million views on YouTube within two weeks and trended on various music platforms. He has performed the character of Abir Basu in Ekta Kapoor's web series Medically Yours. He received Likee's Digital Influencer award as the Youth Icon of the year for the same. He along with his partner became the finalist of Nach Baliye season-9.
Maheshwari starred opposite Alia Bhatt in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi in 2022. The film marks his debut in Bollywood.
Shantanu's next film, Love in Vietnam, was announced at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. It co-stars Avneet Kaur and Vietnamese actress Kha Ngan, directed by Rahhat Shah Kazmi and produced by Omung Kumar. The film marks the first India-Vietnam collaboration and is based on the bestselling novel Madonna in a Fur Coat.

## Filmography
### Films

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2017 | Something Like Love | Rishabh | Short film |
| 2020 | Special Day | Ved Mehra | Short film |
| 2022 | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Afsaan Razaq | |
| 2024 | Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha | Young Krishna | |
| 2024 | Chaalchitro: The Frame Fatale | Ritesh Kumar | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2001 | Kya Masti Kya Dhoom | Contestant | |
| 2002 | Boogie Woogie | Contestant | |
| 2008 | Dance Bangla Dance | Contestant | |
| 2011–2015 | Dil Dosti Dance | Swayam Shekhawat | |
| 2011 | Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai | Swayam Shekhawat | Guest |
| 2013 | Nach Baliye 5 | Swayam Shekhawat | Guest |
| 2014–2015 | Yeh Hai Aashiqui | Voice role | |
| 2014–2015 | Yeh Hai Aashiqui | Shaan | |
| 2014–2015 | Box Cricket League 1 | Contestant | |
| 2015 | Bindass Naach | Himself | Guest |
| 2015 | Twistwala Love | Vivaan | |
| 2015 | Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya | Rahul | |
| 2016-2017 | Girls on Top | Sahir Bhasin | |
| 2016-2017 | Box Cricket League 2 | Contestant | |
| 2016-2017 | Day Day Up | Himself | Guest |
| 2016-2017 | America's Got Talent 11 | Himself | Guest |
| 2016-2017 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 | Contestant | 2nd runner-up |
| 2016 | Bigg Boss 10 | Himself | Guest |
| 2017 | MTV Big F 2 | Terry | |
| 2017 | Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 | Contestant | Winner |
| 2017 | World of Dance | Himself | Guest |
| 2017 | Asian Battleground - Malaysia | Contestant | 4th place |
| 2017-2018 | MTV Love on the Run | Host | |
| 2018 | World Of Dance 2 | Contestant | |
| 2018 | DID Li'l Masters 4 | Host | |
| 2018 | India's Best Dramebaaz | Host | |
| 2018 | Iconic India | Himself | Guest |
| 2019 | Yeh Teri Galiyan | Himself | Guest |
| 2019 | Kitchen Champion 5 | Himself | Guest |
| 2019 | Khatra Khatra Khatra | Himself | Guest |
| 2019 | Nach Baliye 9 | Contestant | 5th place |
| 2019 | MTV Ace Of Space 2 | Himself | Guest |
| 2019 | Jabong Hoop Wars | Himself | Guest |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Singer(s) |
| 2015 | Super Girl From China | Kanika Kapoor, Mika Singh |
| 2018 | Aaja Mahi Ve | Aditi Singh Sharma |
| 2019 | Haaye Oye | Qaran, Ash King |
| 2020 | Gud Khake | Bharat Goel, Ash King |
| 2022 | Tutt Gaya | Stebin Ben |
| 2022 | Kesariyo Rang | Asees Kaur, Dev Negi |
| 2023 | Mast Aankhein | Tulsi Kumar, Jubin Nautiyal |
| 2023 | Aakhir | Vishal Mishra |

### Web series

| Year | Title | Role |
| 2018 | XXX | Bittu |
| 2019 | Medically Yourrs | Abir Basu |
| 2023 | Tooth Pari: When Love Bites | Dr. Bikram Roy |
| 2023 | Campus Beats | Ishaan |
| 2024 | Ishq In The Air | Naman |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2014 | Indian Television Academy Awards | GR8 on Screen Couple (Viewers Choice Awards) (along with Vrushika Mehta) | Dil Dosti Dance | Won |
| 2014 | Indian Telly Awards | Indian Telly Jury Award for Best Choreographer (along with Macedon D'Mello) | Dil Dosti Dance | Nominated |
| 2015 | World of Dance | World of Dance, L.A. 2015 Championship (as part of Desi Hoppers) | Desi Hoppers | Won |
| 2016 | Asian Viewers Television Awards | Male Actor of the Year | Girls on Top | Nominated |
| 2017 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Favourite Popular Star (Male) | Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 | Nominated |
| 2017 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Best Actor (Male) | MTV Big F Season 2 | Nominated |
| 2018 | Indian Television Academy Awards | Popular Star (Male) | MTV Love On The Run | Nominated |
| 2019 | Indian Telly Awards | Best Star - Popular (Male) | Nach Baliye 9 | Nominated |
| 2023 | Filmfare Awards | Best Male Debut | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Nominated |
| 2023 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Male Debut | Gangubai Kathiawadi | Won |
| 2024 | Filmfare OTT Awards | Best Actor in a Series (Male): Drama | Campus Beats | Nominated |