From a single blanket on the floor of Mumbai’s CSMT to a life funded by loan‑taken music videos, Sanju Rathod’s rise feels like a plot twist from a Bollywood drama.
He dropped mechanical engineering at Dhanwad village and took odd jobs to survive, even hiding on a rooftop when money‑lenders cornered him. Yet every beat he recorded was forged in that grit.
The turning point arrived in 2023 when Believe India signed him, easing the weight of logistics and letting his melodies breathe. He says the partnership let him focus on art instead of paperwork.
When the Diwali‑summer anthem "Gulabi Sadi" hit 500 million YouTube views, the song was emblazoned on a Times Square billboard—proof that a Marathi track can command an international stage.
Rathod’s mantra isn’t about cash: "If I can keep elevating my art, everything else will follow," he says. His next goal? Push Marathi music beyond state borders while keeping the raw emotion that first got him noticed.
Verdict: From a sleeping station to a billboard in NYC, Sanju Rathod proves that passion, not pockets, writes the biggest headlines in music.