Shaan And Radhika’s Marriage: A Chance Encounter, Mistaken Identity & Shaadi

Shantanu Mukherjee, better known as Shaan, has serenaded music lovers for more than two decades and still continues to do so. This man with the melodious voice began his singing career at an early age, and reached soaring popularity when he was in his mid-20s. During the 1990s, he went on to become one of the leading pop-stars of India, and was a playback singer in the making. It was also during circa 1990s, at the age of 24, that he had a chance encounter with a 18-year old girl who would go on to become his wife after seven long years. Now that’s cute and intriguing, isn’t it? We take a closer look here at the adorable tale of Radhika and Shaan’s marriage.

Shantanu Se Shaan Tak

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Shaan was born Shantanu Mukherjee on 30th September, 1972, in a family of musicians and lyricists. Shaan’s grandfather was songwriter Jahar Mukherjee, and father Manas Mukherjee was a music director. Shaan picked up singing at a young age, then by the time he reached the age of 20, he decided to pursue singing as a career option. In late 1990s, he signed a multi-album deal with a popular music label, which led to a string of musical hits that made everyone take a note of this young singer. Some time before Shaan’s marriage, he eventually made his Bollywood playback singing début in the year 1999, and since then has sung over 100 songs in more than six languages.

‘Akbar mera naam nahin’

During the early 1990s, Shaan was waiting for his big break in singing, and for this reason would often attend events and socialize to find some means to kick-start his career. It is on one such day in 1995 that he happened to meet a bubbly 18-year old girl in a discotheque, who introduced herself as Radhika. Radhika had assumed Shaan to be a common friend, and it was only moments later she realised that he was someone else. In spite of that, the brief interaction of mistaken identity was sufficient to create a lasting impression. Once the misunderstanding cleared, the two laughed it off and joined their respective friends at the party. All of a sudden, the DJ made an announcement. It was about a song being dedicated to Radhika, and the song was Akbar mera naam nahin. Radhika was quite surprised by that, and once shared in an interview a few years after her and Shaan’s marriage, that she remembered seeing Shaan standing next to the DJ and guessed that the song was his request. She assumed that his name was Akbar, and believed so till someone told her that the guy was Shaan, a pop-singer in the making.

“Throughout the evening, I presumed that his name was Akbar; only later did I realise that he was the upcoming pop-singer, Shaan.”
– Radhika Mukherjee on her first meeting with Shaan

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From that day onwards, the duo would often find themselves bumping into each other at various places. It didn’t take much time for them to strike a friendship, and over a period of time Radhika and Shaan became best pals. As time passed, Shaan found himself growing more and more attracted towards this girl who was six-years younger to him. Radhika had all the qualities that Shaan wanted in his prospective life partner, and within a month of his friendship he felt that this is the girl he should settle down with. But Shaan’s marriage to Radhika wouldn’t happen for a while.

“What attracted me to her was that, unlike my other friends she seemed to be very straightforward in her thoughts and actions. Radhika follows her mind without getting swayed by outside influences and this characteristic appealed to me.”
– Shaan on his wife Radhika Mukherjee

The Beach-side Proposal And Shaan’s Marriage

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Since Shaan did not have many friends to hang out with, his only true friend was Radhika with whom he would spend most of his free time. The two stayed strong for seven years. During this time period, Shaan had become one of the leading Bollywood playback singers, while Radhika had landed a job as an air hostess with Swiss Air; the two basically grew in their careers together.

“We were on the beach; he went on his knees and said, ‘With the sea, the sky and the air as witness, I ask you to marry me!’ It felt like a dream.”
– Radhika on Shaan’s proposal

By 2002, it was about time for the two to take their relationship to the next level. Shaan already had that thought on his mind, and decided to propose marriage to Radhika. One day in 2002, Shaan took Radhika to the beach. She thought it was just another casual outing. After a short walk, Shaan took Radhika’s hand, got down on his knees to propose to her in the most romantic manner. Needless to say, Radhika was extremely delighted and said ‘Yes!’ right away. Shaan then visited Radhika’s parents who found him to be a suitable match for their daughter. Shaan’s marriage to Radhika was officially set.

“When he came over to meet my parents, he wore silver pants and a gaudy shirt. My dad was shocked and asked me if I was planning to marry a trapeze artist. But with his charming smile, he won over my parents.”
– Radhika about Shaan’s first meeting with her parents

Radhika and Shaan tied the knot in 2003 in a traditional Bengali style wedding. Since their relationship was a well-guarded one, Shaan’s marriage was a private affair with only family members and close friends present at the venue. It was a day which the couple were looking forward to and finally they were officially Mr. and Mrs. Mukherjee.

Adjusting To Married Life And Their Bundles Of Joy

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Since Radhika worked as an air hostess with Swiss Air, she was entitled to free tickets, therefore the couple had their honeymoon in Switzerland. After coming back to India, Virgin Records released his first music album Aksar after Shaan’s marriage, which was dedicated to his wife. Since the couple knew each for seven years, adjusting to each other’s lifestyle was not very difficult. It was the adjustment to the rules of the house that took some time. In an interview once, Radhika shared that she found it a bit of a challenge to adapt to the household norms of Shaan’s home since it differed from her parents home. But over a period of time, the duo successfully managed to do so.

“I come from a business family where everything has to be in an organised manner and things have to be in place, whereas here, mom-in-law has a very laid-back and chilled-out attitude, so it was a little difficult to adjust. But mom and Shaan helped me adjust and provided the space I needed.”
– Radhika on the initial months after marriage

The couple shared in an interview that they have a pretty conventional marriage, and just like everyone else, they too argue and eventually sort out their differences amicably. Shaan stressed that they always strive to sort out their differences in a cordial manner, and at the end of the day ‘forgive and forget.’

“No relationship can sustain without forgiveness or apologising. Saying sorry and forgiving is crucial in a marriage.”
– Shaan commenting on marriage in general

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Shaan’s marriage to Radhika is a wonder of the conventional. Shaan and Radhika were blessed with their first child in 2004, a son whom they named Soham. Radhika had quit her job before the birth of her first son, and the couple later went on to have another son whom they named Shubh. The adorable tale of Radhika and Shaan’s marriage proves that when commitment is the core of your relationship, your bond will surely last till eternity. We wish the couple all the best.

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