Composer Shashwat Sachdev is crossing over to the West. Best known for his tracks in films like Uri: The Surgical Strike and Dhurandhar, and the recently-released web series, The Ba***ds of Bollywood, the composer is composing the title theme of the British television series Virdee.
And he is doing it in collaboration with two-time Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer.
Shashwat Sachdev on collaborating with Hans Zimmer
Reflecting on this significant milestone, Shashwat, in a press note, shared, “The joy of composing across continents is realising that good sound doesn’t need translation — it just needs truth. From Mumbai to Los Angeles, it’s still the same heartbeat. This collaboration carried humility, pride, and soulfulness all in one breath — a reminder that music isn’t made, it’s remembered.”
He added, “Sometimes I feel like a nomad, a gypsy soul travelling through cultures and countries, exploring new musical worlds as I move along this journey-and working with Hans and James was one exceptionally beautiful world that I ever stepped into.”
Virdee is a six-part British crime thriller television series starring Staz Nair as a detective hunting down a killer targeting the Asian community in Bradford. The series has a large cast of Asian origin actors in the UK, and has been adapted by A A Dhand from his own Bradford-set crime novel series.
Hans Zimmer’s work on Ramayana
This is not Hans Zimmer’s first collaboration with an Indian artist. The legendary composer will be making his Bollywood debut as he collaborates with AR Rahman on the score of Nitesh Tiwari’s ambitious two-part film, Ramayana.
“This is more than a film. It is a vision meant to transcend borders while honouring the soul of our culture,” Nitesh Tiwari had said during the teaser launch event.
The film, which will be released in two parts for Diwali in 2026 and 2027, will feature Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita, and Yash as Ravana.