After graduating from NSD, Swanand got introduced to film director Sudhir Mishra, and assisted him on “Calcutta Mail” (2003), “Chameli” (2004) and “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi” (2005). His career as a lyricist launched accidentally when Sudhir Mishra overheard him singing “Bavra Mann”, a song Swanand had written as an NSD student, and decided to use it in his film. The song also marked the beginning of one of the most fruitful relationships of his career - that with music director Shantanu Moitra, for whom he has written and sung several songs over the years.

Despite the accidental start of his lyric-writing career, Swanand has won the National Award for Best Lyricist twice - once in 2006 for “Bande Me Tha Dum” (“Lage Raho Munna Bhai”) and then in 2009 for “3 Idiots”.

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