Swapnil Raste, born in 1981 in Pune—revered as the “Oxford of the East”—hails from the distinguished royal lineage of the Sardar Raste family, historically known for their service as Sardars in the Peshwa Empire. He completed his schooling at Perugate Bhave High School, followed by higher education at Sir Parashurambhau College and Sou. Venutai Chavan Polytechnic. He later graduated as a Production Engineer from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology under the University of Pune in 2005.
During his school and college years, Swapnil was deeply passionate about sports. Though an ardent cricket enthusiast, he chose to pursue individual sports such as table tennis and chess, excelling in both for over a decade. He achieved distinctions at state and national levels and won several district and state tournaments.
His inclination toward cultural activities began during his college days, where he discovered a profound passion for anchoring. What started as a personal interest soon evolved into a professional pursuit, leading him to anchor musical and entertainment shows commercially. This passion culminated in the establishment of Third Bell Entertainment on 14 February 2007.
Alongside his creative journey, Swapnil simultaneously built a successful 15-year career in the IT industry, working with reputed organizations such as Tata Technologies, Geometric Software Solutions, Parametric Technologies Corporation, and IBM. Parallel to his corporate role, he continued anchoring musical concerts, entertainment programs, celebrity interactions, and interviews—both on stage and in print media.
Over two decades, Swapnil has hosted more than 3,000 stage shows and conducted over 300 celebrity interviews. He has also directed and produced numerous celebrity-centric shows. As a writer, he has contributed around 150 interviews and articles to renowned publications including Sakal, Lokmat, Kesari, Tarun Bharat, and various Marathi international magazines.
His illustrious contributions have earned him prestigious awards such as:
The Pillars of Hindustani Society by Trans Asian Chamber of Commerce and Industries
- Young Achiever Award by MACCIA
- Event Excellence Award by Lokmat Group
- Balgandharva Puraskar
- Rajmata Jijau Puraskar
- John Yevalekar Best Anchor Award
- Pratibha Samman Puraskar
- Yuva Sanman Puraskar by Shiv Sena
- Pune Udyojak Puraskar
and many more.
His work has been widely recognized by leading newspapers and magazines such as Sakal, Maharashtra Times, Lokmat, Kesari, Houseful Cinema, Punekar, Times of India, Pune Mirror, and others.
Entrepreneurial Ventures
Third Bell Entertainment (Established 2007)
Third Bell Entertainment has emerged as a versatile event management company operating across India and abroad. The firm has successfully executed over 1,000 events spanning entertainment, fashion, media, films, corporate, social, political, sports, and educational sectors. Known for its creative direction, event planning, celebrity events, and large-scale productions, the company has consistently remained debt-free and has earned goodwill from corporate bodies, associations, celebrities, and socio-political personalities.
Talent Scout Studios (Established 2012)
To further expand his creative horizon, Swapnil founded Talent Scout Studios in 2012—a dedicated platform for talent management, celebrity endorsements, artist scouting, and model coordination for the advertising and film industries. The company has worked with over 300 clients and successfully placed around 600 models, celebrities, influencers, and artists in advertisements, television serials, films, and theatrical productions.
Swapnil Raste Productions (Founded 2020)
What began as a hobby in fashion, celebrity, and advertisement photography in 2020 gradually evolved into a full-fledged media and advertising production house. Swapnil has photographed nearly 200 celebrities and models and expanded his portfolio to commercial advertising, cinematography, digital campaigns, and television commercials. Today, Swapnil Raste Productions offers comprehensive end-to-end production services including photography, videography, direction, casting, and complete project execution. The company now aims to produce original theatrical plays and eventually venture into full-scale film production.
Personal Life
Swapnil attributes his success to the unwavering support of his family. His mother, Mrs. Jayashri Raste, is a practicing Homeopathy doctor; his father, Mr. Vasant Raste, is a mechanical engineer and entrepreneur; and his wife, Mrs. Pradnya Raste, an IIM Kolkata postgraduate, holds a senior leadership position at Accenture, India. He also expresses deep gratitude to his mentor and uncle, the late Mr. Bhau Marathe, a respected anchor in the Marathi entertainment industry.
