Sakshi Mandwal has been associated with all frontiers of media for the last 15 years. She feels blessed, humbled, and grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the best brands in the industry. None of this happened overnight, but with persistence, discipline, self-belief, and vision, she can confidently say that nothing—absolutely nothing is unachievable.
She has covered almost all the major national and international sports tournaments over the years, for both television and radio. Some of these include the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, Olympics, National Games, and Southeast Asian Games for the national broadcaster Doordarshan and All India Radio. Her love for cricket was a major reason she entered the broadcast industry. Sakshi Mandwal grew up watching cricket, learning about the game and its technicalities from her father, which naturally led to her passion for sports journalism. Over the years, Sakshi Mandwal has regularly covered the ODI World Cups, T20 World Cups, Test cricket, and the IPL as a sports anchor and cricket analyst for Doordarshan, All India Radio, Glance Screen (digital), and the YouTube brand Sportsyaari. She fondly recalls that the cherry on the cake would be India’s T20 World Cup win, which she covered live from the studios of All India Radio.
Hosting the red carpet of the 73rd National Film Awards will always remain one of the biggest highlights of her career. Meeting and interacting with actors from across the Indian film industry, including Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Vivek Agnihotri, Shreya Ghoshal, Kriti Sanon, R. Madhavan, Allu Arjun, SS Rajamouli, and Pallavi Joshi, was not only an enriching experience but also deeply fulfilling.
Sakshi’s love for cricket and sports has opened doors for her to interview renowned cricketers like Yuzvendra Chahal, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, Waqar Younis, Lisa Sthalekar, Mohammad Kaif, Kieron Pollard, JP Duminy, Mustafizur Rehman, Mitchell McClenaghan, as well as the Mumbai Indians franchise and table tennis star Manika Batra, among many others. Another cherished memory for Sakshi is hosting the 71st Independence Day celebrations of India, live from the ramparts of the Red Fort in the presence of the Honorable Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi.
She also anchored and moderated a ground breaking show called Good Evening India on DD National, which ran for over a decade. This live television show aimed to bring renowned people from all walks of life politicians, sports personalities, actors, singers, doctors, lawyers, athletes, professors, and farmers. Sakshi remains forever grateful to one of her early mentors, Mr. S.S. Bhakoo, who believed in her skills early in her career and gave her the opportunity to become the face of this weekly show.
Another career achievement close to her heart is the show Celebrity Chit Chat, which she did for the reputed brand Dainik Jagran. In 2020, when the world came to a standstill due to the pandemic, Sakshi felt the need to do something productive to keep her mind engaged. It was during that time that this show began. Renowned industry names like musician Anu Malik, singer Papon, football legend Sunil Chhetri, actor Chitrangada Singh, badminton player Jwala Gutta, actor Bobby Deol, singer Aditya Narayan, casting director Mukesh Chhabra, and actors Anupriya Goenka, Namit Das, Suresh Oberoi, and Amaal Malik, among many others, graced the show with their presence. Looking back, Sakshi feels immense gratitude and cherishes the work memories she made on that show.
She also interviewed actors Pooja Bhatt and Saurabh Shukla, among others, for the Jagran Film Festival and hosted movie launch events where she interviewed actors like Randeep Hooda and Sonu Sood.
Beyond television and digital media, Sakshi is also deeply involved in hosting events. This has provided her with opportunities to work as an emcee for various ministries of the Government of India. Some of these ministries include Uttarakhand Tourism, the Government of Goa, the Uttar Pradesh Government, the Andhra Pradesh Government, the Indian Steel Association, the Ministry of Coal, and RailTel, among many others. Her work has allowed her to interact closely with esteemed dignitaries, including the Honorable Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi; the former President of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind; the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sri Yogi Adityanath; the Honorable Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Sri N. Chandrababu Naidu; the Honorable Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Smt. Meenakshi Lekhi; and the Honorable Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Development of the Northeastern Region, Sri G. Kishan Reddy. She also had the privilege of working with the former Minister of Sports, Youth Affairs, and Information & Broadcasting, Sri Anurag Thakur; the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Sri Prahlad Joshi (who also served as the Minister of Coal, Mines, and Parliamentary Affairs); and the former Union Minister of State for Railways and Textiles, Smt. Darshana Jardosh, among others. For all these opportunities, she remains deeply grateful.
Interviewing the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Sri Pushkar Singh Dhami, and his wife, Smt. Geeta Dhami, for Uttarakhand Shree Samman, is another cherished memory for Sakshi.
Hosting the Exhibition Excellence Awards for UTV Bloomberg and Zee Business, where industry stalwarts from across the country participated, is another of her valued accomplishments.
Sakshi Mandwal also had the opportunity to interact with and interview Femina Mrs. India 2014 Koyal Rana, Miss UN 2017 Amisha, and Mrs. India Homemaker 2018 Bhawna Gupta, as they launched Mahiri—a clothing brand created by underprivileged women to empower them and give them a voice.
Another work association close to her heart is hosting events for the Paralympic Committee of India. This opportunity allowed her to interview Padma Shri, Khel Ratna, and Arjuna Awardee Smt. Deepa Malik, the President of the Paralympic Committee of India, as well as other Paralympians who have made the country proud on the global stage. Meeting and interacting with Archer Sheetal Devi, Arjuna Awardee Bhavina Patel, badminton player Manoj Sarkar, Indian high jumper Sharad Kumar, Nishad Kumar, badminton player Pramod Bhagat, and the rest of the Paralympic contingent is a memory Sakshi holds dear.
She also hosted the Poorvanchal Sammaan Samaroh for Live Hindustan, an event graced by the presence of the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Sri Yogi Adityanath.
Sakshi was honored to commentate for the National Sports and Adventure Awards 2018 at Rashtrapati Bhawan, a place she describes as sacred and a pride of the nation. The ceremony, graced by the presence of the Honorable President of India, Sri Ram Nath Kovind, saw Virat Kohli and Mirabai Chanu being conferred the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awards for their achievements in cricket and weightlifting, respectively.
She also hosted projects initiated by the Honorable Prime Minister, Sri Narendra Modi, such as Aatma Nirbhar Bharat, Lighthouse India: Poshan Abhiyaan (a drive to combat undernutrition), and Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav for Zee News. Another cherished memory is commentating for the launch of the Ayushman Bharat: Arogya Manthan scheme by Prime Minister Modi, live from Vigyan Bhawan for DD National.
Hosting the logo launch of the 37th National Games 2023 in Goa, graced by the presence of Honorable Minister of Art and Culture, Civil Supplies, Price Control, and Tribal Welfare, Sri Govind Gaude, among other esteemed dignitaries, is another cherished highlight.
Sakshi moderated the week-long International Yog Festival 2023 and 2024, organized by Uttarakhand Tourism and Hindustan Times. The event was graced by the Honorable Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Sri Pushkar Singh Dhami, Minister of Tourism Sh. Satpal Maharaj, and other dignitaries. Sakshi had the opportunity to interview notable figures such as celebrity nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar, Dilrajpreet Kaur (brand ambassador for yoga), Dr. Priya Ahuja (Guinness World Record holder for the longest duration hold of Ashtavakrasana), TedX speaker Virat Chirania, and yoga and wellness expert Anshuka Yoga.
Sakshi has also worked with the Indian Olympics Association as an emcee. One of her most cherished memories includes hosting the felicitation ceremony for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games athletes on behalf of the Athletics Federation of India. The event was graced by Dr. Adille J Sumariwalla, President of the Athletics Federation of India, along with several other dignitaries. Senior Vice President Anju Bobby George also attended the event to applaud the Indian contingent. An interaction with Olympic and World Champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra remains Sakshi’s most coveted work memory.
