Although Bollywood music is considered to have a classical orchestral style with the traditional classical playback singing, the Indian rock community has made its way more than once to come up with an energetic “Guitarchy” sound and a guitar-driven anthem. In the past few years, popular Hindi films have sought the help of some legendary independent rock groups to bring some raw energy and unique sub-genres.
Indian Ocean (Black Friday)
Indian Ocean, the first contemporary indie band to create a Bollywood soundtrack, was pioneered by those who rocked the night of the Indian Ocean. The raw, atmospheric, and charged tune Bandeh suited Anurag Kashyap’s gritty masterpiece to perfection.
Agnee (Dil Dosti Etc)
Agnee is a soulful pop rock band and was spotted for the first time in Bollywood films with the indie film Dil Dosti Etc. They brought their lively acoustic guitar riffs and powerful voice to the silver screen with A hissa hai.
Strings (Shootout at Lokhandwala)
The iconic rock band Strings, though from Pakistan, was a huge hit in Bollywood in the 2000s. Their track Aakhri Alvida was a rock anthem of the era and became a classic song of the underworld crime thriller with high stakes.
Pentagram (Bloodywood)
The electro-rock powerhouse Pentagram gave the underground and intense power to the mainstream with their hard-hitting vocals headed by Vishal Dadlani. Prior to their commercial partnership of Vishal-Shekhar, Dadlani’s band gave a unique guitar sound to movies like Bloodywood.
Euphoria (Gulaab Gang)
Euphoria, the band of Palash Sen, took their huge independent success to the movies, credited with creating “Hind-Rock”. They are noted for their traditional acoustic instruments with traditional rock arrangements and have helped in soundtracks such as Gulaab Gang.
Parikrama (Kaal)
Kaal’s high-octane background themes and promotions saw Parikrama’s signature sound, complete with heavy violin and keyboard work, take a surprise turn.
Avial (22 Female Kottayam)
Avial has been a prominent band in the Malayalam alternative band scenario for their distinct fusion, but their heavy, groove-based guitar riffs got them a lot of attention from Bollywood production houses in the hunt for unique indie textures for Malayalam-based crime thrillers.
The Local Train (Karwaan)
The Local Train, Gen-Z indie rock darlings, made their long-awaited Bollywood debut with the hit song Khudi. The song’s alternative rock anthemic chorus was just right for the road trip story of the movie, and millions of people heard it.
Faridkot (Shiddat)
The band Faridkot was known for their self-made “Confused Pop” and alternative rock genre music, and they were the ones to make the melodic hooks and rock arrangements for Shiddat’s title track and promotional background music.
Yellow Diary (Mismatched)
The Yellow Diary was a mixture of stripped-down indie rock and electronic sounds, blending with poetic Hindi lyrics, and became so emotional and guitar-driven that it became streaming anthems for Bollywood-adjacent streaming shows.
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