Sound Design

Welcome to my Sound Design Projects page, where I showcase my latest works in the field of sound design and scoring for films, art films, documentaries, theatre productions, dance shows and other multimedia projects.

Over the years, I have covered a variety of genres and styles, including live orchestral arrangements, electronic music, ambient soundscapes, and experimental sound design. I work closely with filmmakers, directors, choreographers, and other artists and creatives to create custom soundscapes that enhance the storytelling and emotional impact of their projects.

As a sound designer and composer, my passion lies in crafting immersive and evocative sound experiences that transport audiences to new worlds. Whether it’s creating a dramatic orchestral score for a feature film, an immersive sound installation for an art exhibit, or a realistic sound design for a documentary, I have the expertise and skills to bring any creative vision to life through the power of sound.

With a focus on collaboration and attention to detail, I work meticulously and imaginatively to develop and expand the ideas and vision of the creators, which further enhances the emotional impact and storytelling of their projects. I aim to create sonic environments that captivate and engage audiences, leaving a lasting impression that resonates long after the experience is over.

I invite you to explore my Sound Design Projects page to discover some of my recent works, and to contact me with any questions or inquiries you may have.

TASS 2

Composer / Sound Designer / Score

Film – TASS 2

Director – Kabir Singh Chowdhry

Genre – Experimental / Drama

*Side note – This film is currently in production.

TASS

Dopdi’s Song

Seher

Bass Player on Harpreet’s Songs

Film – Seher

Director – Munzir Naqvi

“Nott” – The Earthern pot (Part of ‘The Edict Project’, Ashoka University)

Sound Designer | Score | Foley Designer

Director: M K Raina

Cinematography / DOP: Anant Raina

The Edict Project by TM Krishna, in collaboration with Ashoka University.

The project aims at creating vibrant academic, socio-political and aesthetic conversations around the edicts of Ashoka. Why Ashoka’s Edicts? Ashoka’s edicts are simple, brief, and personal. And yet are profound, abiding and universal.

They have been translated, published, and quoted as signals of the soul.

In this Edition, we explore the theme Ashoka and Memory. Through musical renditions, conversation and theatrical imagination we hope to investigate our past and present.

We thank Justin McCarthy, Director, Performing Arts, Ashoka University for his artistic inputs and support.

Desert National Park

Desert National Park from Anurag Jetly on Vimeo.

Sound Designer

Director: Anurag Jetly

A short film celebrating the unique wildlife and terrain of the Desert National Park, Rajasthan, India.

Kalaji Nagara

Role: Composer / Sound Designer / Foley Designer / Mix and Mastering

‘Kalaji Nagara‘ is the documentation of the project on film made by Debosmita Dam and Maitri Gopalakrishna.

Using the forms of contemporary shadow puppetry, stop motion animation and a rich sound design; this film explores the journey of five groups with particular stressors as they came together to care for each other’s well being through drama and the arts. Based on elements from the unique nature and processes of each of the groups, the film observes the nature of care and community, and how they are articulated and expressed. Through the film, we hope to interrogate these questions.

What does it mean to have care communities in the city? 

What are the unique stressors and lived realities of individuals that make these spaces critical?

How can the arts offer a context for such communities to develop and support one another?

What does it mean to use the arts to let a language of care emerge?

How is such work intentionally facilitated?

Kalaji Nagara premiered at the opening of the ‘Mindscapes: In the Company of others’ on 20 April 2023 at the Museum of Art & Photography.

Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust – Udaya

Role: Composer / Sound Designer

The project commissioned by the Population Council and Udaya comprises 13 short films and audio pieces that tackle critical social issues affecting young people in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The films aim to generate awareness around topics such as toxic masculinity, gender, and gender-based violence and shed light on the challenges faced by adolescents and youth in these communities.

The talented team at Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust created the films, bringing their unique artistic vision and commitment to positive change to the project. Through stunning visuals and powerful sound design, the films aim to generate awareness, foster reflection, and inspire action towards creating a safer and more equitable world for adolescents and youth.

The project’s goal is to spark important conversations and drive social change, empowering young people to confront and overcome the challenges they face. Join us as we harness the transformative power of film to make a real difference in the lives of young people in these communities.

Blurred Lines

Hallucinations of an Artifact

Director | Choreographer: Mandeep Raikhy

Visuals & AI Collaborator: Jonathan O’Hear

Role: Sound Designer / Composer / Immersive Audio Mix and Master

Date: *July 2023 onwards

About:

Hallucinations of an Artifact: A live Contemporary dance piece directed and choreographed by Mandeep Raikhy, Meghna Bhardwaj, Manju, and Akanksha. Visuals and AI by Geneva-based artist – Jonathan O’Hear

How does an ancient artifact think, move and respond to the current times? Can artifacts be experienced as cultural information that lives, perspires, breathes, evolves, and transforms through dancing bodies? Hallucinations of an Artifact choreographically disrupts the simplistic articulations and narratives around the Dancing Girl of Mohenjo-Daro (c. 2300-1750 BCE) by bringing to life this irreverently playful and notoriously unclassifiable artifact through dance and artificial intelligence.

Supported by Pro Helvetia New Delhi, Swiss Arts Council through its Co-creation grant. The work has also been supported by Voices from the South Programme of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society (curated by the Pickle Factory Dance Foundation) and Dance Nucleus Singapore.

Performances: Premiere – Black Box Okhla (20-23rd July 2023)

---

Tanashah (Navtej Singh Johar)

Director | Choreographer: Navtej Singh Johar

Role: Sound Designer / Composer / Immersive Audio Mix and Master

Date: *Dec 2023 onwards

About:

Based on Bhagat Singh’s prison diaries, Navtej Johar’s ‘Tanashah’ goes beyond the ‘sentimentalised perceptions’ of Singh and focuses on his own connect with the revolutionary.

HOPSCOTCH, MOTHER

Director | Choreographer: Meghna Bhardwaj

Role: Sound Designer / Composer

Date: *PREMIERE – 21st March – 23rd March, K3 Centrum for Choreography, Hamburg 2024

https://k3-hamburg.de/programm/vorstellungen/kalender/veranstaltung/54546

About:

How can dance movements be created by moving knitting needles around yarn? Two performers explore different aspects of knitting with their movement: the angle between two needles as they loop around the yarn, the tension of the thread to balance the loops, the feeling of intertwining, the knitter’s attempt to maintain rhythm. While drawing lines and loops in the space, the performers try to listen together and create a physical memory that can arise through the feeling of knitting. This piece is Meghna’s ode to her mother’s childlike curiosity and imagination, brought to life through knitting. During her residency at K3, Meghna Bhardwaj continues to develop her research Yarning, which combines gestures of crocheting and knitting with dance. By using yarn as a metaphor for connection, she creates opportunities for gathering, communal intimacy, and play.

Lines of Resistance

Director: Anurupa Roy

Role: Sound Designer / Live Score Composer & Performer / Immersive Audio Mix and Master

Date: *May 2023 onwards

About:

Lines of Resistance: A Resonance of Tyeb Mehta’s Partition Art (re-interpreted as a puppet theatre live production)

Created by the fabulous puppeteers at Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust (directed by master puppeteer, Anurupa Roy) and commissioned by Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), “Lines of Resistance” embarks on an extraordinary artistic journey that seeks to rekindle the fervor and contemplation of Tyeb Mehta‘s seminal oeuvre surrounding the tumultuous era of partition. Commissioned exclusively for the eminent Venice Biennale (2023), this evocative performance promises to transport visitors into a realm where art and history converge, enabling them to traverse the vivid landscapes of Mehta’s profound artistic expression.

Recognized as one of India’s foremost modernists, Tyeb Mehta traversed the boundaries of convention to encapsulate the spirit of a nation torn asunder. “Lines of Resistance” weaves a poignant narrative thread, expertly interlacing Mehta’s masterpieces, imbued with anguish, struggle, and resilience, into an immersive tapestry of introspection. Through a meticulous selection of his evocative works, this performance amplifies the significance of Mehta’s art in transcending the boundaries of time, enabling viewers to bear witness to the profound impact of partition on the artist’s consciousness.

Through this piece, Mehta’s iconic works resound through space and time. The interplay of light and shadow guides the viewer along a transformative path, revealing the interwoven stories of human endurance and the perpetual struggle against forces that seek to divide. Drawing from the distinct visual vocabulary established by Mehta, “Lines of Resistance” presents a captivating juxtaposition of bold strokes, dynamic compositions, and symbolic motifs, inviting viewers to embark on a journey of remembrance and contemplation.

As visitors traverse through the narrative, they are enveloped by a sense of collective memory, transcending geographical borders and time itself. The immersive nature of this piece (with live shadow puppetry, dance/movement, ambisonic, and binaural/360 live sound design) invites individuals to engage not only with the physicality of Mehta’s creations but also with the intangible emotions they evoke. The piece presents a nuanced exploration of the indomitable human spirit, urging viewers to reflect upon the enduring themes of identity, trauma, and resilience amidst the reverberations of partition.

With its reverent homage to Tyeb Mehta’s profound artistic legacy and its resonance with the historical upheaval of partition, “Lines of Resistance” stands as a testament to the power of art to transcend boundaries, provoke introspection, and foster a deeper understanding of shared human experiences. It is our fervent hope that this ambitious production at the Venice Biennale (2023) will ignite a dialogue that bridges the past, present, and future, fostering empathy and contemplation amidst the currents of our complex global landscape.

About Katkatha:

Katkatha is an amalgam of two Hindi words, Kat meaning wood, and is derived from the word Katputli (puppetry) and Katha meaning story, together becoming puppets and stories. Fabric and styrofoam figures, papier mache sculptures, Shakespearean comedies, and Indian epics, the stories from conflict zones, and the worlds of little children are all a part of Katkatha’s work where puppets are not dolls with strings but the theater of inanimate material.

Katkatha started as an association of like-minded puppeteers in 1998 and was registered as a trust. At the core of the group are sculptors, dancers, writers, designers, and puppeteers whose vision is to support a professionally set up and managed space for the promotion, preservation, and development of Puppet Theater and allied arts.

This includes the creation of original productions using puppets, masks, and objects and touring to international and Indian performing arts and theatre festivals. The repertoire includes over twenty-five original performances.

Katkatha is committed to training the next generation of puppeteers and creating a new space to seedbed new puppet groups and companies by holding annual master classes, mentorship projects, internships, and residencies.

Performances: KNMA (May, 2023), *Venice Bienalle (Nov 2023)

Mahabali

Director: M K Raina

Writer: Asghar Wajahat

Producer: Sri Ram Centre for Performing Arts

Role: Sound Designer / Live Score Composer & Performer

Date: Dec 2022

About: Akbar and Tulsidas are two contemporary characters of Indian history, keeping them at the centre of his imagination, Asghar Wajahat composed the play, Mahabali. Where on one hand Goswami Tulsidas used to spend all his time in meditation, devotion and literature while sitting on the banks of Banaras, on the other hand, Emperor Akbar of the Mughal Sultanate wanted Goswami Tulsidas to beautify his court. After all, he was Mahabali, who could give orders to whomever he wanted, and it was the duty of his subjects to obey them. But Tulsidas refuses to accede to Akbar’s request and this conflict between royalty and artist’s independence is the theme of the play. Full of intense passion and extreme drama, Mahabali is a new step in Asghar Wajahat’s playwriting. Mahabali was Emperor Akbar’s favourite address but when Goswami Tulsidas refuses to obey the Emperor, his Mahabali address is questioned.

Performances:

Panna Bharat Ram Theatre Festival, on the 18th Dec’2022

The Edict Project – Live at G5A’s ‘Should Art’ Festival

Festival Curator: T M Krishna

Director: M K Raina

Role: Sound Designer / Live Performer

Date: 20th Nov, 2022

About:

Performance by The Edict Project, an attempt by TM Krishna to celebrate, remember, and recreate Ashoka’s edicts in musical form.

The performance will include a talk with Nayanjot Lahiri, M.K. Raina, and TM Krishna.

Designed the complete sound and audio for the play that was performed live at the G5A “Should Art” Festival, 2022 in Mumbai

Tilapur ka Rakshasa

Fired By Hamlet

Director: Michael Moritz

Role: Sound Designer / Live Performer

Date: Nov 2015 – Feb 2016

About: “FIRED BY HAMLET”- A Commedia Del Art’ ADAPTATION OF ‘HAMLET’ (Theatre Garage Project)

Designed the complete sound and audio for the play that was performed in Dholpur, Delhi (NSD), Lucknow (Repertwahr Festival), Bareily

OTHELLO

Director: Ashwath Bhatt

Role: Sound Designer / Live Performer

Date: Apr 2016 – May 2016

Designed the complete sound and audio for the play that was performed in Lucknow (BNA)

About:  Shakespeare’s Othello at BNA, Lucknow

Coat Tales

Director: Anushka Ravishankar

Role: Sound Designer / Live Performer

Date: Sep 2010 – Oct 2010

About: “COAT TALES”- A MUSICAL BY ANUSHKA RAVISHANKAR

Designed the complete sound and audio for the play that was performed in Gurgaon (6 shows) and Delhi (6 shows). Also performed live

UNESCO MGIEP: SEL For Youth Waging Peace