If you’ve been to a Skyharbor gig, you know the drill: riffs that feel like tectonic plates shifting under your feet, and melodies that sneak up and tap you on the shoulder. If you’ve been to a Bollywood movie in the last few years (say Jaane Jaan, Bhakshak, or Bhoot Police), you’ve probably heard his handiwork too, though maybe without realising it. The man threading these worlds together is Keshav Dhar: music producer, mixer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and possibly the only guy who can talk you through the emotional arc of a progressive metal album and the harmonic choices in a romantic Hindi film song without breaking stride.
You’d think someone toggling between the crunch of a metal breakdown and the lush string section of a Bollywood tearjerker would have to mentally switch channels entirely. Dhar doesn’t see it that way.
“I’ve realised over time, especially these days, that the lines have blurred a lot between the indie and commercial worlds,” he tells ETV Bharat over the phone from his home studio in Mumbai. “Before starting any project, I like to have a long conversation with the person hiring me. The differentiating factor should be that it’s a pleasure to work with me, not just my technical skills. I try to listen to the music rather than the frequencies.”
Trusted Collaborator
That mindset works whether he’s collaborating film composer Aloka Dasgupta on an indie record, fielding requests from ad agencies, or, in one memorable instance, taking a call from composer Amaal Mallik (who had heard his Skyharbor work and wanted him on Badla). “People in the film world are curious about my indie credentials,” Dhar grins. “And vice versa.”
In an industry where everyone claims to have “an ear,” Keshav Dhar has the kind of ears other musicians actually trust. His mixing work carries a reputation that travels faster than press releases; call it the audio equivalent of word-of-mouth. Whether it’s a prog-metal odyssey with Skyharbor or the closing credits of a Bollywood thriller, there’s a clarity, weight, and emotional precision to his sound that colleagues openly admire.
Composers respect him not just for what he can do with a mix, but for how he approaches it… listening like a fan first, then shaping like a craftsman. It’s the rare combination of technical skill and genuine musical empathy that makes artists seek him out, not because they want a track “polished,” but because they want it understood.
Mood Boards, Not Mixing Boards
Before touching an EQ, Dhar has a simple request: make him a playlist. “I ask artists to create a playlist that functions as a mood board,” he explains. “It tells me more about where they want to go emotionally than any technical instruction could.” That approach has led to moments like producing Zillat for Hanita Bhambri (“Pretty songs,” he says with genuine fondness) and building the sonic landscape for Class, a show whose soundtrack demanded whiplash-inducing stylistic shifts. “Each song was so different. You had to treat every one as its own world.”
Dhar has been part of a slow but undeniable shift in how Indian music treats the behind-the-scenes crew. “There was too much emphasis on mixing to compensate for poor production and performance before,” he notes. “Now, access to production tools has levelled the playing field.”
As a result, producers and engineers are no longer just sonic janitors… they’re co-creators. And Dhar’s credits prove it: Khauf on Amazon Prime, Jaane Jaan, Bhakshak, Dhoom Dhaam, and, of course, a slew of records for indie acts from metal to ambient electronica.
When asked about mastering (an often-misunderstood art in music production), Dhar keeps it pragmatic. “You have to be clear about what’s required. Sometimes it’s about loudness, sometimes about cohesion. The trick is to know what the artist actually wants, not what you think the track should be.”
Gear Without The Preciousness
For all his studio wizardry, Dhar isn’t a gear snob. But he admits to one soft spot: “There’s a plugin called Clariphonic: two knobs, Focus and Clarity. That’s it. It just works.” Dhar was championing indie artists long before “indie” became a buzzword in Indian music marketing decks. He’s seen the slow erosion of the wall between mainstream and underground. “I think the line’s almost gone now,” he says. “The industry’s more open to genre-fluid creators. You can have metal, electronica, pop, film music, ambient… all in one career. That’s my life.”
It’s a life that has included some creative curveballs, like The Downtroddence, an indie project that reminded him why he fell in love with music production in the first place, and OTT show Class, which stretched his creative problem-solving to its limit.
His Bucket List
What’s next for someone who’s already ticked off stadium-level rock shows, prestige film projects, and beloved indie releases? “I’d love to work on a videogame,” he says. “I wouldn’t call myself a gamer, but I’m fascinated by the idea of building an interactive sonic world.”
If he had to describe his journey in audio terms? Dhar pauses. “Probably like a multi-band compressor,” he says. “Different frequencies, all working together. Sometimes I’m boosting, sometimes cutting, but the whole point is to make it sound good in the end.” It’s an answer that sums him up: technical but human, precise but adaptable, equally at home in a metal riff and a string section swell. Somewhere between Focus and Clarity, he’s making Indian music sound better… no matter which world it comes from.
