Agosh

Agosh
Genres
  • Pop
  • punk
Years active1994–2000s
Past members
  • R. Anandh
  • Gopal Rao
  • Shaleen Sharma

Agosh was an Indian pop-punk band, consisting of R. Anandh, Gopal Rao, and Shaleen Sharma. Formed in 1994, they are considered India's first significant pop-punk band. The band dissolved in the 2000s, with all three members pursuing solo careers.

Career

Anandh, a Chennai-based mathematics graduate and veena player, joined Prasad Media as a composer in the early 1990s till the studio caught on fire. He had worked as a composer for Malayalam and Tamil films. He started a studio called Aqua Regia (named after the chemical substance) with Gopal Rao, a Carnatic singer whom he met at Prasad Media. After Anandh's college mate Shaleen Sharma joined, the band Agosh was formed in 1994 with Anandh playing the guitar, Rao as the lead singer, and Sharma playing drums. The name Agosh, which translates to "Embrace", is also a portmanteau of the members' first names Anandh, Gopal and Shaleen. Anandh, Rao, and Sharma studied at IIT Roorkee with the latter two being mechanical engineers. Apart from playing the drums (tabla), Sharma was a Hindustani classical vocalist.

Agosh composed ad jingles for Fanta, Pepsi, Pond's, and for a Nestlé Munch advertisement. They also composed the song "O Yaara Re" for Come On India, a music compilation for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. In 1998, they composed for their first Hindi film Zor, which was known for the song "Main Kudi Anjai Hoon". Later that same year, their album Americana was released. The song "Pretty fly for a white guy" from the album was a hit and was aired on MTV and Channel V. They also did music for Radio City. They worked on the album Paisa in 2002, which was released under the label of Z Records. In a music review of the album, a critic wrote, "all the songs in Paisa are of even quality – melodious and humable. This album is "'paisa vasool'".

After the trio dissolved, Anandh went on to compose ad jingles for Limca, Motorola, Nokia, Paper Boat, Samsung, and Sprite; Rao continued as a Chennai-based singer and Sharma moved to Mumbai. Anandh composed for the Hindi film Lafangey Parindey (2010), which was directed by ad filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar. Anandh collaborated with Sarkar for advertisements for around a year. The songs were predominantly well received by critics.

Discography

As composer

Agosh
R. Anandh's solo career

As playback singer

Gopal Rao

Filmography

Shaleen Sharma

As lyricist
As actor

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Agosh: India's First Major Pop-Punk Band". The Revolver Club. 30 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Ramani, Nithya (20 August 2010). "Making sweet music for Deepika, Neil". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 24 August 2026. Retrieved 24 August 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thana, Kushboo (29 June 2009). "Who's That – R Anandh: Heard, Unseen". Afaqs. Archived from the original on 4 May 2026. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sreedharan, Divya (12 March 2002). "`Jaane do', sings `Agosh'". The Hindu. Bangalore. Archived from the original on 28 November 2004. Retrieved 19 June 2026.
  5. ↑ "Shaleen Sharma". Sunshine Productions. Archived from the original on 17 March 2026. Retrieved 27 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Ranjit, S. Sahaya (4 March 2002). "Music review: 'Paisa' by Agosh comes like a breath of fresh air". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 July 2026. Retrieved 19 July 2026.
  7. ↑ "Ad age: Some catchy jingles from recent times". Rediff.com. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2026. Retrieved 31 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Waiting for Ma". The Economic Times. 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 25 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  9. ↑ D'souza, Dipti Nagpaul (6 August 2010). "Musical melange". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 8 September 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  10. ↑ R. Anandh – Interview (Music Director) – Lafangey Parindey. India Forums. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  11. ↑ "Music Review: Lafangey Parindey". Hindustan Times. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 21 August 2026. Retrieved 25 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Verma, Sukanya (21 July 2010). "Lafangey Parindey music is irresistibly whimsical". Rediff.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2025. Retrieved 25 August 2026.