Dhruv Ghanekar

Based in Mumbai

Dhruv Ghanekar is a celebrated music composer, producer, and guitarist whose career spans more than two decades across advertising, films, and independent music.

As co-founder of Smoke Music and Wah Wah Music, Dhruv has pioneered advertising and independent music in India, producing thousands of commercials, a dozen feature films, and supporting breakout pop artists between 1998–2007.

With over 4,000 commercials to his credit, he is one of the most prolific voices in India’s advertising soundscape, shaping memorable campaigns such as Fevicol’s Moochwali and Sofa 60 Years, Nike’s Parallel Journeys (winner at Cannes Lions, D&AD, and Clio Awards), Sprite’s Gyaan Gul, Samsung’s We Will Take Care of You (India’s most-watched ad with 210M+ views), ICICI’s Giving is Magic, and Awesome Assam with Priyanka Chopra. His clientele includes global giants like Nike, Samsung, BBC One, Absolut, Unilever, Tata, Reliance, and Mahindra.

Beyond advertising, his work in cinema and stage includes composing for Dhaakad (2022), featuring on Coke Studio Season 3, collaborating with artists like Kailash Kher and Shiamak Davar, and re-producing the music of Disney’s Aladdin for the Indian stage in 2018. His solo album Voyage (2015) won two GIMA Awards and two IRAA Awards, becoming the first Indian indie record to top the iTunes Bollywood charts. His short film score for Blink (Jimmy Nelson Foundation, 2019) went on to win over 50 international awards, making it the most awarded campaign of the year.

With a career rooted in experimentation and versatility, Dhruv blurs boundaries between Indian tradition and contemporary global sound.

Watch Dhruv Ghanekar in conversation with the top 1% Music Composers' at the Good Ads Matter Roundtable.

Social Media Handle:

Instagram - @dhruvg

Youtube - Dhruv Ghanekar