2026's music videos have been on a different wave. The year so far has seen artists using the format not as a promotional afterthought but as an extension of the song itself — a place to take risks, build worlds, and say things the music alone can't. Yashraj is splitting personalities at a dinner table, Dhanji and RASLA are running through Ahmedabad streets, Curry are weaving Yakshagana storytelling through Mangalore's rivers, and JBABE is sitting with a question that has no clean answer. From Delhi to Chennai to Coastal Karnataka, here are twelve videos that prove the format is very much alive.
“Mujhe Yeh Gaana Pasand Hai” - Yashraj, NEVERSOBER
Yashraj has always used humour as a structural tool rather than a garnish, and this video is the clearest demonstration of that. Shot around a dinner date, it stages a battle of personas - different versions of himself pulling in different directions - while his introspective lyricism does the heavier lifting.
“Public Notice” - KARMA
A no-bars-barred flow that holds a mirror up to the hypocrisy of the times, the video makes its point without flinching - and then pulled back the curtain further by acknowledging that some listeners will hear it as "too technical" when really, he says, people just avoid direct truths.
“hASHISHBHAI” - Dhanji, RASLA
The concept - a man running for his life who ends up at his own funeral - mirrors the track's energy: chaotic, self-aware, oddly funny. Dhanji's street-rooted Gujarati rap and RASLA's bass-heavy production have always had a cinematic quality, and here the video catches up to it.
“Lime Tikka” - Baalti, Lapgan [Video by Excise Dept]
Directed by Delhi rap collective Excise Dept, "Lime Tikka" follows Satellite Kaur, a young girl determined to launch herself into space after a satellite crash-lands in her village at the moment of her birth. The nadhaswaram driving the track sounds like it barged into the club uninvited, and the video matches that energy - chaotic, colourful, and culturally specific in a way that makes it feel completely its own.
“Psilovibin” - Paal Dabba
Chennai rapper and choreographer Paal Dabba wrote, directed, and performed in this one himself. The video traces a journey from a quiet, self-doubting kid to someone who has found his voice, aided, as he puts it, by choice substances and a surprise appearance from Trisha Krishnan, whose glamorous cameo arrives exactly when the video needs it most.
“Amsham” - Aksomaniac ft. M.H.R, Bhumi, Circle Tone
"Amsham" builds its video around a sweeping mythological frame: the God of Desire finding heaven and hell not in another realm but right here, on earth. Aksomaniac, M.H.R, Bhumi and Circle Tone each bring a different texture to it, and the visual language matches the ambition of the concept without getting lost in it.
“Parchhaiyan” - Janisht Joshi, Phosphenes
A cross-border collab between Mumbai-based Janisht Joshi and Kathmandu indie duo Phosphenes, "Parchhaiyan" frames its central tension as a visual choice: the sharp red of love against the familiar void of a black suit. Joshi's songwriting and Phosphenes' atmospheric production make an unexpectedly natural fit, and the video earns its melancholy without forcing it.
“Woh Alag Hain Humse” - Bawari Basanti
Bawari Basanti's description of this video says it best: it's about coexistence, and the fragile space between people who share a life but see the world differently. Shot with the restraint that defines her work, the video lets that tension breathe rather than resolve it.
“Who You Are” - RANJ, CLIFR
From RANJ's debut mixtape 27 CLUB, the "Who You Are" video places Ranj in conversation with her past and future selves - a fitting visual for a project built around identity, self-definition, and the process of becoming. With longtime collaborator CLIFR on production, it's one of the more conceptually tight videos from the independent space this year.
“Hunkar” - The Aahvaan Project
The Aahvaan Project have been quietly building one of the most considered bodies of work in Indian folk-fusion, and "Hunkar" - from their 2026 EP Main Bhi Khadi Hoon - is the video that makes the philosophy explicit. The chase after love, the exhaustion of running, and then the surrender that turns out to be peace rather than defeat. It's a video that earns its stillness.
“Manase” - Curry
Set along Mangalore's rivers and seas, Curry's "Manase" uses Yakshagana-based storytelling to tell the love and longing between two people drawn to each other the way a river finds its ocean. A Kannada electronic track from their EP Suprabhatha, it's the kind of video that makes you feel the geography as much as the emotion - slow-tempo, deeply rooted, and completely unhurried about where it's going.
“Don't Call Me Your Brother” - JBABE
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYOoY7qzxLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYOoY7qzxLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; 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overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYOoY7qzxLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by ᴊʙᴀʙᴇ ❥ (@joshurbanned)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"><
Chennai/Goa artist JBABE (Josh Fernandez of The F16s) uses this video to sit with a question that doesn't have a clean answer: what happens when you find out the person closest to you was never quite the person you thought they were - and somehow that's not even the worst part. Laidback alt-rock with philosophical depth, the video extends the literary sensibility of his album A Little Larger Than The Entire Universe without explaining it to death.
What stands out across all twelve of these is the range — in language, geography, concept and scale. There's no house style to Indian music video-making in 2026, which is exactly the point. From a Gujarati rapper running from himself at his own funeral to a Mangalorean band drawing on classical dance theatre, from a Delhi rapper who got his video pulled for saying something true to a Kathmandu duo collaborating across borders — the format is being used to say things that matter, and that's worth paying attention to.
2026's music videos have been on a different wave. The year so far has seen artists using the format not as a promotional afterthought but as an extension of the song itself — a place to take risks, build worlds, and say things the music alone can't. Yashraj is splitting personalities at a dinner table, Dhanji and RASLA are running through Ahmedabad streets, Curry are weaving Yakshagana storytelling through Mangalore's rivers, and JBABE is sitting with a question that has no clean answer. From Delhi to Chennai to Coastal Karnataka, here are twelve videos that prove the format is very much alive.
“Mujhe Yeh Gaana Pasand Hai” - Yashraj, NEVERSOBER
Yashraj has always used humour as a structural tool rather than a garnish, and this video is the clearest demonstration of that. Shot around a dinner date, it stages a battle of personas - different versions of himself pulling in different directions - while his introspective lyricism does the heavier lifting.
“Public Notice” - KARMA
A no-bars-barred flow that holds a mirror up to the hypocrisy of the times, the video makes its point without flinching - and then pulled back the curtain further by acknowledging that some listeners will hear it as "too technical" when really, he says, people just avoid direct truths.
“hASHISHBHAI” - Dhanji, RASLA
The concept - a man running for his life who ends up at his own funeral - mirrors the track's energy: chaotic, self-aware, oddly funny. Dhanji's street-rooted Gujarati rap and RASLA's bass-heavy production have always had a cinematic quality, and here the video catches up to it.
“Lime Tikka” - Baalti, Lapgan [Video by Excise Dept]
Directed by Delhi rap collective Excise Dept, "Lime Tikka" follows Satellite Kaur, a young girl determined to launch herself into space after a satellite crash-lands in her village at the moment of her birth. The nadhaswaram driving the track sounds like it barged into the club uninvited, and the video matches that energy - chaotic, colourful, and culturally specific in a way that makes it feel completely its own.
“Psilovibin” - Paal Dabba
Chennai rapper and choreographer Paal Dabba wrote, directed, and performed in this one himself. The video traces a journey from a quiet, self-doubting kid to someone who has found his voice, aided, as he puts it, by choice substances and a surprise appearance from Trisha Krishnan, whose glamorous cameo arrives exactly when the video needs it most.
“Amsham” - Aksomaniac ft. M.H.R, Bhumi, Circle Tone
"Amsham" builds its video around a sweeping mythological frame: the God of Desire finding heaven and hell not in another realm but right here, on earth. Aksomaniac, M.H.R, Bhumi and Circle Tone each bring a different texture to it, and the visual language matches the ambition of the concept without getting lost in it.
“Parchhaiyan” - Janisht Joshi, Phosphenes
A cross-border collab between Mumbai-based Janisht Joshi and Kathmandu indie duo Phosphenes, "Parchhaiyan" frames its central tension as a visual choice: the sharp red of love against the familiar void of a black suit. Joshi's songwriting and Phosphenes' atmospheric production make an unexpectedly natural fit, and the video earns its melancholy without forcing it.
“Woh Alag Hain Humse” - Bawari Basanti
Bawari Basanti's description of this video says it best: it's about coexistence, and the fragile space between people who share a life but see the world differently. Shot with the restraint that defines her work, the video lets that tension breathe rather than resolve it.
“Who You Are” - RANJ, CLIFR
From RANJ's debut mixtape 27 CLUB, the "Who You Are" video places Ranj in conversation with her past and future selves - a fitting visual for a project built around identity, self-definition, and the process of becoming. With longtime collaborator CLIFR on production, it's one of the more conceptually tight videos from the independent space this year.
“Hunkar” - The Aahvaan Project
The Aahvaan Project have been quietly building one of the most considered bodies of work in Indian folk-fusion, and "Hunkar" - from their 2026 EP Main Bhi Khadi Hoon - is the video that makes the philosophy explicit. The chase after love, the exhaustion of running, and then the surrender that turns out to be peace rather than defeat. It's a video that earns its stillness.
“Manase” - Curry
Set along Mangalore's rivers and seas, Curry's "Manase" uses Yakshagana-based storytelling to tell the love and longing between two people drawn to each other the way a river finds its ocean. A Kannada electronic track from their EP Suprabhatha, it's the kind of video that makes you feel the geography as much as the emotion - slow-tempo, deeply rooted, and completely unhurried about where it's going.
“Don't Call Me Your Brother” - JBABE
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYOoY7qzxLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYOoY7qzxLH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; 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Chennai/Goa artist JBABE (Josh Fernandez of The F16s) uses this video to sit with a question that doesn't have a clean answer: what happens when you find out the person closest to you was never quite the person you thought they were - and somehow that's not even the worst part. Laidback alt-rock with philosophical depth, the video extends the literary sensibility of his album A Little Larger Than The Entire Universe without explaining it to death.
What stands out across all twelve of these is the range — in language, geography, concept and scale. There's no house style to Indian music video-making in 2026, which is exactly the point. From a Gujarati rapper running from himself at his own funeral to a Mangalorean band drawing on classical dance theatre, from a Delhi rapper who got his video pulled for saying something true to a Kathmandu duo collaborating across borders — the format is being used to say things that matter, and that's worth paying attention to.
2026's music videos have been on a different wave. The year so far has seen artists using the format not as a promotional afterthought but as an extension of the song itself — a place to take risks, build worlds, and say things the music alone can't. Yashraj is splitting personalities at a dinner table, Dhanji and RASLA are running through Ahmedabad streets, Curry are weaving Yakshagana storytelling through Mangalore's rivers, and JBABE is sitting with a question that has no clean answer. From Delhi to Chennai to Coastal Karnataka, here are twelve videos that prove the format is very much alive.
“Mujhe Yeh Gaana Pasand Hai” - Yashraj, NEVERSOBER
Yashraj has always used humour as a structural tool rather than a garnish, and this video is the clearest demonstration of that. Shot around a dinner date, it stages a battle of personas - different versions of himself pulling in different directions - while his introspective lyricism does the heavier lifting.
“Public Notice” - KARMA
A no-bars-barred flow that holds a mirror up to the hypocrisy of the times, the video makes its point without flinching - and then pulled back the curtain further by acknowledging that some listeners will hear it as "too technical" when really, he says, people just avoid direct truths.
“hASHISHBHAI” - Dhanji, RASLA
The concept - a man running for his life who ends up at his own funeral - mirrors the track's energy: chaotic, self-aware, oddly funny. Dhanji's street-rooted Gujarati rap and RASLA's bass-heavy production have always had a cinematic quality, and here the video catches up to it.
“Lime Tikka” - Baalti, Lapgan [Video by Excise Dept]
Directed by Delhi rap collective Excise Dept, "Lime Tikka" follows Satellite Kaur, a young girl determined to launch herself into space after a satellite crash-lands in her village at the moment of her birth. The nadhaswaram driving the track sounds like it barged into the club uninvited, and the video matches that energy - chaotic, colourful, and culturally specific in a way that makes it feel completely its own.
“Psilovibin” - Paal Dabba
Chennai rapper and choreographer Paal Dabba wrote, directed, and performed in this one himself. The video traces a journey from a quiet, self-doubting kid to someone who has found his voice, aided, as he puts it, by choice substances and a surprise appearance from Trisha Krishnan, whose glamorous cameo arrives exactly when the video needs it most.
“Amsham” - Aksomaniac ft. M.H.R, Bhumi, Circle Tone
"Amsham" builds its video around a sweeping mythological frame: the God of Desire finding heaven and hell not in another realm but right here, on earth. Aksomaniac, M.H.R, Bhumi and Circle Tone each bring a different texture to it, and the visual language matches the ambition of the concept without getting lost in it.
“Parchhaiyan” - Janisht Joshi, Phosphenes
A cross-border collab between Mumbai-based Janisht Joshi and Kathmandu indie duo Phosphenes, "Parchhaiyan" frames its central tension as a visual choice: the sharp red of love against the familiar void of a black suit. Joshi's songwriting and Phosphenes' atmospheric production make an unexpectedly natural fit, and the video earns its melancholy without forcing it.
“Woh Alag Hain Humse” - Bawari Basanti
Bawari Basanti's description of this video says it best: it's about coexistence, and the fragile space between people who share a life but see the world differently. Shot with the restraint that defines her work, the video lets that tension breathe rather than resolve it.
“Who You Are” - RANJ, CLIFR
From RANJ's debut mixtape 27 CLUB, the "Who You Are" video places Ranj in conversation with her past and future selves - a fitting visual for a project built around identity, self-definition, and the process of becoming. With longtime collaborator CLIFR on production, it's one of the more conceptually tight videos from the independent space this year.
“Hunkar” - The Aahvaan Project
The Aahvaan Project have been quietly building one of the most considered bodies of work in Indian folk-fusion, and "Hunkar" - from their 2026 EP Main Bhi Khadi Hoon - is the video that makes the philosophy explicit. The chase after love, the exhaustion of running, and then the surrender that turns out to be peace rather than defeat. It's a video that earns its stillness.
“Manase” - Curry
Set along Mangalore's rivers and seas, Curry's "Manase" uses Yakshagana-based storytelling to tell the love and longing between two people drawn to each other the way a river finds its ocean. A Kannada electronic track from their EP Suprabhatha, it's the kind of video that makes you feel the geography as much as the emotion - slow-tempo, deeply rooted, and completely unhurried about where it's going.
“Don't Call Me Your Brother” - JBABE
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Chennai/Goa artist JBABE (Josh Fernandez of The F16s) uses this video to sit with a question that doesn't have a clean answer: what happens when you find out the person closest to you was never quite the person you thought they were - and somehow that's not even the worst part. Laidback alt-rock with philosophical depth, the video extends the literary sensibility of his album A Little Larger Than The Entire Universe without explaining it to death.
What stands out across all twelve of these is the range — in language, geography, concept and scale. There's no house style to Indian music video-making in 2026, which is exactly the point. From a Gujarati rapper running from himself at his own funeral to a Mangalorean band drawing on classical dance theatre, from a Delhi rapper who got his video pulled for saying something true to a Kathmandu duo collaborating across borders — the format is being used to say things that matter, and that's worth paying attention to.
Tags:
Indian indie music
|
Music Video
|
Yashraj
|
Dhanji
|
Paal Dabba
|
Aksomaniac
|
Janisht Joshi
|
RANJ
