Bandmates Kannan Mohan, Kaustubh "Koco" Dhavale, and Arijit Datta formed the Indian rock band Agnee in 2007. Based in Pune, Maharashtra, the group became one of the few Indian rock bands to secure a major-label record contract during the 2000s, thanks to a sound that mixed elements of Indian classic music with modern, rock-influenced textures. Agnee's self-titled debut album, Agnee, was released by Sony BMG in 2007, featuring special appearances from musician Sandeep Chowta and TV show host Raghu Ram. The album's biggest single, "Sadho Re," became a national hit across India, earning over million YouTube streams during the network's infancy. Agnee earned another hit with 2010's "Aahatein," the 2010 theme song to the MTV India reality show Splitsvilla. Three years later, the band returned with "Hello Andheron," the theme song to the Indian release of Marvel's The Avengers. Now featuring a revised lineup that included bassist Chirayu Vedekar and drummer Hrishikesh Datar, Agnee continued working in the Bollywood and Marathi film industries during the rest of the 2010s, writing music for movies like 2012's Shala and 2014's Yeh Hai Bakrapur. Songs like "Sadho Re" and "Aahatein" continued to enjoy popularity in India, where an unplugged version of "Aahatein" returned to the charts during the summer of 2023.
