From growing up watching films in the bustling theatres of Chennai to now working at the state-of-the-art studios of Los Angeles, Karthik Mohan MPSE’s journey into the world of cinematic sound has been nothing short of extraordinary. What began as a college student’s mission to fix inaudible dialogue in short films has evolved into a thriving international career in sound design for some of the most celebrated projects across the globe.
Inspired by Kamal Haasan’s Uttama Villain, Karthik delved deep into the realm of audio storytelling. A pivotal moment came when he attended a workshop by Oscar-winning sound designer Randy Thom of Skywalker Sound. This experience, coupled with his formal training at California’s prestigious Chapman University where he pursued his MFA in Film Production with a Sound Design emphasis, equipped him with mastery over cutting-edge tools such as Avid S6 and Dolby Atmos, laying the foundation for a powerful entry into Hollywood’s competitive soundscape.
Karthik’s breakthrough arrived with Las Escondidas, which earned him a nomination for the prestigious Verna Fields Golden Reel Award presented by the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE), the world’s only elite organization exclusively dedicated to sound editors. He has since worked on an impressive slate of critically acclaimed and globally streamed films across platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, AMC+ and The Roku Channel. His sound artistry has been a major part of projects showcased at some of the world’s most iconic festivals, including Cannes, Tribeca, SXSW, and Rotterdam.
His standout sound editing credits include Shah Rukh Khan’s cinematic spectacle Jawan, the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023. A massive global success, Jawan was released in over 10,000 screens worldwide, including IMAX, 4DX, and ICE formats, and became one of Netflix’s most-watched Indian films of the year. The film was also the only Indian film nominated at the Astra Awards 2024, held in Los Angeles and presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, an honour that further highlights Karthik’s place on the international stage. He also has under his belt a wide variety of critically acclaimed films including the gritty war documentary Interpreters Wanted, the musical long December, Karthik Subbaraj’s spaghetti western action – drama Jigarthanda Double X, the heist comedy Four Samosas to name a few.
Instagram- Karthik Mohan
