- Date of Release: 13 December 2024
- Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Bandish Bandits (Season 2)
Introduction
I must admit something straight up – I do not get overwhelmed too often while watching content these days. This is not to say that I don’t get emotional, I do – I even shed tears at times, but I don’t get overwhelmed to the point of being in a state of trance often. Yet, that did change while watching the second season of Bandish Bandits on Amazon Prime when the heartfelt vibes of the show reached me and refused to leave me to the point of me being overwhelmed by the drama, and eventually reaching a state of trance – a state where I am content with life, a state wherein all I did was join my hands and be thankful to have watched this show! It is a beautiful feeling that I have experienced twice now – the first was at the start of the year while watching the show Sapne Versus Everyone. And hence, it is ironic that the year for me is ending with a similar feeling that words will never do justice to!
It was in one of the interviews that Sukhwinder Singh had mentioned that competition is fine in all fields of work, except for music. It is infact an invisible weapon of love that has the capabilities of engulfing you, and blurring the distance between people. And therefore, it hardly comes as a surprise that the writers of the second season of Bandish Bandits don’t resort to characters in the binary form. In fact, there aren’t even characters who are broadly painted with dark colours – there are only situations in the moment that double up as conflicts in this wonderfully penned drama that brings two different worlds and ideologies together, through the power of music.
Story & Screenplay
The beautiful thing about the second season of Bandish Bandits is that it has a beautiful conflict within a conflict – the characters are individually stalwarts within their own four walls of their respective worlds, yet underdogs beyond them, further elevated by the setting of the drama which is a reality show. The drama is also a clash of the ideologies – one, a classical music Gharana whose members are bound by the music that is sacred to them and to the immediately people around them, until it isn’t. And the other, a musical school having the influence of Western classical music along with contemporary overtones featuring characters who initially find it hard to get along. Each side is represented by each of the two protagonists – Radhe and Tamanna, who have a past while wrangling on different routes until their worlds collide. And yet, this game of one-upmanship could not have been more synchronized with the element of music allowing the two worlds to converge.
The drama heavily relies on character dynamics between the characters, with minor conflicts that erupt out of a war betwermen ideologies. For instance, Radhe while trying to fill a vacancy in a band as a lead singer has a conflict with the lead sitarist Mahi, over an ideological misunderstanding. Radhe (Ritwik Bhowmik) is a purist while slowly being forced to evolve in order to regain the respect for his Gharana, an extension of a few members of his family including his mother Mohini (Sheeba Chadha) who has visibly developed a distance with her husband and Radhe’s father Rajendra (Rajesh Tailang), while developing a close proximity to old time rival Digvijay (Atul Kulkarni) after the death of Radhe Mohan (Naseeruddin Shah). On the other hand, Tamanna (Shreya Chaudhry) has a dual conflict – of having to find her own voice while being a secondary member of her newly formed band, and having to deal with issues of her breakup with Radhe. Yet, it is music that binds the two worlds together here, almost acting as a bridge of redemption.
The universal language of music is put to test through the setting of the drama, or more specifically the reality show that has high stakes in the lives of its principal characters. In a way, the drama could also be looked upon as a coming of age story, wherein all characters have their own individual arcs that they need to tread while participating in the reality show. For Radhe and his family, it is about regaining the respect by spreading the magic of original classical compositions of his Gharana, while for Tamanna, it is about earning respect in her own eyes while having to deal with her past face-to-face. In a way, all characters in the drama add a different rhythm to the proceedings – like different keys on a piano, they do not ‘compete’ with each other, they combine to create a state of trance! The subtle twists in the screenplay keep the drama afloat while creating some beautiful moments along the way to resolve conflicts. One of my favourite scenes has to be Radhe and his family touching the feet of Mahi who was their mentor in one of those rounds, a humbling feeling of gratitude that follows a previous round of flaring egos. These moments are wonderfully sprinkled in the narrative while gently tugging the strings of your heart.
Another one of the highlights of the drama has got to be the Jugalbandis that transpire on stage, almost being pitted in the form of ‘Us-Versus-Them’ format, but collectively creating a plethora of magic! The smaller conflicts are resolved within scene even as the thread of the main conflicts holds the narrative together. I was briefly skeptical of a late change in the setting that made me think that things could head south from that point. But a beautiful flashback did hold my attention while beautifully keeping a range of emotions intact, even as the finale performances sent me in a state of trance. I must say though that the sequence of performamces felt slightly abrupt at the end, and they could have been further elongated, but I loved the way the resolved the conflicts while steering away from the cliches. The practical ending was symbolic of the fact that the screenplay is a winner all the way and accounts for one of the best Hindi language shows this year.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are a fusion of the two drastically different worlds as viewed through the lens of Radhe and Tamanna. The lines aee hip but still have a sense of sweetness to them, while keeping the sincerity and earnestness of the drama intact. Like the first season, the music here too plays an important character that binds the narrative together, and the notes just send you in a dizzy state of trance. From Rock to Rajasthani, and from contemporary to Indian Classical, there are a variety of emotions that are beautifully engulfed in this heady concoction of tranquility that makes you appreciate the art form that much more. The fusion, essentially representing the middle ground, is beautifully placed at strategic moments to allow you to invest and feel for the characters, while the BGM is wonderfully used as a filler to highlight the soothing aesthetics of the drama.
The cinematography comprises of frames that literally give you a feeling of attending a concert. With flashy lights and an aesthetically brilliant production design, the frames give life to this world of music that is constructed with a searing labour of love. The editing is crisp and sharp wherein I didn’t feel the pinch of the ‘massive’ runtime of the show even once. This, while the interjected cuts create a soothing fusion of events that keep the emotions of the drama intact. Director Anand Tiwari has been a revelation here. It might stem from his appreciation for music, something that beautifully reflects in his world building and direction. There are palpable emotions that touch the right chords through some beautifully created moments while filling you with a sense of gratitude. And the director deserves full credit for the same!
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the ensemble cast. The creative decision of casting a few musicians as actors was a pretty good one. Jayna Ruchandani, Rituraj Singh (in probably in his final appearance onscreen), Meghna Malik, Pawan Uttam as Prashant, Anish Bhagat as Kingshuk and Karan Chitra Deshmukh as KCD have their moments to shine. Sanchi Malhotra as Nidhi, Samad Khan as Vishal and Krishna Marathe as Sheela are first rate, and each of them have done a commendable job. Arjun Rampal as Imroz is sincere and endearing while delivering a heartfelt performance. Aaliyah Qureshi as Ananya has a wonderful screen presence while being wonderfully understated with her performance. Rahul Singh as Kabir is blessed with a nice little flair for comedy and he contributes well to a few laughs along the way. Kunaal Roy Kapur as Arghya is a bundle of laughter and he is terrific to witness.
Saurabh Nayyar as Devendra (remember he had to fill the shoes of a talent like Amit Mistry) is wonderfully endearing and manages to leave a lasting impression. Rohan Gurbaxani as Ayaan is quietly charming and delivers quite a dependable act. Yashaswini Dayama as Soumya had an interesting little conflict of insecurity too, probably similar to what Tamanna may have had in her early days, and she taps into the required set of emotions quite well. Atul Kulkarni as Digvijay had so many layers to his character – of jealousy, insecurity yet endurance, and there was a searing state of grace in his performance that was beautifully measured while hitting the right chords along the way. And notice the softness on his face that adds layers of poise to his understated performance. Paresh Pahuja as Mahi has a similar arc – there is a sense of arrogance and entitlement early on in his character that beautifully is reduced to ashes in a wonderful journey of transformation. And Paresh played so beautifully with his expressions thereby ensuring that his character is immensely affable.
There is something about Divya Dutta and the amount of grace that she brings to her character. Her minimalistic approach is on full display here, even as she breathes life into Nandini, a character that is discreetly vulnerable but always poised with grace, even during subtle confrontations that she finds herself a part of. Rajesh Tailang is that one actor who uses his eyes so beautifully. While dealing with several issues with respect to his character of Rajendra, he conveys a range of emotions just through his eyes and expressions, and maintaining a low key that makes his character beautifully grounded. Sheeba Chadha as Mohini is just beautifully restrained here, while internalizing her character wonderfully well. Just like intricate notes of music, her performance explores the subtle emotions while always donning an attire of grace and dignity that made me feel for her character at any given point of time. These wonderful actors collectively have raised the stature of my review!
This brings me to Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry – the two diabolically opposite characters of Radhe and Tamanna who are soul-mates in many ways, ironically united and divided by music. And I am clubbing these performances together because both have similar character arcs of self discovery. Ritwik has a wonderfully charming personality that often erupts amidst his sincerity, even as you find him moulding himself through the different situations that his character finds himself in. Ritwik is brilliant and does a superb job here while touching upon a range of emotions along the way. And this version of Shreya is far from the frivolous beats of the first season (which her character demanded then). Here, she delivers a wholesome performance that represents her state of maturity while dabbling with issues erupted from her confused self, while having to prove a point to the world. She is terrific and does an excellent job here.
Conclusion
The second season of Bandish Bandits is a brilliantly compelling musical drama packaged in a submissive state of tranquility that makes for a brilliant watch. This is perhaps one of the best Hindi shows of 2024 that had me overwhelmed with tears! Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!
