‘Bandish Bandits’…Classical reigns above pop in this sometimes fun, but overall okay-ish musical tug of war.
Spoilers Ahead…
When Amazon Prime’s Bandish Bandits released last year, the show’s music album composed by Shankar-Ehasaan-Loy (along with Dil Bechara, which marked A.R. Rahman’s return to Hindi music after many years) provided a much needed respite from the incessant barrage of remakes released very week. A full album, composed entirely by one composer, under one thematic musicality is sadly a novelty today, and for weeks, all everyone could talk about was the music.
The series, however, didn’t get as much attention. It is understandable, as despite a good effort by the cast and writers, the show remained a mixed bag. It’s intention was to highlight the amalgamation of two different musical styles, but apart from montages slightly highlighting the contrasting approaches and techniques of both styles, it doesn’t get into the nitty-gritty of it. It shockingly, at times is facetious, like the whole episode which centred around Radhe (a sincere Ritwik Bhowmik) and Tamanna (Shreya Chaudhary) roleplaying as a couple to write a love song. I am still not sure if that whole episode was supposed to be a tongue-in-cheek comment of some kind, as there are many such moments and scenes that allude to the current state of the mainstream music scene. Like how Tamanna’s latest single is titled YOLO, in an attempt to capture her millennial listeners, and after a disappointing response to the song (which is signalled by the poor YouTube views, online trolls and disgruntled executives), she is given just two weeks to come up with something new and fresh. She stresses that millennials only have an attention span of ten seconds, within which she has to introduce the song as well as capture their attention.
She’s got a point, but it is hard to take her seriously with the frivolous way her characterisation and her work is dealt with. (In one scene, she constantly shouts ‘Legit’ after a classical music performance).
The classical portions fare far far better (unless you are a Classical Hindustani singer, then it might be too dramatized for you). The beats of the story, too, are classical — representative of old Bollywood movies, like the strict patriarch, under whom the whole family suffers; the daughter-in-law, who despite being oppressed her whole life, comes to the family’s rescue; money problems, an understanding uncle. And because of excellent performances from the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Sheeba Chaddha and Amit Mistry, these portions are riveting.
This isn’t the first time that a classical versus western/mainstream debate has been presented through fiction. We have had Sankarabharanam and Sagara Sangamam which have discussed this clash as well, but in today’s context where people have access to music of all genres and languages, I feel we have become more open-minded. We even have musicians like NUCLEYA and RITVIZ, who have become synonymous with successfully fusing Indian classical music with EDM.
Keeping that in mind, the show then seemed too simple-minded and at times, out-dated.
Instead of a fusion, what we get is two separate storylines, which only merge upon Radhe and Tamanna’s lukewarm relationship. Instead of focusing on their musical journey, we get an unnecessary engagement, (which adds nothing to the story, and the conclusion for which is needlessly graphic), and a music video shoot, where instead of emphasising how mainstream music is further packaged and promoted, the couple’s argument and subsequent make-up is highlighted more (there is also a silly wig and a blue mask involved in all this, that just makes it harder to take things seriously).
Just as how Mohini teaches Radhe to look for sur, taal and laya in our everyday chores, in the same way I wished we could have gotten more insight into the making of a ‘viral’ song. Everyone is aware of how songs are getting shorter and shorter so that they can accommodate for more streams, or how often it is filled with ‘catchy’ lyrics, that make no sense. Even the montage where Tamanna goes around town recording local street artists and later mashes it up electronically, reminded me of the plagiarism claims made over Badshah’s hit song Genda Phool, which did not credit or compensate the original (folk) singer and composer Ratan Kahar.
All these pointers are present, but when it came to developing a combined storyline between the two worlds, the series missed the mark.
