There is an abundance of activity in the second season of the well-regarded Bandish Bandits. Director Anand Pandit and screenwriter Amritpal Singh Bindra dive into the debate on shastriya versus modern sangeet with just this much of a penetrative gaze as to ensure that the viewers’ interests remain unflagging.
The series not keen on exploring the debate on classicism and modernity at length. What Bandish Bandits wants to do, and does with much charm and some sensitivity, is to tell a sturdy attention-holding story.
When we meet Radhe Rathod (Ritwik Bhowmik, impressive ) this season, he is at the crossroads. The Gharana no longer commands the respect it once used, though luckily the series still does.
The crumbling climate of the classical legacy propels Radhe’s journey away from home in Season 2. It is a tumultuous journey in search of a befitting climax to the show.
On the other side, the contemporary singer Tamanna Sharma (Shreya Chaudhary) is grappling to find her voice. Divya Dutta as an obdurate music teacher at a music academy is a supplementary character, underdeveloped but rendered rounded by the dependable Dutta.
Regrettably the accomplished supporting cast Sheeba Chadha, Atul Kulkarni, Rajesh Tailang and Meghna Malik have less to do in Season 2 than they did in Season 1.
The second season effectively brings out the dynamics of the conflict between Hindustani classical music and contemporary auto-tune kind of singing. The raging war between the raw–refined and the studio-defined continues to hold our attention .
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s stab at Hindustani semi-classical music, the backbone of the dramatic tension , preserves its quaint quality.
