“Bandish Bandits”, a series being aired on the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video, is receiving appreciation on social media for its mesmerising music and so is the on-screen chemistry between lead stars Shreya Chaudhry and Ritwik Bhowmik. while Ritwik plays Radhe, a young man passionate about classical music, Shreya is popstar Tamanna Sharma.
Directed by Anand Tiwari and produced and created by Amritpal Singh Bindra, the cast of the show also consists of stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Sheeba Chaddha, and Rajesh Tailang.
Shreya says that being surrounded by people who have such a long association with the acting world was itself a learning lesson but there is something about his young co-star Ritwik that made her jealous.
“I was very jealous when I got to know that Ritwik is playing his (Naseeruddin Shah’s) grandchild on screen,” Shreya told Opoyi when asked if she felt bad for not getting any direct scene with the senior actor in the series.
“Having said that, Naseer sir has been so warm and welcoming toward me. Even though we don’t have too many scenes together but the time I got to spend with him on-sets and off-sets and just being able to watch him perform, I think it’s such a big deal for me,” she said.
She also thanked the director and producer of the show for being kind to tell her the day Naseeruddin Shah was performing and had shots.
“I would actually just land up on a shoot and I am so happy for this opportunity. I remember, there was a day when Naseer sir was doing a shot and I was sitting where I could see him perform and I could also see the remaining crew and sir gave a response (to a person) in one of the episodes and that response was so real that there was a sense of connection and I started crying. Naseer sir, Atul sir, Sheeba maam they were so excited every single day and I really hope that I get the same kind of excitement from my career,” she said.
“Bandish Bandits” is also fast moving up the charts for music by the trio Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy who has made digital debut with the show.
The characters of Radhe and Tamanna connected well with millennial and Shreya felt empowering too while working on the project.
“It felt very empowering. I never really consumed music that way and it was only after ‘Bandish…’ that I actually started realising that music evokes as much an emotion in me as any other form of an art, say a movie or a web series so that is the door that this show has opened for me. I would be lying if I say that I listen to classical music all my life . (Yes) I have interacted with it but I am much more well versed with it today, much more I know about the culture and history of Hindustani classical music as to why doesn’t a classical singer sings with their shoes on , why they put a cloth or a shawl on their feet when they sit cross legged , what is the meaning of a Bandish so it also made me feel like little small when I read the script,” she said.
“It was so enriching to unravel every single aspect not only from his world but my world as well , the kind of musician that Tamanna Sharma is and the passion that she has. There is a reason why people love her either for her music or probably for the way she performs or the way she dresses, there is something that is getting her the adulation of millions of people hence the views and probably everything else,” added the actress
The actress signs off by saying that hopefully audience will also get the same enriching experience after finishing all 10 episodes.
