The second season of the musical romantic drama Bandish Bandits is out, nearly four years after season one hit the screens. And director-creator Anand Tiwari can only help smile when asked about this rather large gap. In an exclusive chat with HT ahead of season 2's release, the filmmaker spoke about season 2's genesis, explained the four-year wait, and addressed composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy exiting the project. (Also read: Bandish Bandits season 2 review: New characters add interesting spin to this otherwise slow chapter)
On the four-year gap between the two seasons
Bandish Bandits premiered on Amazon Prime Video in 2020. The second season has finally been released on December 12 this year. Addressing the four-year wait, Anand quips, "When we wrote season 1, we took 2.5 years to write, but in season 2, we only took 1.5 years. So we have actually done better." The filmmaker adds, "Honestly, it's a very tough show to write because it's not just about drama or a romantic track between two star-crossed lovers. But because we are writing with music and I am not a musician, we need musical gurus to help us."
Bandish Bandits is the story of two star-crossed lovers, both musicians from very different worlds (played by Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhary). Naturally, music plays a significant part in the show. How does a non-musician go about making such a show? Anand responds, "It comes from a genuine understanding of what you want to say. I have realised while directing and acting that I need to be sincere about what I know. There are enough people out there who'll be sincere about what they know. When I am the creator of a show, I don't need to know it all, but I need to surround myself with people who know."
On Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy not returning
In season 1, the critically-acclaimed music was created under the supervision of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but they are not involved in any of the 17 tracks of season 2. Anand says, "In season 1, it was Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. In season 2, with their blessings, we had Akashdeep, our musical supervisor. I feel I was in very safe hands because we had enough people who knew our vision, not just in music but also in cinematography, costumes, and production design. It's a team that brought it all together."
{{/usCountry}}In season 1, the critically-acclaimed music was created under the supervision of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but they are not involved in any of the 17 tracks of season 2. Anand says, "In season 1, it was Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. In season 2, with their blessings, we had Akashdeep, our musical supervisor. I feel I was in very safe hands because we had enough people who knew our vision, not just in music but also in cinematography, costumes, and production design. It's a team that brought it all together."
{{/usCountry}}Bandish Bandits is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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