The second season of Bandish Bandits has landed on the right note. The musical romantic drama arrived on Amazon Prime Video over the weekend, with Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry bringing back OTT’s favourite star-crossed lovers – Radhe and Tamanna. In an exclusive chat with HT, the two actors talk about the show, reprising their famous roles, and drawing from their own lives for the characters. (Also read: Bandish Bandits season 2 review: New characters add interesting spin to this otherwise slow chapter)
Shreya Chaudhry on Tamanna’s fall from grace
Shreya agrees that the roles have reversed in season 2, with Tamanna, a famous rockstar, going on a journey of self-discovery while Radhe transforms from a meek student to the master of his Gharana. However, she disagrees that Tamanna is powerless. “I feel Tamanna is more powerful than ever because she has gone back to acquiring knowledge, which is power. She doesn’t want to be mediocre,” says the actor.
Ritwik on being the man of the house
Ritwik says that to channel his character’s transformation from a kid to the man of the house, he looked at his own life. “It happened (to me) after Bandish Bandits season 1 was released. 2020 was a very difficult time for everybody. My family was also going through a tough time. My dad had crossed 60, and he was retiring. The only person employed at the time was me, and I had no idea of the pressure that brought on me. It took me one year to realise I was running the house. But that feeling is beautiful after you let it set,” shares Ritwik.
On the characters’ transformation in season 2
The second season shows a sort of professional hatred or jealousy take over Tamanna as she sees Radhe’s progress. Talking about how it is a human emotion, Shreya says, “It’s interesting to see how somebody you love impacts your life, particularly when they become powerful or successful. We are humans, so we feel happiness for them. But if you are in the same industry, you do feel insecure, too. Making the characters human and raw is done so beautifully here. Being able to live those emotions was amazing.”
Ritwik says the show’s narrative was personal for him. The second season has his gharana being ostracised from the Indian classic music fraternity and doors being shut for them. While he says doors were ‘never fully shut’ for him in life, ‘they are never fully open too’. The actor adds, “I have felt like an outsider all through my life. I am a Bengali boy who grew up in Bangalore. So if I go to Kolkata, Bengaluru, or Mumbai, I am always from somewhere else. I am from all over the place. Everywhere I have gone, I have felt I don’t belong here, but I have somehow found a way to do that. So like I said, doors were never shut for me but partially shut. Whether you knock on them or kick them down, it’s your decision.”
Bandish Bandits is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.