Amazon Prime's Bandish Bandits Trailer: Cheesy Romance Or A Memorable Musical Journey?

The trailer for the all-new Amazon Original Series Bandish Bandits is finally here. The show is directed by Anand Tiwari, and produced and created by Amritpal Singh Bindra. Set in Jodhpur, it'll tell the story of two young musicians, played by Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry, hailing from contrasting musical backgrounds. The series also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Sheeba Chaddha and Rajesh Tailang in pivotal roles. Bandish Bandits shall feature an original soundtrack composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The music directors will also be making their digital debut with this show. The series will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime from August 4.

The Trailer

The trailer follows the story of Radhe (Ritwik Bhaowmik) and Tamanna (Shreya Chaudhary). Radhe is a singing prodigy, who is determined to follow in the footsteps of his celebrated classical-musician grandfather (Naseeruddin Shah). On the other hand, Tamanna is a rising YouTube pop sensation who is desperate to become an international star. Their paths cross, and soon Radhe finds himself falling in love with Tamanna.

In the meanwhile, Tamanna hatches a plan to launch herself into stardom with a jugalbandi (collaboration) performance. She names hers and Radhe’s team Bandish Bandits, from where the series draws its name. Torn between helping Tamanna and staying true to his own music and family legacy, Radhe tries to juggle both at the risk of losing it all. And all of this happens as the diverse range of soundtracks in the background create waves of emotions for the audience to ride on.

Also Read: The queen of Indian, Classical, folk and pop: Shubha Mudgal

Classical versus Pop

The director of the show said in a statement: “Bandish Bandits is a modern musical romance that will appeal to a global audience.” Aparna Purohit, Head of India Originals, Amazon Prime Video added, “Bandish Bandits is a musical romance about a young couple caught in a fusion of contrasting worlds, traditions and musical gharanas. It’s the first of its genre for Prime Video.”

The classical versus pop music debate has been going on for quite some time now. In a country like India, where the roots of classical music trace itself back to thousands of years, it’s natural that the forthcoming of western and pop music have created waves of opposition.

Also Read: How Indian Classical Music Can Help Women Achieve Work-Life Balance

Classical music is known to have a selective but devoted following even today. On the other hand, pop music is thought to be more flexible and undoubtedly the masses connect with it effortlessly. So, while the trailer seems to come off as cheesy boy-meets-girl-falls-in-love kind of story, the larger issue of the traditional versus modern genres clashing in a country that is well-known for the variety of music it produces gives the narrative a rather original tone. That along with the fact that the show includes a fabulous ensemble cast along with a fresh lead pair makes it intriguing. As to how well it shall use these themes, actors and characters, only time will be able to tell.

Picture Credit: YouTube screenshot

Dyuti Gupta is an intern with SheThePeople.TV. The views expressed are the author's own.