Bandish Bandits Season 2 review: No straggly spots, only the sound of music

Last seen, Radhe Mohan (Ritwik Bhowmik), the faithful ‘shishya’ of Sangeet Samrat Rathod (Naseerudin Shah) who has been handed the responsibility of keeping the gharana alive, is trying to get past his tiff with emerging popstar Tamanna (Shreya Chaudhry). It’s not just a fight, but a proper little break-up, and now they are back, poised for face-to-face confrontations. Will it be sorry-let’s-be-pals-again, or will the two sink deeper into their differences despite their affinities?

The nicest part of ‘Bandish Bandits’ was that its characters felt that they were really singing, not just lip-synching as they do in the movies. It isn’t easy to make us believe that you’re the one doing the alaaps and taans. Just listening to those bits was pure pleasure, despite some of the predictable arcs that a long-form show like this can fall into.

This time around, both Radhe and Tamanna are pulled into worlds they have no idea about, the former trying to find a place in a band which uses rock-and-ragas to create a fusion, the latter actually trying to learn the basics from scratch at a well-known music school in the hills. He is up against Vishal (Samad Khan) who believes that the only way to go forward is to leave those gharana-constraints behind; she has to face down a teacher-with-a-past (Divya Dutta, in an array of eye-catching silver jewelry), and rag-tag bandmates, including a combative rival (Dalmia), who are more talented but not as savvy about showmanship as her.

Watch Bandish Bandits Season 2 trailer:

You wish that less time was spent on the Indian Idol-esque episodes which basically take the show into reality TV tropes, with Radhe and Tamanna getting frequent chances to face each other on stage, and find a conveniently empty spot in the middle of pretty Rajasthan hotels, where they manage to get into yet another argument even as they are aware that the sparks between the two are as strong, if not stronger. There’s a fly in the ointment, in the shape of a good-looking bandmate (Rohan Gurbaxani), with Radhe’s hard-working agent (Siddharth Roy Kapoor) looking out for him both on stage and off it.

Meanwhile, back home, Radhe’s parents (Tailang, a singer-and-instrumentalist and Chaddha, a wonderful singer) and uncle (Nayyar, replacing Amit Mistry who died tragically young) are all trying to find their place-under-the-sun, now that the despotic patriarch Rathod is no longer around to crush their ambitions. Will powerful stake-holder Digvijay ( Kulkarni) who has claimed insider status, give up his desire to take over the gharana?

Each actor contributes to the show, and the leads are excellent. Some really good music comes up through these plot devices — including a bittersweet romance which needed more time and attention — which makes us stay, even when you know where it’s all heading. A teacher resistant to the blandishments of a famous new student will become the latter’s staunch champion. A clash of egos between two students will lead to a smooth papering over differences, and will lead to a kick-ass band. An antagonist will turn into a pal. Yes, all of it is there. But happily, Bandish Bandits puts its straggly spots behind it to keep singing, and the sound of that music is lovely.

Bandish Bandits Season 2 cast: Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhry, Atul Kulkarni, Divya Dutta, Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba Chaddha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Arjun Rampal, Yashaswini Dayama, Saurabh Nayyar, Rohan Gurbaxani, Samad Khan, Aaliyah Qureshi
Bandish Bandits Season 2 director: Anand Tiwari
Bandish Bandits Season 2 rating: 3 stars