Bandish Bandits Season 2 REVIEW: Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhry’s story struggles to strike the right chord

Film:
Bandish Bandits Season 2

Director: Anand Tiwari

Writer: Anand Tiwari, Atmika Didwania and Karan Singh Tyagi

Cast: Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhry, Sheeba Chaddha, Atul Kulkarni, Rajesh Tailang, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Divya Dutta, Rohan Gurbaxani, Yashaswini Dayama, Aaliyah Qureshi, and Saurabh Nayyar

Platform: Amazon Prime Video

Runtime: 8 episodes of 45 minutes

Bandish Bandits Season 2 Review

After almost 4 years of waiting, Bandish Bandits returns with its new season, with Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry reprising their roles as Radhe and Tamanna, but unfortunately, the magic of the first season seems to have fizzled out. The show centres around the lives of Radhe, a royal family classical music prodigy, and Tamanna Sharma, a tenacious pop singer. Bandish Bandits season 2 explores the characters’ deeper emotional journeys and intensified tensions.

What Works

Bandish Bandits season 2 stays true to its central idea of fusing classical and modern music. The scenes that will hit you hard are Tamannah singing Queen Elvis’ track with the emotion of her heartbreak, the cameo of Imbroz and his shayaris, giving a glimpse of them singing the track Chandaniya, connecting post-breakup. With a few particularly striking scenes that encapsulate this cultural fusion and its base, a few minute details are kept in mind when they dig deeper into their roots and it will dive you into their contrasting worlds.

What Doesn’t Work

The plot is overly drawn out and lacks the emotional nuance and coherence that made the first season so charming. You will not see Divya teaching and singing either; also, a backstory of Nandini and Imroz when it comes to picturisation was done. It also felt like you would miss the remarkable presence of Naseeruddin Shah’s character in the series and his demise sets off a chain of events but nothing sinks in. The music, which is the core of the first season, fails in the second; it falters, delivering memorable or other noteworthy tracks, except Ghar Aa Maahi.

Technical Analysis

The scenic visuals and vibrant production design remain a visual treat. The narrative suffers from predictability, and the direction fails to keep the action moving and the audience interested. The series could have had six episodes as per the story and screenplay.

Star Performances

Ritwik Bhowmik’s earnest performance as Radhe Rathod is a highlight, but even his efforts cannot save the fragmented narrative. Shreya Chaudhry, despite her charm as Tamanna Sharma, struggles to shine and give her character significant growth.

Sheeba Chaddha and Atul Kulkarni are much more focused on the story and should have limited yet conflicted scenes. On the other hand, Rajesh Tailang and Kunaal Roy Kapur played their parts well.

The introduction of new characters Divya Dutta, Rohan Gurbaxani, Yashaswini Dayama, Aaliyah Qureshi, and Saurabh Nayyar adds freshness, offering moments of intrigue but lacking their character depth and research.

Culmination

Overall, Bandish Bandits Season 2 feels like a missed opportunity; even after the longer wait, the fruit is not sweet for the audience. Despite its efforts to craft a catchy story about love, ambition, and tradition, the show struggles to find its footing this time around.

Watch the trailer of Bandish Bandits Season 2:

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