Relish these melodious offerings on World Music Day These OTT triumphs and teleplays weave musicality with narratives to entertain and provoke thought Music has always been an integral part of the Indian ethos and has been woven since time immemorial into theatre as well as cinema to take narratives forward. This World Music Day, we bring you a curated list of stories that celebrate music not just as a thematic element but as a vibrant entity in its own right.
An overview:
Bandish Bandits
This Amazon Prime Video series is a musical created by Amritpal Singh Bindra and Anand Tiwari. It features debutant Ritwik Bhowmik as a Hindustani classical musician who collides with the world of pop music when he meets Tamanna Sharma (Shreya Chaudhary). This encounter helps them to discover new aspects of their music and triggers a conflict between tradition and modernity. They then synergise to create a fusion that is both surprising and ground-breaking. The series also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Sheeba Chaddha and Atul Kulkarni. The film’s soundtrack album and background score is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy.
Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar
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The compelling music of this Netflix magnum-opus directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali continues to top charts. With musical pieces like ‘Sakal Ban’, ‘Nazariya ki Maari’, ‘Saiyaan Hatto Jaao,’ and ‘Chaudhavi Shab’, the show celebrates not just classical music but also traditional lyrics by Amir Khusrau. These compositions are brought alive on the small screen with a cinematic flair by Bhansali. His passion for opulence also gilds each song picturisation with unforgettable beauty.
Piya Behrupiya
This Zee Theatre musical is a rollicking musical adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy ‘Twelfth Night’. Set to the irresistible beats of folk fusion music, ‘Piya Behrupiya’ retells the complicated love stories of Duke Orsino, Olivia, Cesario and Viola. This audience favourite has travelled the world and has been staged in many prestigious venues including Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. Music and dance have played a huge part in its resounding success. Directed by Atul Kumar, it stars Geetanjali Kulkarni, Amitosh Nagpal, Sagar Deshmukh, Mansi Multani, Mantra Mugdh, Gagan Riar, Neha Saraf, Trupti Khamkar and Saurabh Nayar. Watch it at Tata Play Theatre on 21st June.
Aaj Rang Hai
Classical Music and the syncretic poetry of Amir Khusrau preside over this Zee Theatre teleplay about a neighbourhood where Beni Bai, a former baithak singer is often called upon to share her wisdom. Beni is known to draw upon her musical knowledge to answer questions about life and to counsel her neighbours. She and her neighbours live in easy harmony till the fires of communalism reach them and change their lives forever, Interspersed with music and dance, ‘Aaj Rang Hai’ celebrates the many shades of humanity. Directed by Sourabh Shrivastava, and written by Purva Naresh, the musical stars Trishla Patel, Sarika Singh, Prerna Chawla, Pritika Chawla, Purva Naresh herself, Pawan Uttam, Imran Rasheed, Sukant Goel, Nishi Doshi and Rajshree Deshpande. Watch it at Airtel Spotlight, Dish TV Rangmanch Active and D2H Rangmanch Active on 21st June.
Ladies Sangeet
This Purva Naresh creation weaves music in the narrative to shed light on the clash between tradition and modernity. It also confronts patriarchy, discusses gender identity and individual freedom. The story with many musical set pieces unfolds against the backdrop of the impending wedding of Radha with Siddharth at her ancestral home. Her large, extended family is all set to turn this occasion into a Bollywood style celebration but there are many tensions brewing underneath. With humour, sharp insights and sumptuous musical sequences, this Zee Theatre teleplay provokes thought even as it entertains. Directed by Suman Mukhopadhyay, the teleplay stars Joy Sengupta, Nidhi Singh, Siddhant Karnick, Loveleen Mishra, Harsh Khurana , Sarika Singh, Monica Gupta, Niranjan Iyengar, Mallika Singh and Nivedita Bhargava. Watch it at Tata Play Theatre on 21st June.
