There are artistes who adapt to formats. And then there are those who simply follow their instinct. Lyricist and composer Swanand Kirkire belongs to the second category. Purely going by his instinct, he took the leap and turned creator with the new series, Bandwaale. But to him, the role marks his return to something foundational. “I come from theatre. I have written original plays. Lyrics happened [later],” he said, when we got on a call.
Starring Kirkire, Zahan Kapoor, and Shalini Pandey, Bandwaale revolves around three small-town artistes who come together to form an unlikely band. Music, naturally, is the spine of the Prime Video series. That’s precisely where Kirkire believes streaming platforms initially faltered. “I think OTT platforms initially didn’t fully understand the power of music in Indian storytelling,” said the artiste, who has also served as actor, lyricist, singer, and composer on the show.
Swanand Kirkire (extreme right) in ‘Bandwaale’
In sharp contrast stands the Hindi film ecosystem, where songs are central to stories. “In cinema, when you make a film with five good songs, they become the marketing engine. If the songs work, the film benefits. In many early web series, songs were either not marketed properly or not released independently. So they didn’t travel,” he noted.
What OTT series need to push music, he said, is a system that allows songs to reach listeners outside of the episodes. He pointed to the films’ structure of releasing music. “Songs would release before the film. They would play on radio, television, everywhere. There was a structure. With OTT, that structure is still evolving. Music must live outside a show too. Only then will it have repeat value.”
They got it right
Kirkire noted that ‘Bandish Bandits’ and ‘Mismatched’ were the rare series that embraced music in their storytelling. “The songs were released separately and promoted,” he said.
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