MUMBAI: Renowned Sitar maestro Purbayan Chatterjee, a torchbearer of Indian classical music, has brought the magic of the sitar to life in the latest season of Bandish Bandits on Amazon Prime Video. The track ‘Garaj Garaj Rocks’ features the maestro’s enchanting sitar performance, delivering a spectacular resurgence for this timeless instrument.
In a masterful display of instrumental storytelling, Purbayan’s sitar has been beautifully woven into the song, adding layers of emotion, gravitas, and elegance. Recorded at music icon Shankar Mahadevan’s home studio, the session was produced by Souumil Shringarpure, who retained the purity of Purbayan’s performance. Notably, the solo was recorded in one flawless take, showcasing Purbayan’s unparalleled artistry.
This collaboration holds significance beyond the series, as Purbayan highlights the larger narrative surrounding the sitar’s evolving role in contemporary music. He remarks, “The sitar is not just an instrument; it is an extension of our cultural identity. Projects like Bandish Bandits give the sitar a facelift, glamorizing it and showcasing its brilliance to younger, global audiences. It thrills me to be a small messenger of this remarkable journey.”
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Adding a visual touch, Purbayan used his transparent sitar during the recording, which the series’ actor observed to authentically portray a sitar player on screen. Every nuance of Purbayan’s playing was carefully preserved, creating an organic musical experience that resonates deeply.
This performance also coincides with Purbayan’s recent album Sitar Stories, a project that celebrates collaborations and reimagines the sitar’s sonic possibilities. “It feels serendipitous that Sitar Stories released just months ago, and now ‘Garaj Garaj Rocks’ delivers another chapter of the sitar’s timeless appeal,” he adds.
The cast of Bandish Bandits Season 2 features Ritwik Bhowmik, Shreya Chaudhry, Atul Kulkarni, Divya Dutta, Sheeba Chaddha, Rajesh Tailang, Kunaal Roy Kapur, and Paresh Pahuja. Directed by Anand Tiwari, the season’s music is composed by the iconic Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and Siddharth Mahadevan, with original lyrics by Sameer Samant and vocals by Dhananjay Mhaskar.
As the sitar reclaims its space in modern storytelling and global collaborations, Purbayan Chatterjee’s contribution to Bandish Bandits becomes a landmark moment, celebrating the elegance and relevance of Indian classical instruments in today’s musical landscape.
