Known for her glam look, actor Shreya Chaudhry recently surprised her fans with a throwback picture from her teenage years, recalling how she used to be overweight. But she found her inspiration in actor Hrithik Roshan and embarked on her fitness journey. “It’s been almost a decade-long journey. I used to weigh my highest at the age of 16, around 86 kg, when the picture I shared was taken. Since then, I have lost 25 kg,” she shares.

The 29-year-old was surprised when Roshan replied to her post, saying, “You are a champion. Look at you! Thanks for inspiring me in return.”

Overjoyed with the response, she says, “It means the world to me. He’s much more to me than just an actor. He just kept working hard and made things possible when others doubted him. He made me believe in the value of hope, that with hard work, you can make the impossible possible.”

As for her fitness journey, Chaudhry insists that it has been a tough one, but she never doubted herself. “I was in college when I had a phase of being obese. I never spoke about it, as I felt a little vulnerable to put it out as I didn’t know how people would react. But sharing my story was empowering,” she says.

The actor adds that she was often mocked for her looks, but that never made her underconfident or conscious. “I have been called ‘moti’ and ‘Shrek’ [the eponymous overweight character in the movie]. When you are 17-18, and somebody says these things to you, it can hurt you,” she says, adding, “I will always be that girl from within. So, when today somebody appreciates me for my looks, it does nothing to me.”

It was actually due to health issues that Chaudhry embarked on her fitness journey. “I went to a doctor because I had a bad backache. He said, ‘Shreya, your back is fine, you just need to lose weight’. Up until then, nobody had told me that I need to lose weight. That’s when I came across an article of Hrithik Roshan and my respect and love for him motivated me. I felt if he could do it, I could do it, too,” says the actor.

She adds, “I found the right people, who guided me to it, and then I adopted a sport — boxing. I fell in love with it and now, my two hours in boxing class, are mine. It’s like self love.”

When Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry commenced working on the second season of Bandish Bandits two years ago, they were tasked with meeting one requirement—live up to the expectations of the audience after the success of the first edition. Considering the response to the recently released second edition, one may say with some credibility that the duo did succeed.

Ask Chaudhry if returning to the show for another edition posed a challenge, and she responds in the affirmative. “Like my character, it felt like Shreya too was starting afresh. Just as [my character] Tamanna goes to a music school in the season, I did too,” she says, alluding to the extensive music workshops that all actors attended so that they could add authenticity to their portrayals. “We had lessons in singing, and [learnt several] instruments,” she says.

For Chaudhry, however, lessons didn’t culminate when the workshops ended. Teaming up with her co-star Divya Dutta implied that Chaudhry got the opportunity to enhance her craft by simply watching the senior actor in action.

“Like her character Nandini, she is also someone who doesn’t judge anyone. While rehearsing [together] she would give me cues. For scenes involving the two of us, she would perform even if the camera wasn’t on her. This helped me.”

Chaudhry’s co-star Bhowmik appears to share her gratitude when reflecting on the opportunities that have come his way. The newcomer’s life changed after the release of season one, which was his first mainstream show as a leading man. In the last four years, he has featured in several shows, including Modern Love—Mumbai, and Jehanabad—Of Love and War. However, he minces no words when admitting that despite the acclaim he received after Bandish Bandits, he didn’t have the privilege to decline offers that didn’t appease him.

“The projects that I chose [to do] after Bandish Bandits were those that I needed to do, because I needed work. I don’t come from privilege, and didn’t have the chance to sit back at home and wait for the next big thing. I wanted to keep working and make ends meet,” the actor shares, matter-of-factly.

While several stars are well aware of the kind of cinema they wish to be part of, Bhowmik says he wouldn’t take a decision just yet. “I haven’t told myself that I want to only be part of a certain kind of project. Perhaps, four or five years down the line, I will be able to do that. At this moment, I would [not] restrict myself.”

The fact that actors are still uncertain about the kind of cinema that will work in an era impacted by the OTT boom implies that artistes like him have the chance to experiment abundantly before picking a path.

“From the biggest stars to newcomers, everybody is confused. Nobody can tell us with certainty that something will work. Since childhood, I have just wanted to be seen on screen, be it [the big] screen or television. Of course, I would love to be part of the movies. But I am excited at the moment. There was a four-year-old boy who wanted to be a hero. That boy has been so happy in the last four years that I don’t want him to be bothered by these questions,” he signs off.

Crafting a world filled with love and music takes time. That probably explains why creator-director Anand Tiwari took four years to return with the second season of Bandish Bandits. Tell him that the gap between the two instalments of the Prime Video series was quite long, and he says it was intentional. “We took exactly the time that we took to make season one. We wanted to do it with as much responsibility as we did in season one. Bandish is a unique [narrative] because the story is of musicians, by musicians and for musicians. It gets consumed by everyone because we relate to the inter-personal dynamics, their dysfunctionality, loss, love and insecurities,” he begins.

Starring Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry, Bandish Bandits became a hit upon its première in 2020 as it told the story of two rising musicians and their love despite their differing ideologies. While the romance between the two leads formed the crux of the first season, Tiwari says in the second edition, he has focused on the quiet love triangle playing out between Atul Kulkarni, Rajesh Tailang and Sheeba Chaddha’s characters.

“We keenly saw how the audience responded to their love story [in the first edition] because we wanted to take that journey forward. It’s a mature telling of love that is very much alive on three sides. Radhe [Bhowmik] and Tamanna [Chaudhry] are [grappling with] what love means to them, and whether their love is more important than their love for their art. For the mature characters, these conversations are out of the window, and love means very different things to them. So, as writers, it was a great opportunity.”

It has been a significant year for Tiwari, who directed his first big-screen offering, Bad Newz. The Vicky Kaushal and Triptii Dimri-starrer failed to make waves at the box office, but the director is happy with its performance.

“It did very well at the Indian box office. Internationally, it is Vicky’s biggest film, and got him his biggest weekend. So, I am full of gratitude. As producers, we also understood what box office meant because until then we had only worked on OTT. It was a big litmus test. We came in wanting to do cinema. I am a millennial. I didn’t have OTT [growing up]. So, cinema was the language of expression for me,” he smiles.

The romantic comedy has boosted Tiwari’s confidence to tell more stories for the big screen. The director says, “Bad Newz has given us such a nitro boost that we’ll keep making movies. We are developing something for the big screen.”

She first met Anand Tiwari by chance - having bumped into him during the shoot of a commercial, she told him how she deeply admired his works. In a happy coincidence, a month later, Shreya Chaudhry got an audition call for Tiwari’s directorial venture, Bandish Bandits. “During the auditions itself, I knew it would be a big deal if I bagged the part,” recounts the actor, who has now become a familiar face, thanks to the success of the Amazon Prime Video series. Her performance as pop singer Tamanna has earned her a Best Actor (Series) nomination at the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards.

“Bandish Bandits has opened doors for me. I am still going for auditions, but now, people have seen my work; that’s an added advantage. People recognise me as Tamanna from the show. I have started getting better offers,” says Chaudhry, who shared screen space with powerhouse performers Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni and Sheeba Chaddha in the musical romance that studies the clash and confluence of classical sangeet and modern music.

According to the actor, it was a blessing in disguise that the series dropped online during the pandemic. “Everybody was at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so they were all watching OTT offerings. That, in turn, resulted in the creation and consumption of some fantastic shows. In the digital world, there is no room for mediocrity anymore.” Ask her if a second season is on the anvil, and she says, “Nothing has been decided yet, but I hope there is a second [instalment]. Everybody wants to know what will happen to Radhe and Tamanna.”

- Shreya Chaudhry has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female): Series category for Bandish Bandits. 

The other nominees are: 

- Kirti Kulhari: Criminal Justice: Behind Closed Doors (Disney+Hotstar)

- Masaba Gupta: Masaba Masaba (Netflix)

- Prajakta Koli: Mismatched (Netflix)

- Shreya Dhanwanthary: Scam 1992 (SonyLiv)

- Sushmita Sen: Aarya (Disney+Hotstar)

- Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

- You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

- Voting lines close on February 9

Bandish Bandits is a refreshing break from what Anand Tiwari calls “bhed-chaal” or herd mentality. His 10-part series, after all, focuses on a subject that is truly indigenous yet often ignored in mainstream entertainment — the conflict and confluence of classical sangeet and modern music. As the show is nominated in the Best Series and Best Romance/Comedy categories of the upcoming mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards, the creator-director is proud that it launched two new talents, Ritwik Bhowmik and Shreya Chaudhry.

“The credit goes to Amazon Prime Video officials, who never pressured us to cast known faces. We had a detailed audition process through which Ritwik and Shreya earned their parts. Today, they are two of the most sought-after actors,” says Tiwari.

As he developed the musical romance with long-time collaborator Amritpal Bindra, Tiwari wanted to maintain a purist approach to the subject. Enter Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy, who not only composed the show’s score but also gave insights into the world of Indian music. “We had spoken to music experts when we wrote the bible. But when we went to Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, they helped us add nuance to the script. Many scenes were rewritten after our music sessions with them. In episode four, Radhe [Bhowmik’s character] is being trained by Pandit ji [Naseeruddin Shah] and by Tamanna [Chaudhary] in dramatically different ways. That scene was changed once Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy decided the beats that Pandit ji and Tamanna would teach him. Music supervisor Akshat Parikh too guided us with details.”

Currently developing the script for its second season, the writer-creator says he will be mindful of the use of expletives. “If our audience includes grandparents as well as grandchildren, we want to be economical in our use of abusive language. In our show’s universe, few characters use cuss words — Radhe’s friend and Arghya [Tamanna’s manager]. But I will try to refrain from that as well.”

- Bandish Bandits has been nominated in the Best Series category. The other nominees are:  

- Asur (Voot Select)

- Paatal Lok (Amazon Prime Video)

- Panchayat (Amazon Prime Video)

- Scam 1992 (Sony LIV)

- The Forgotten Army (Amazon Prime Video)

- Log on to www.hitlistottawards.com to cast your vote.

- You can also vote via SMS. Send HITLIST <space> category name <space> your choice (a/b/c as on the website) to 57575.

- Voting lines close on February 9.

- Anand Tiwari was Naseeruddin Shah’s student in theatre and even featured in a play by Motley