The lyricist writes a show: Swanand Kirkire on crafting ‘Bandwaale’ and finding his voice

Swanand Kirkire opens up on writing the coming-of-age drama, working with Ankur Tewari, how he instils simplicity to his songs and more

A young poetess dreams of breaking societal shackles while living in the small railway town of Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh. Instantly smitten by her presence is a flamboyant singer of a gaudy band who has a peculiar name to his advantage: Robo Kumar. The character is played ceremoniously by Swanand Kirkire. The celebrated lyricist, known for his simpleton weaving of words into poetry, is also the screenwriter and creator of the aforementioned show, Bandwaale, which released recently on Prime Video. Interestingly, he co-wrote and co-created the show with musician Ankur Tewari. It is almost like the two are coming together to make a song in the form of a coming-of-age series.

Swanand smiles as we speak to him. The two had worked earlier on a short film and wanted to work together on a musical. There were some ideas that Swanand tossed around and the story slowly began to take shape. “Both of us think musically and that subconsciously started pouring in the series,” says Swanand, explaining how the show was written extensively over long zoom calls during the pandemic.

Much of the show’s inspiration came from his own life, as he has grown up in Indore, a city near Ratlam. “In my school, there was a girl whose name was Mariam. So, I thought of giving the character that name,” he says.

A still from the show | Photo Credit: Prime Video

Even the show’s setting is quite specific, as it follows a Malayali Christian family living in Ratlam. Swanand says he is fascinated by the country’s diversity, especially as a Maharashtrian who grew up in a largely Hindi-speaking city. “Ratlam was established by the British as a railway city. So, there is a large Christian community in the town with a beautiful church. Most of their sermons take place in Hindi. It is quite interesting that there are so many people in the country and we live with inclusivity, sharing the same stories,” says Swanand.

He also plays the role of Robo earnestly. However, Swanand says that he was not thinking of playing the part while writing. “When you are doing an Amazon show, it is not in your hands to play a role. I am not as big a star to say that I will also act if I am writing it,” he says, adding that they got clarity on the character along the way. “We realised that Robo needs to be played sensitively. He has to look idiotic and not smart in order to come out well. So, everyone thought I have that ‘idiot’ on my face,” he smiles.