I never aim to write something that overshadows the song: Alok Ranjan Srivastava on creating lyrics for ‘Bandish Bandits’ season 2

When Bandish Bandits released for the first time over four years ago, it did not take much time to become an all-time favourite in Indian OTT, thanks to the much-needed break from the popular action/crime-based content that the series provided. The musical set a new course with its unique blend of Indian classical and pop music, and we haven’t stopped humming its catchy numbers ever since. 

This year, the series is back with its second season, and the songs have already piqued interest amongst the listeners – for all the good reasons. The lyrics, which plays to both the context of the story and the song’s urge to become a sing-along, is penned by Alok Ranjan Srivastava. Alok, who has previously written songs for web series’ such as (the second season of) Kota Factory and Modern Love: Mumbai, has created the lyrics of two songs in this series: Hichki 2.0 and Khaamakha. In a conversation with Indulge, Alok opens up on his journey from an engineer to a lyricist, how he creates impactful lyrics without eclipsing the melody and upcoming projects in 2025. Excerpts: 

Tell us a bit about your journey so far?

Honestly, I never thought I’d end up being a lyricist. Back in school, I did write a few songs, but it wasn’t really my passion – I was more into singing at that time. Later, life took over with engineering and a corporate job, and I ended up staying away from music for about nine years!

It was my childhood friend, Siddharth Pandit (a brilliant composer), who brought me back to it. He knew I could write and asked me to work on an album he was creating. While working on that project, I realised that I am a lyricist. That moment changed everything. 

I quit my job and started my journey as a musician from scratch. That’s how Azaad Sangeet season 1 came about. By God’s grace, musicians in the independent circuit resonated with my writing, and since then, the work hasn’t stopped. Over the last five years, I’ve written more than 300 songs. Most of them are still in post-production, but I’m hopeful they’ll see the light of day soon!

How did Bandish Bandits season 2 come to you?

Anand Tiwari Sir, the director of Bandish Bandits, had heard some of our indie albums and loved them. He reached out to us in 2022 while the show was still in pre-production. Honestly, we had no idea how our style would fit into the tone of the series, so we just presented the next indie song we were working on. He liked it instantly, and that is how our song Khaamakha found its place in the series. Later, we re-worked our track Hichki, from our independent album, into Hichki 2.0 to align with the script.

How much knowledge of the local language did you need to write a song like Hichki 2.0 and what was your process of learning it?

The Rajasthani sections of the song are folk lyrics, and from the very beginning, we decided not to touch those parts. They’re deeply meaningful to a lot of local people, and we wanted to respect that. But to write the Hindi lyrics around them, I really needed to understand the sentiment of the song. Swaroop Khan, the singer of this track, was a huge help in this process. He took the time to explain the song’s essence to me, which made all the difference.

The lyrics have a regional language of Rajasthan as well as conversational Hindi. How did you manage to achieve a good balance between these two completely different flavours, given that a slight imbalance could have made the song sound like parody?

You’re absolutely right! Whenever I work on a traditional song, there’s always this fear in the back of my mind. These songs have been a part of people’s lives since childhood, and they’re emotionally attached to them. My goal is always to add new colours by creating fresh sections without altering the essence of the original version.

For me, the key is understanding the origin and the true emotion behind the song. That’s the only way to create something that complements it. I always try to make the traditional and new sections feel like they’re in conversation with each other. In this case, the traditional song beautifully expressed longing for a lover, shared by a woman in a shy and innocent way. I wanted the modern Hindi section to reflect that same sentiment but in a bold and passionate tone—representing two different but equally powerful aspects of a woman.

Coming to Khaamakha: the song is more sonic heavy than lyrics. Is it a challenge to not play to the gallery and let the sound take the centrestage – yet create impactful lyrics?

Honestly, I never aim to write something that overshadows the song as a whole. The melody and lyrics should feel like they were made for each other, like a perfect match. My job is to create something that doesn’t steal all the attention but still offers something beautiful to those who are inclined towards the lyrics.

When it comes to writing impactful lyrics, a lot of it depends on the melody. Siddharth came up with such a stunning melody for this track that it completely inspired me to go all out and write something raw, vulnerable and passionate. 

Can you take us through the process of creating the lyrics of Khaamakha? 

When Siddharth (composer) sent me the song, I noticed that every line ended with the same melodic phrase. That’s when it hit me! The song needed to end with a word that made sense in every line and also tied into the overall narrative.

I came up with the word ‘khaamakha’, which means ‘without any reason’. It felt perfect because that’s exactly what passionate love feels like – losing all senses of reason and control over your decisions.

Who are the lyricists who have had the most influence on you?

I’m strongly influenced by Gulzar sahab. His fearless use of metaphors and the way he seamlessly blends multiple languages in a single song is just incredible. Amitabh Bhattacharya has also had a huge impact on me; he’s the king of phonetics, and his work has been so inspiring as I was growing up. And, of course, Sahir Ludhianvi sahab! His ability to convey such powerful emotions in the simplest words is something I deeply admire.

What kind of music do you listen to?

I often find myself listening to the timeless classics by SD Burman, Hemant Kumar, OP Nayyar and Sail Chaudhary. Their music always inspires me.

What next can we expect from you?

Right now, I’m super excited about my next indie album as a music composer, called Lagbhag Tumhara. The first song from the album is dropping on 21st December, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

Hichki 2.0 and Khaamakha are streaming on all major audio platforms.

Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com

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