Actor-singer Aaliyah Qureishi on how she hits all the right notes in Bandish Bandits Season 2

Aaliyah Qureishi, known by her stage name Jhalli, is receiving good appreciation for her role as Ananya in the recently released Bandish Bandits Season 2. Building on her portrayal of Janvi, a fierce fighter in Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan, Aaliyah now brings her passion for music to the forefront in Bandish Bandits Season 2. In this season, she not only steps into the role of a musician, but also debuts as a songwriter and playback singer, contributing two heartfelt tracks You and I and its Lo-Fi rendition to the show’s soundtrack.

For Aaliyah, this musical journey feels like a full-circle moment. Her artistic roots trace back to her time as a singer-songwriter and performer before acting opportunities came her way. A graduate of the University of Southern California, where she studied psychology and music, she further honed her craft at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles.

So how did acting happen, we ask. “I was always interested in acting. But I never thought it was professionally viable, because it’s such a hard industry to break into. In between, I had gotten a small role in a Netflix show called Eternally Confused and Eager for Love. I really enjoyed working on that.”

Aaliyah, who has acted in advertisements as a child, shares how she reconnected with her roots during the pandemic. “I reached out to all the casting agents I had worked with as a child. After that, I worked hard to land more auditions, and eventually, I got through the audition for Jawan. And the rest, as they say, is history.”

Today, her dual passions have found the perfect outlet in Bandish Bandits Season 2. Aaliyah shares that immersing herself in the series gave her a deeper understanding of the characters and relationships, which directly shaped her songwriting.

The track You and I was originally meant to be a single, but director Anand Tiwari loved it so much that he requested a Lo-Fi version for the finale. “The lyrics — Round and around, we are planets in the sky — perfectly encapsulated the relationships in the show,” she explains.

Aaliyah describes the song as reflecting a love that isn’t right but keeps coming back, as if the universe pushes you together, which is something that happens so much throughout the show. She adds, “The show celebrates art, love, and heartbreak — the very things that make life both painful and magical.”

Collaborating with co-writer Souumil Shringarpure, she brought these emotions to life, drawing inspiration from the characters’ journeys and the essence of the show itself.

“We had a clear brief from Anand sir about the song’s message and the imagery he wanted,” Aaliyah shares. It was a challenge she embraced, drawing on imagination, empathy, and the emotional arcs of the show’s characters to craft lyrics that would resonate.

Bandish Bandits Season 2 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

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