Purbayan Chatterjee is an internationally acclaimed sitar player and music composer. He is widely known for his performance of 'Garaj Garaj' in Bandish Bandits Season 2 on Prime Video. His work reflects a rare balance between rigorous classical purity and bold cross-genre experimentation. He has also created an instrument called the "Dwo", an electric sitar designed to expand the sonic and global possibilities of raga-based music.
Moreover, he is also working with Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar on his Hollywood debut in Sam Mendes' The Beatles biopic, where Farhan is set to portray sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar. In an exclusive conversation with India TV, Purbayan Chatterjee spoke about his experience working with the actor and revealed how quickly he picked up the instrument.
Purbayan Chatterjee on working with Farhan Akhtar for upcoming film The Beatles
Talking about his collaboration with Farhan Akhtar for his Hollywood debut in The Beatles biopic, Purbayan Chatterjee revealed that Farhan initially contacted him, mentioning that there was a role he had to prepare for and that he needed to learn how to play the sitar for it.
He added that at first, he was not aware of the details of the role, "First of all, I officially don't know what role it is. I just want to say that because he approached me for a role and he said I there's a role that I have to do and then I have to learn how to play the sitar for it," he told us.
Expressing his excitement over a youth icon like Farhan Akhtar, who is interested in learning the sitar, he said, "I am very excited that somebody like Farhan Akhtar, who is like a youth icon and a very popular person - he's a musician and a guitar player - he wants to learn an instrument like the sitar."
Highlighting his joy over the growing global appreciation of the sitar, he added, "I am just extremely happy that if it's an international film, they are celebrating Indian music, they're celebrating the sitar. I think these are great times for the sitar, and I think a lot of fabulous, kind of work is being done to popularise the sitar. There's this sensation now, Rishab Rikhiram Sharma, he's done so many things to put big numbers into auditoriums, arenas or stadiums. I think these are great times for sitar."
Did Farhan Akhtar master the Sitar easily?
When asked how Farhan Akhtar picked up the instrument so quickly, and whether it was a challenging process for him, Purbayan Chatterjee said, "Farhan (Akhtar) bhai is a very talented person and comes from a family. Javed (Akhtar) sahab is one of the most talented people in the country, and I know Javed sahab, Shabana (Azmi) ji. I know the family very well. When I met him the first time, we got together, and I showed him how to play. He asked me to play 'Aaj Jane Ki Zid Na Karo' on the sitar, so I played a little bit, and he said, 'Wow, this is so good.' But in a matter of minutes, he was playing sargam. My student Ruthvik, who goes and sits with him regularly, because he is a beginner and needs beginner-level talim (training) at this point. Rutick tells me he is very sincere and dedicated. So, I think he is extremely talented, extremely sincere, and I think he likes this music. Going forward, I am hopeful he will continue to learn the sitar and maybe get another role somewhere where he is a sitar player, and hopefully inspire other people to pick up the sitar and play it."
About The Beatles biopic
For the unversed, The Beatles is a four-part cinematic series that follows the lives of the legendary members of the band The Beatles. Each film focuses on the story of one of the Fab Four. In the series, Farhan Akhtar will star as Pt. Ravi Shankar, Lucy Boynton will play Jane Asher, Morfydd Clark will portray Cynthia (Powell) Lennon, and Harry Lawtey will appear as Stuart Sutcliffe.
Directed by Sam Mendes, the film is scheduled for release in April 2028 by Sony Pictures.
Also Read: Farhan Akhtar to play Ravi Shankar in Sam Mendes' The Beatles movies, making his Hollywood debut
