Beginning with Hud Hud Dabangg, which is the first story that hits you like a brick, ‘Lantrani’ is a collection of parables set in rural India. The policeman (Johnny Lever) at the center of this 25 minute short has finally been given some work after 25 years on desk duty. He’s handed a loaded gun and one round to take a prisoner to court. But what happens on his way there changes everything he thinks about the man in his custody and the reason behind his detainment. Directed by Kaushik Ganguly and written by Durgesh Singh, it’s easily the best of the three wildly entertaining, packed with relevance and meaning. Johnny Lever gives an incredible performance that showcases just how effortlessly he can blend goodness and goofiness into one character without missing a beat. Jisshu Sengupta matches him beat for beat as another actor whose inherent warmth makes every line, every moment land ten times harder than it would otherwise.
Next up is ‘Dharna Mana Hai’, starring Jitendra Kumar and Malayalam actress Nimisha Sajayan as a scheduled caste woman who gets elected Sarpanch but has no real power, so she decides to sit silently protesting outside the DDO office along with her husband to fight prejudice against them. This satire is directed by national award-winning director Gurvinder Singh with nuanced writing (by Durgesh Singh) and able performances from both lead actors who excel in their parts without speaking a single word throughout their screen time together though slow paced still keeps you interested till the end.
Last comes ‘Sanitized Samachar’, which tells us about defunct local news channel struggling due to COVID pandemic where star anchor is quarantined & channel doesn’t have money left even for staff salary when suddenly they find a sponsor called Covinaash Revolutionary hand sanitizer claiming highest protection against coronavirus. Directed by Bhaskar Hazarika, this one takes a hit at manipulated media and fake news but seems bit weak in terms of conclusion compared to other two although story is quite entertaining.
What makes ‘Lantrani’ an anthology worth watching is its selection of various issues within deeply flawed rural India. Although message-driven, the writing is never preachy. The interiors of the country are brought alive through brilliant cinematography (Sandeep Gn Yadav, Riju Das, and Appu Prabhakar) & production design (Dhananjoy Mondal, Manas Baruah and Anchal Bhalla). It’s a deeply moving and engaging film that tells hard truths about our system which otherwise would pass as way of life.
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