Chronicling the lives of ordinary people and their so-called mundane, everyday experiences, the upcoming film Lokkhikantopur Local, directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, promises to be an extraordinary saga of the contemporary human condition. A relatable tale set in the modern urban milieu, it is loaded with moments of drama, emotion, insight and inspiration that serve as a reminder of some of life’s most profound but forgotten truths.
The teaser of the film has revealed that it deals with the stories of three sets of contemporary couples of diverse age groups, portrayed by Kaushik Ganguly and Rituparna Sengupta, Indraneil Sengupta and Sangita Sinha, and Rajnandini Paul and John Bhattacharya. Capturing the unique dynamics of each couple, it interestingly juxtaposes their lives with that of their domestic helps (Paoli Dam, Saayoni Ghosh and Chandreyee Ghosh), who put into perspective their romance, relationships, struggles and challenges.
As each couple strives to find fulfilment and chases their personal dreams, they encounter sudden crises that compel them to hire caregivers, upon whom they become increasingly dependent. The individual struggles and sorrows of these caregivers, who live in distant villages and travel by suburban trains to their workplaces in the city every day, are also highlighted, suggesting a thread of connection among all the characters and uniting them through the invisible bond of their troubles.
Though the film borrows its title from the train by which the caregivers travel every day, Lokkhikantopur Local is more than an account of the trials and tribulations of their journey through life and by train. Instead, it seems to be more about the distinct compartments into which the lives of its characters can be labelled. Metaphorically, though, just like the travellers on a train, its characters are all on the same journey and headed for the same destination. Through an apparently straightforward storytelling technique that winds in an out of the lives of the various couples, Mukherjee beautifully establishes this connection, adding a philosophical dimension to this supposedly simple tale of humdrum urban existence.
The teaser also seems to reflect Lokkhikantopur Local’s simple, earthy vibe and its unpretentious mood with which the audience should identify and relate as easily as they will resonate with its story that seems to have its heart in the right place. A unique slice of life film that discusses subjects with contemporary relevance, its multiple and intersecting stories will also entertain audiences and make them think and introspect. Lokkhikantopur Local releases in theatres on November 21.
