Lantrani is a three-story Hindi anthology whose most compelling asset is its casting: Nimisha Sajayan brings unexpected force to a village-politics drama, while Johnny Lever plays against type as a serious constable. The film is uneven, but those performances give its best episodes a reason to linger.
What is Lantrani?
ZEE5 lists Lantrani as a 2024 Hindi comedy-drama anthology, released on 9 February 2024. It runs 1 hour 39 minutes and carries a U/A 13+ rating on the service’s title page. The three stories are “Hud Hud Dabang,” “Dharna Mana Hai” and “Sanitized Samachar.” The film’s directors are Kaushik Ganguly, Gurvinder Singh and Bhaskar Hazarika; ZEE5’s official teaser and credits also name Durgesh Singh as writer. ZEE5 is the listed streaming platform; access can vary by territory and subscription, so consult the live title page for current availability.
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How do the casting choices lift the film?
Dharna Mana Hai: Nimisha Sajayan finds the story’s center
Sajayan plays Gomti, a Dalit sarpanch who takes a public vow of silence to protest the blocking of development funds. Her husband, Debu, is played by Jitendra Kumar. Nandini Ramnath of Scroll calls this the anthology’s most engrossing episode, writing: “The most engrossing episode, Gurvinder Singh’s Dharna Mana Hai, makes clever use of Malayalam actor Nimisha Sajayan.” That is one reviewer’s judgment, but it captures the episode’s casting gambit: Sajayan, known here as a Malayalam actor, is placed at the center of a Hindi-language story and makes Gomti’s silence feel like an active political choice rather than a narrative gimmick.
Ramnath also singles out Sanjay Mahanand as a bureaucrat’s obsequious assistant, calling his performance the film’s most memorable. His role is smaller, but his comic precision gives the episode a sharp supporting counterpoint to Gomti’s protest.
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- Studio Name: Mill Creek Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: 10/13/2008
- Rating: PG
- Run Time (in minutes): 300 minutes
- Language: English
Hud Hud Dabang: Johnny Lever takes a less familiar turn
In Kaushik Ganguly’s story, Lever plays Deelip, a constable assigned to escort an unnamed prisoner, played by Jisshu Sengupta, to court. The casting is notable because Lever is more readily associated with comic roles; here, Ramnath finds the character’s humanity a highlight and notes how rarely he is given a part like this. The shift in expectation lends the segment much of its appeal: the interest is not simply in seeing a familiar performer, but in watching him work in a quieter register.
Sanitized Samachar: a promising setup that stalls
The pandemic-era segment follows a small local television channel facing closure and trying to manage a health crisis while earning revenue. Its live bulletin involves a COVID-positive journalist and a sanitizer sponsor. The premise sets up an uneasy collision of public service, commercial pressure and television spectacle. Ramnath, however, finds that the story does not develop beyond its catchy title. In her assessment, the idea and setup do not become as satisfying an episode as the other two.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which Lantrani story works best?
| Story | Casting and performance | How the premise develops | Ramnath’s assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Dharna Mana Hai” | Nimisha Sajayan plays Gomti; Jitendra Kumar plays Debu. Sanjay Mahanand provides a memorable supporting performance. | A sarpanch’s vow of silence becomes a protest against blocked development funds. | Her most engrossing episode; she praises Sajayan’s casting and Mahanand’s performance. |
| “Hud Hud Dabang” | Johnny Lever plays constable Deelip; Jisshu Sengupta plays the prisoner he escorts. | A constable’s court-bound escort gives the story room to foreground Lever in a comparatively serious role. | She identifies Lever’s humanity as a highlight. |
| “Sanitized Samachar” | The article does not single out a performance as a highlight. | A local channel tries to address a health crisis and generate revenue through a live bulletin involving a COVID-positive journalist and a sanitizer sponsor. | She considers it the weakest segment, saying it does not develop beyond its title. |
The ranking reflects Ramnath’s review, not an aggregate consensus. Her distinction is chiefly about performance and development: the first story has the strongest dramatic center, the second benefits from Lever’s unexpected register, and the third leaves its premise comparatively underworked.
Is Lantrani worth watching?
For viewers drawn to character acting and compact social stories, Lantrani offers two episodes with distinctive casting and at least one performance-led surprise. It is less persuasive as a uniformly successful anthology: the third story’s premise does not land as fully, and the film’s structure could be tighter. Anindita Mukherjee’s India Today review likewise says a tighter screenplay might have improved it. That supports a measured verdict rather than a claim that the casting rescues every part: the choices make the film’s strongest stretches worthwhile, even as the unevenness remains visible.
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