The Odia industry is currently in the midst of a major crisis. At the moment, no one is interested in seeing Odia films in theatres. There are several reasons for this, but we won’t go into them today. On the other hand, the emergence of OTT platforms in recent years provides some optimism. Even OTT platforms are overloaded with lousy content. When we think about the future, it appears to be dismal.
Against all the odds, some enthusiastic young people come together with a web series called Gangs of Puri. The series’ greatest strength is its originality, which is uncommon in Odisha. The writing never leaves Puri’s roots. Objectively, they do a fantastic job at capturing the essence of the locality. The ensemble cast in Gangs of Puri is strong. Every actor justifies his or her role. KK delivers a memorable performance. The reason could be that his character has a clarity that none of the other characters have. The jugalbandi between Gedanna and Nasty adds colour to the story and provides comedic relief with their humorous dialogue in contrast to the series’ serious tone. Aman performed admirably. His transformation from a common man to a gangster is really convincing.
Other technical components such as editing, sound design, and soundtrack are also excellent. They nicely encapsulate the late 1990s or early 2000s time. There are several scenes with dubious visual effects, although they are quite rare. Another unimpressive element is the action. We should expect greater action sequences given that the story is about gangsters. However, the creators are reluctant to show it. Perhaps budget constraints will push them to take that strategy. Deepak Kumar, the cinematographer, has done a terrific job. There are numerous night scenes with well-balanced lighting that appear to be quite natural.
Overall, Gangs of Puri seems interesting and has the potential to be a game changer. Anupam Pattnaik and Jagdish Mishra, the director duo, succeed in establishing an universe of gangsters that keeps viewers engaged throughout the seven-episode web series. Gangs of Puri is a cut above the other odia films and series in every way, from writing to execution. The structure would not last long if it did not have a solid foundation. So, we must commend the writers for crafting such raw characters. Pranab Rath, Amit Dash and Jagdish Mishra all contributed to the script.
Finally, we’d like to point out that, while the language and slang used in the series are authentically from Puri, still the excessive use of slang could have been avoided. It also limits the series’ appeal to a broader audience.
Gangs of Puri is streaming at Kanccha Lanka.
