Lokkhikantopur Local (2025) [Film Review]: A tender ride into the unseen labour powering the city

Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s Lokkhikantopur Local follows three women — Malati, Kalyani and Saraswati — who take the titular local train each morning to Kolkata to work as caregivers. The film stitches their journeys into three distinct domestic worlds: a creative couple coping with illness, a young urban pair balancing careers and ambition, and a woman carrying the emotional and physical burden of a paralysed husband. The premise is simple but resonant: an exploration of how domestic workers quietly prop up urban life and the quiet solidarity that binds them.

Story & screenplay

A sympathetic structure that occasionally tries to wear too many hats

The screenplay opts for a triptych structure that rewards patient viewers: the first half luxuriates in routine, mirroring the predictable rhythms of commuter life. This slow burn establishes character and atmosphere effectively. But as the film gathers momentum, its editing choices and a crowded agenda — touching on adoption, migration and education among others — leave a few arcs less fleshed out than they deserve. The film’s heart is obvious and sincere, yet structural looseness at times dilutes narrative impact.

Performances

Actors who root the film in lived emotion

The strongest asset of Lokkhikantopur Local is its cast. Paoli Dam (Kalyani) is a quietly fierce presence, carrying emotional weight with economy and grace. Chandreyee Ghosh’s Malati is raw and immediate; her moments of unguarded pain are among the film’s most affecting. Saayoni Ghosh and Debasish Mondal bring warmth and lightness to their subplot, while Rajnandini Paul and John Bhattacharya lend credible chemistry to the younger duo. Kaushik Ganguly and Rituparna Sengupta give a lived-in performance as an older couple, their small gestures making their relationship believable and tender. Overall, the ensemble elevates modest material.

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Direction & technical craft

Intimate direction that captures the quotidian, uneven in pacing

Mukherjee’s direction favors intimacy and observation over melodrama. Cinematography often frames the domestic interiors and the busy local train with a humane eye, anchoring the film’s social concerns in concrete detail. Where the film falters is in pacing — some scenes overstay their welcome while important beats feel rushed — and the editing could have been tighter to keep emotional momentum from dissipating.

Music & sound

A soundscape that complements the film’s emotional register

Music is a notable high point. The soundtrack, anchored by Iman Chakraborty’s stirring rendition of Hemango Biswas’s Sona Bondhu Re and Sonu Nigam’s Tui Je Aapon, underlines key emotional moments without overwhelming them. At times, the songs appear back-to-back, which slightly breaks tonal continuity, but the performances—particularly Chakraborty’s—are memorable and add depth.

What works and what doesn’t

Strong performances and thoughtful empathy; an overambitious script pulls it back

The film’s triumph lies in its empathy: it listens to its characters and grants dignity to people often rendered invisible. The ensemble acting, the humane direction and the evocative music make it well worth a watch. On the flip side, a screenplay that tries to address too many social issues ends up flattening some potential emotional payoffs. More disciplined editing would have sharpened the film’s message.

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Final verdict

A compassionate, imperfect portrait that rewards patient viewers (6.5/10)

Lokkhikantopur Local is a compassionate social drama that may not fully cohere, but it succeeds where it matters: in giving voice to unseen labour and in assembling a cast that feels real and humane. For viewers who appreciate character-driven films about everyday resilience, this local train ride is worth boarding.