The Middle Circle:
If there has been something missing in the streaming space it is stories about ordinary middle class people, leading ordinary lives. The assumption is that people want to see a manufactured reality rather than having a mirror held for them to see their own troubles.
Lafangey (on Amazon MX Player) directed by Prem Mistry, with a story by Abhishek Yadav and Ankit Yadav, set in a nondescript colony in Delhi, follows three friends who have grown up together. They all belong to the same background, got the same kind of education, and are lacking the opportunities that better off kids would have taken for granted. They have reached the age at which the son of the house has to start adulting, and taking on the responsibility of the family. But even with the best of intentions, the three are left floundering.
Kamlesh (Harsh Beniwal), the son of a small provision shop owner, Rajinder (Naveen Ohlyan), who expects him to take over the shop. But Kamlesh thinks this work is beneath him, and aspires to be an actor, based on his performances being appreciated on the college stage. His swagger also hides a deep insecurity about his prospects, especially when a rich junior proves to be a competitor.
Rohan (Gagan Arora), most likely to get stuck with a low level, dead end corporate job, is blinded by his love for Ishita (Barkha Singh), to the extent of throwing away a hard won job opportunity, because it would mean relocating to Bangalore. He lives with his brother (Gaurav Mishra) and sister-in-law (Sonali Parmar), and strains at the leash.
Chaitanya (Anud Singh Dhaka), is afraid he will have to keep living in a house that is falling apart and inherit his father’s crushing debts. Attempts to get a suitable job have failed.
Over six episodes, Lafangey, explores the young men’s lives, always teetering between hope and desperation. If an opportunity comes up one day, there is every chance of it being snatched away the next. It is almost as if men of that socio-economic class are doomed, unless they are exceptionally lucky or exceptionally gifted. It would be an aberration if their dreams weren’t dashed, because escaping the pit of mediocrity is too difficult.
Their education and middle-class self-esteem leave them out of gig jobs like delivery boys or app taxi drivers. Chaitanya does try but cannot fit in; a lack of choice forces Rohan to take a job as a salesman in a showroom; his girlfriend, with whom he moves in –living in being a huge, rebellious step– pretends he is the manager, and ultimately gets irritated by his lack of initiative.
The women, aware that odds have always been against them, are more focused than the men, who, by virtue of their “raja beta” gender, had things handed to them easily, till that privilege stopped. Chaitanya’s sister, Chetna (Saloni Gaur), is always seen studying; Ishita strives to succeed in her career, even if it means putting her relationship on the back burner.
For a while, Chaitanya starts making money, through dubious means, and Kamlesh does the dispiriting ‘struggler’ grind in Mumbai and almost reaches a breakthrough, but life has other plans.
The three stick together, however, friendships that have endured the worst situations, usually get closer in the process of facing challenges. Kamlesh, Chaitanya, Rohan, Ishita, Chetna could be among the millions of youngsters running on a hamster wheel that takes them nowhere, but gives them an illusion of movement. Their parents gave up their goals to give their children a shot to achieve what they could not, sacrifices being a part of the middle class reality.
Lafangey, empathizes with the characters, but does not offer false hope. Even when they are dragged down, the friends are upbeat, and willing to get up, dust themselves and run back into the scrum.
All three lead actors are excellent—giving their parts the various shades of joy, anger, despair and the emotional heft required to make Kamlesh, Rohan and Chaitanya believable and likeable.
(This piece first appeared in rediff.com)
