Bhubaneswar: Odia web series, Barang 1999, a poignant political drama tracing the journey of Amrita Padhi who is up in arms against the bigwigs of the system, is now streaming on Kanccha Lannka.
The seven-episode series is a powerful exploration of political struggles and the indomitable spirit of a woman while facing injustice within her own family and then being wronged by those who claimed to be the custodians of justice. While Supriya Nayak is playing the female lead, the film’s stelar cast also include two nationally-acclaimed Odia artists – the recently-appointed director of NSD and a popular Bollywood Actor Chittaranjan Tripathy of Sacred Games, Phantom, Shubh Mangal Savdhan fame and Sukumar Tudu, who starred in Maharani, Jengaburu, and 12th Fail fame.
The web series, written by Saroj Mahapatra and conceptualized by Dilip Bisoi, has been directed by Ajay Padhi.
Although tagged as a fictional offering, one cannot help but draw parallels with the sensational Barang gang-rape case, in which the victim was gang raped at gunpoint for nearly four hours on January 9, 1999, and the subsequent public outcry over the breakdown of law and order in the state and the downfall of Congress’ government. While two of the three accused of the heinous act were arrested in the days following the incident and handed life imprisonment in 2002, the main accused was nabbed from Maharashtra 22 years later.
“Barang 1999 was nothing short of a challenge for me as the canvas was huge with a compelling storyline. Recreating the 90s was exciting as well as tough but the team managed to do an excellent job, and I hope the viewers enjoy the series as much as we have in making it,” said Padhi.
This series also shows the bitter fight between political leaders, spanning over five years, and how this gruesome sexual assault case was used by both to further their political interests, the filmmaker added.
“We are super excited to bring a concept for our audience that promises to be both entertaining and inspirational. This is not the story of one woman, it is a saga of women all over who have taken a stand for themselves and locked horns with the system to seek justice. This is the first and biggest Political thriller of Odisha and we hope Viewers will like it” said Co-Founder and Chairman of Kanccha Lannka Akshay Parija.
