Utpal Datta visits the heartfelt journey of traditional Ramleela in an urban setting, captures the essence of cultural transformation and emotional dedication.

Credit titles of acknowledgment run on the black screen, announcements of mic testing are in the background, conversations of various people caught by the microphone - "donate to continue the tradition of Ramleela," the announcement of the names of the donors, and other relevant words indicating the preparations for the start of Ramleela. In a brief time, in just a few words, the relationship between the residents of the Nangil Vihar colony and the traditional folk art is intelligently explained and presented.

Then, the screen shows a handsome man sitting on a throne next to a woman covered in "Uttariya" (upper garment). The "Sudarshan chakra" (a spinning, disk-like weapon) in the man's hand indicates he is Krishna. Another man sitting on the ground, with a microphone in his hand, is saying the dialogue; sometimes he forgets the dialogue, and another suppressed voice comes; he listens to that voice and continues with the dialogue - the camera slowly moves towards that voice - he is a prompter of the show. Both the actors deliver dialogues with microphones in their hands - this little element says that the audience of the film 'Hamari Ramleela' (Our Ramleela) will watch a different kind of film where traditional folk art is practiced in a modern urban environment. The sincerity and emotion of the opening announcements are expressed with the same intensity in this small opening scene. It is easy to feel that the sound in the background and this visual are organic parts of the same body. The body of Ramleela of Nangil Vihar colony. 

Then the film's title, 'Hamari Ramleela', written by Rinku Sharma and Pradyumna Bawari and directed by Rinku Sarma, appears. And, with some small shots, the audience is introduced to the rhythm of life of a small but vibrant colony of lower-middle-class people.

The film mainly consists of three elements: the preparations for Ramleela to Ravana's cremation, conversations with various people about the production of Ramleela, and the colony. Introducing contemporary elements when performing traditional folk art in an urban setting is natural. In any urban set-up, the director adds modern lights, sound, etc., in the production, which naturally diminishes the beauty of traditional folk art. That's why holding the microphone of an actor in a mythological play creates a little awkwardness. If the production had a rich budget, the director would have used microphones that are not easily visible. Yet, the emotion and self-absorption expressed in the acting of the performers and the overall presentation compel the audience to feel the microphones as a natural part of the stage. There is no way to discard this change. This modern-day transformation may be an accepted form of urban folk art.

The story of Ramleela is kept in traditional form. Still, the style of Hindi films influences the acting, which is natural. Some of the tunes have the melody of Hindi film songs. In an interview part of the film, Ramleela's director says that he enjoys listening to songs on the radio. When he hears a good song, he remembers to use it in the right place for Ramleela. The dance style of a Bollywood movie accompanies this song.

The film's most sensitive aspect is the colony's spiritual connection to the film. Initially, the colony is presented, and the preparatory part of the Ramleela is demonstrated so subtly and simply that the Ramleela program becomes an organic part of the colony. At one point in the Ramleela, Rama, Sita, and Lakshman go into exile, and Ayodhya transforms into a lifeless place. At this moment, some quiet, secluded, and static shots of the colony are added that change the colony's atmosphere to the atmosphere of Ayodhya described in the Ramleela when Ram left the place with his wife and brother. These shots give a deep dimension to the spiritual relationship of the locals with Ramleela. Ravana's cremation ceremony of Ramleela is also held among the tall buildings in the middle of the colony. The final scene re-establishes that the Ramleela is part of the inside of the colony. The director successfully and sensitively presents the intimate relationship between the colony and Ramleela. The director has added academic value to the film by accurately demonstrating that folk art is integral to folk society. This value addition quality is another rare achievement of the film.

The Director of Photography, Hemant Ram, shot the film simultaneously with the performance of the Ramleela. Capturing scenes and events in a crowd of large numbers of people is challenging, especially during Ramleela, when the director and cameraman do not know exactly what will happen next. The dedicated technical team shot the scenes so meticulously that there is no sign of restlessness in the film. One can easily imagine that all the crew was emotionally and spiritually involved with the theme and the environment. The cinematographer's contribution to the film's success is evident and praiseworthy.

The film is controlled by two paces: the pace of preparation and presentation of the Ramleela and the pace of the story. The editor, Mario Vino, has seamlessly assimilated both paces. However, the scene just before the burning of Ravana could have been a little shorter. Though the scene contains humour, there wasn't much information to share at the climax moment of the film.

The spine music of the film, composed by R Jayant, is the music used in the Ramleela and has been re-composed for some parts. Both helped the narrative go with the scene's pace and mood.

The nearly two-hour documentary captures a reliable and vivid picture of an urban folk art performance in a limited but rapidly changing landscape. Many documentaries show eyewitness accounts of outsiders, but this film is an account described through the eyes of the artist, who is emotionally involved in it. This quality helps to reveal a picture straight from the heart of the writer and director. It enhances the artistic quality of the film. Anushree Sahu deserves to be thanked for producing such a meaningful and committed film.