After the box-office successes of Tonic (2021) and Projapoti (2022), Pradhan marks the third collaboration between director Avijit Sen and Dev, who has not only headlined the film but also produced it. With a mix of laughter and high emotions, Pradhan departs from Sen’s previous family-centric narratives to make way for a compelling social drama.

The story revolves around an honest police officer, Deepak Pradhan (Dev), who is transferred to Dharmapur, a small hamlet in North Bengal. Deepak’s mission is to ensure that the upcoming panchayat elections in Dharmapur are fair. The corrupt panchayat chief Jatileshwar Mukherjee (Anirban Chakrabarti) has been ruling Dharmapur for more one-and-a-half decades, and this leads to a clash between the upright Deepak and the illegal practices of the local administration.

In Dharmapur, Deepak and his wife Rumi (Soumitrisha Kundu) move in as tenants of a retired school teacher Jiban Krishna Sarkar (Paran Bandyopadhyay). During their stay, Deepak learns that Jiban was unfairly fired from his job by Jatileshwar, and he vows to get Jiban justice with the support of his colleague Bibek Ray (Soham Chakraborty). When it is time to file nominations for the panchayat polls, Deepak pits Jiban against Jatileshwar as an independent candidate, preparing the ground for a mega showdown.

Though loaded with dramatics typical of mainstream Bengali films, Pradhan’s strength lies in its earnest attempt to address prevalent corruption issues in Bengal. From the mid-day meal scam to corruption in teachers’ recruitment, the issues are relatable. The detailed depiction of the electoral process — rigging and violence included — in the climax strikes a chord too.

Dev’s presence, not only as an actor but also as a co-producer, offers a kind of meta-commentary on his image as an actor-politician, marking one of his most compelling performances in recent years. The chemistry between Dev and Soham Chakraborty as colleagues in the police force adds a layer of a low-key but endearing bromance.

Anirban’s portrayal of the cunning and ruthless politician Jatileshwar, combining comedy and villainy, is a winner. Jatileshwar’s dialogues are set in rhyming verses, in a nod to Utpal Dutt’s dictator character in Satyajit Ray’s Hirak Rajar Deshe. Paran Bandyopadhyay shines as a cynical old man who has lost his faith in the system.

The ensemble cast — including Mamata Shankar as Jiban’s wife; Kharaj Mukhopadhyay, Kanchan Mullick and Ambarish Bhattacharya as Deepak’s neighbours; Bishwanath Basu and Debashish Mondal as Jatileshwar’s henchmen — live up to their respective roles. Only Soumitrisha has been reduced to a showpiece wife. Sujan Mukhopadhyay’s arc as a corrupt cop who undergoes a change of heart in the end suffers from weak writing too.

Breathtaking cinematography and well-placed songs, especially Phire Esho (composed and sung by Anupam Roy), elevate the film. But the three-hour runtime is definitely a deal-breaker.