Detective Byomkesh Bakshy
Introduction
The first thing which comes to mind from the title itself is a brilliant Bengali fictional detective created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay and his TV series. Well, I must say that Dibakar Banerjee has another feather on his crown with this thriller.
Story
Movie starts with an introduction to Byomkesh Bakshy as a college pass out approached by Ajit to find his father Bhuvan- a chemist, who is missing since 2 months. At first he denies to find Bhuvan, but heartbroken by hearing the news of his girlfriend marrying some professor he decides to go ahead with the investigation. Byomkesh visits the lodge were Bhuvan stayed as the first link to start off. Bhuvan was a paan lover and had found a way to reach a high state with natural ingredients that are not drugs- a billion dollar idea, smart isn’t it!!
Dr. Anukul Guha used to manage the lodge and helped Byomkesh further with his investigation and framed Sikdaar who was a political leader. Byomkesh found the dead body of Bhuvan and thought that the case is resolved. But later discovered that Dr. Guha was the mastermind and had planned everything for Byomkesh to discover so that he can execute the bigger plan for his benefits. The story has a lot of twists and turns from just finding a chemist to revealing an international conspiracy of opium smuggling business between Green Gang and Yang Guang. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy saved Calcutta by his bluff, style and intelligence.
Direction & Screenplay
Since this movie shows Calcutta of 1940s during Japanese and Chinese intervention, it gives a good vibe of the same era. Clothes, make up and hairstyles were just perfect. Though overall movie is a bit slow and underrated, but the first half at least grasps the audience attention in all aspects. The second part gives another twirl to the story. The best part for me was Byomkesh Bakshy asking chai at all instances. I wonder how much tea did the entire cast have during the shooting😂.
Performance
I liked the cast of the movie and their performances right from Byomkesh Bakshy, the house help Putiram, Ajit- the sidekick, Dr- Guha as villain and queen of hearts Anguri Devi. Loved the funny subtle dialogues and an entirely unique music for a Bollywood film as well.
Conclusion
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is surely has a different angle than the normal Bollywood movies; subtle, thriller and brain wracking. I wished there was a sequel of this one, but unfortunately we won’t see late Sushant Singh Rajput if there is any.
Disclaimer: The above review solely illustrates the views of the writer.