- Date of Release: 12 January 2024
- Genre: Action, Comedy, Mystery
- Language: Bengali
Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole
๐ฟ๐๐๐๐ก๐ค๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ ๐๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฅ๐ช๐ก๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐ฌ๐ค๐ง๐จ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐u๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐.
The faรงade of decency and sophistication in bengalees is not unknown, it seems that pseudo-intellectualism is the only thing we now have as a community, we are clinging to the fossils of greatness, resorting to milking them until they dry, and it is drying. Debaloy Bhattacharyaโs โShri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole (2024)โ may not be an anger-filled ultimatum to the fossilized culture we have, but the intention is clear from the very beginning. The film surely takes a jibe at the decaying heritage of a community that pioneered art, culture, and music back then.
Debaloy Bhattacharya interestingly resorts to channel his take through reestablishing a pulp genre detective who used to roam around readersโ hearts and hands way before โByomkeshโ and โFeludaโ came. But this time, the detective is placed in modern-day Kolkata, where the existence of pulp fiction is a distant memory, where there is no room for something fresh and organic in any forms of art be it cinema or literature.ย
Deepak Chatterjee(Abir) is a once glorious pulp detective who is now guarding an already rotten library as a night guard, he is weary, he is tired, and he is having conversations with his creator Swapan Kumar(Paran Bandhopadhyay ), cursing him for lack of realism in his characters, logic in his stories and also refusing to be part of any other new stories starring him.
The conversations between them act as a meta-commentary of the drought in the creativity of Bengali films, the faรงade of sophistication of Bengali audiences. As an actor, Abir has essayed two most beloved sleuths in Bengali literature, and now he has sidelined himself from playing them, so the character of a world-weary detective works both ways, both on the surface and meta-level. It seems like fatigue has come over by playing the same characters over and over again with no room for innovation in them.
Debaloy Bhattacharya is an avid pulp fiction worshipper, where any director could have bastardized the nature of the source material by being edgy, he never lets that lash go out of his hand. Although the film is self-conscious of its pulpy nature, over-the-top dialogues, and cartoonish villains, it never shies away from the essence of pulp that Swapankumar used to serve its readers. But there is a certain limit to those fictions in an ever-changing world, a certain expiry date of cheap thrills found in those fictions.
In the film, the writer and his character tussle in debates about whether changing your art through time is viable or remaining orthodox and rigid in your approach works or not.ย
The creator and creation are involved in creative differences throughout the film, can a character survive without his creator is surely a metaphor for the importance of writers in a film. The Writers Guild strike and the threat of AI takeover signify that Debaloy is not only criticizing Bengali films but as a whole the phenomenon of demeaning writers everywhere.
As absurdities crawl in the narrative, we can’t help but smile but immediately the self-conscious nature of the narrative makes us question how long these convenient tropes prevalent in Bengali cinema will work. It is a spectacular achievement in balancing out those two which Debaloy does with flying colors, maybe sometimes he is too self-indulgent but thatโs forgivable.
Abir is so well suited for this role, and so is our veteran Paran Bandopadhyay whose chemistry is the USP of this film, maybe this is the most unique character played by Abir in his career.
The supporting cast although good adds nothing extra to the narrative.
If you take out the social commentaries, there is nothing such as a convincing storyline anywhere, maybe because of its pulpy nature, but still it could have created memorable side characters especially when there is a clear indication of a sequel.
Also, the spectacular editing gives us a nostalgic trip to the book jackets back then, with the stunts visually synchronous to browsing comic strips. The spectacular monochromatic lighting, and gorgeous visuals all speak for the technical fluency in the film.
The music is smartly placed in the narrative,it suits to the tone of the film quite effortlessly.
Amit Chatterjee ,who also collaborated with Debaloy bhattacharya on another exquisite venture “Indubala Bhater Hotel” composed music for this film too.The songs and the background score support the film to adhere to the pulpy and satiric tone throughout.
Debaloy Bhattacharya has always tried to experiment with his films, sometimes they are successful, sometimes they are not but still he experiments. This film belongs to the former category, itโs a long-awaited subversion of telling a Bengali detective story.
The film is worth watching not only for the statement it is trying to convey,but also for the quirkiness, the self conscious nature which it manages to balance out in the film. It has been a long time, a Bengali film is genuinely satirical but on the other hand being equally simplistic in its flow.