Sandip Ray's previous Feluda-venture 'Royal Bengal Rahasya' (2011) was no less than a masterpiece. And considering the book 'Badshahi Angti' is one of the best Feluda adventures ever, I was expecting this to become the best Feluda-movie of all-time. But the overall experience left me discontented.
The film was essentially a tale of two halves. The 1st half was almost a disaster. One of the hall-marks of the Ray-films are the adrenalin- pumping openings, aided with pulsating background music. But since RBR, Ray has inexplicably decided to do away with these 2 USPs of his films. While these were the only drawbacks in RBR, here it spoils the mood to such an extent that it never gets recovered until post-interval. It's not that there weren't any options. From Pierilal's death to the burglary in Dr. Srivastav's house, there were possibilities galore; but the director simply didn't show any interest!
The intro-scene of the new Feluda-&-Topshe is well-shot. But after that the entire episode involving Dr. Srivastav and the 'ring' is narrated through simple dialogues for 10-15 minutes, which is not just boring but also tough to follow! There should have been some use of flash-backs or graphic depiction of the history of the ring (as in 'Gorosthane Sabdhan') to add some element of interest. Even after that, the 'Bhool Bhulaiya' is another letdown. Some of the long-shots are digitally implanted which don't evade the eye. Things pick up from the visit to Banabihari Babu's residence; but that's not enough to salvage the 1st half.
Just when I had resigned to this being another disappointment from Ray after 'Jekhane Bhooter Bhoy' (2012), the man engineers a stunning comeback in the 2nd half! It becomes an altogether different film post- interval with the events picking up pace and the mystery thickening. The audiences are forced to apply their brains all through or else they run the risk of losing track... just as it should have been from the start. It seemed the director had finally rose from his slumber after snoozing all through the 1st half!
The cinematography is one of the high-points of the film as it captures all the myriad beauties of Lucknow and Haridwar in all its splendor (Although the detailed closeups of the Galouti Kebab and Biriyanis were comical!). The VFX of the animals are satisfactory by Tollywood standards.
Cast-wise, Abir Chatterjee's pre-built image as Byomkesh makes it all the more easy to accept him as Feluda. Sourav Das as Topshe could have been better, while Paran Bannerjee is a revelation in perhaps the strongest role of his career! It's only Tathagata who manages to stand out among the rest of the cast. Special mention must be made of Dwijen Bannerjee whose particular casting was a masterstroke!
The film is a clean-&-simple family entertainer; but not a proper suspense-thriller. Although the director continues with the whodunit format, the eventual disclosure of the culprit won't come as any surprise to anyone (unlike RBR). It's because just 2 of the wide-bevy of characters are properly cultivated and developed. Hence, the other characters don't arise any kind of suspicion, which is unlike the novel. This is one of the few stories featuring Topshe's father and I had hoped for his interactions with Feluda-&-Topshe to be explored a bit more.
This isn't Ray's best Feluda-film by any stretch (even 'Kailashe Kelenkari' and 'Tintoretor Jishu' were better films for their times); but it's far better than his non-Feluda flicks like JBB or 'Chaar'. What's worrying is that the man has turned an outstanding novel like BA into just a moderately good film. Hence, when he adapts a not-so-good 'Gangtoke Gondogol' up-next, one must really keep their fingers crossed for the end-result...!
