Satyanweshi

Byomkesh Bakshi suddenly became a darling of our film industry and when Rituparno Ghosh decided to do Satyanweshi, I had to take note. His choice of director friend Sujoy Ghosh as Byomkesh was already interesting and like everybody, I too had a lot of expectations. Whatever flak this film got thereafter has to do with the untimely death of Mr Ghosh as I feel if he could have completed this movie, it would not have been a disaster. It was a hurriedly finished project after his demise, the last few scenes and the CGI used were horrific. I will not even consider this as Rituparno's work, as anything which is even 90% finished can't bear your name till you give the final touches. 6/10

Satyanweshi, apart from being the last memorabilia of Rituparno Ghosh, it is also one of those movies which humanizes an overtly intelligent and suave detective. Rituparno's Byomkesh Bakshi is not a person who gets extraterrestrial hints on the case but places the cleverly observed facts to solve the jigsaw puzzle. He abstains from smoking until he succeeds in solving the case and offers bribe to a Rajbari servant. There is corruption and there is confusion. BB is not restricted to a particular shade of black or white but is given the essential traits of grey to make him more understandable by the lay man.

This time it is the Rajbari in a problem. A person is missing out of nowhere and nobody has a clue. He has been searched everywhere but in vain. Finally, the Raja, Raja Himangshu calls upon the famous sleuth aka Satyanweshi to look into the matter. Ajit and Satyanweshi are welcomed to the kingdom of Balwantpur. Things are obviously not in place and it is only possible for BB to sort out the problem.

Sujoy Ghosh is no doubt an appropriate fit for the role, given the fact how effortlessly he manages to play the eager Bakshi. Anindya, Arpita and Indraneil were judiciously excellent in their respective roles too. Satyanweshi is a must-watch for two reasons:

#1. Ritu Da's latest and last. #2. Sujoy's BB play!

Byomkesh Bakshi is a popular private investigator character in Bengali Thrillers and created by late Sri Sharadendu Banerjee. In recent years Byomkes Bakshi has been revitalized in Bengali cinema after a long gap in late 60s when Shri Satyajit Ray made "Chiriyakhana" which is the first Byomkesh movie. This Byomkesh cinema is based on the story named as "chorabali" which Shri Ghosh renamed as "Satyenshi". The original story was modified and extended in order to make a full length feature film. However in doing so the flavor of the thriller is completely lost .Instead of focusing on the detail of the investigation Shri Ghosh brought in personal relationship issues with Byomkesh set aside. Anyone will say that the three name game is a poor investigative strategy. The script is very weak and the whole pace of the movie is extremely slow. In the last scene it was not clear why Himangshu was bilnd-folded although it was a night of new moon and it would be more natural in the dark that Himangshu can show his sound detection hit capability ( shabdovedi). It appears to me that Shri Ghosh just trying to use the Byomkesh brand name in making the movie but on the core he put his own agenda which has no connection with the thriller.

Movie is dull. Casting was awful. Direction is pathetic.

While there is a whole new wave of same old sleuth, private/consulting detectives being created worldwide, it is very likely to expect Byomkesh in a rejuvenated format. The re-incarnation of Sherlock created by BBC or our own Feluda by Sandip Ray has raised the bars. Byomkesh could not cross this hurdle. Even the two Byomkesh movies played by Aabir (I don't remember the names) was better.

Even more irony - Ajit looked smarter and sharper than Byomkesh.

You can refrain from watching this movie even if you are a die hard Byomkesh fan. No harm done. Nothing to lose.

As darkness descended over Kolkata on September 5th, an eager crowd had gathered in front of Priya Cinema. Late director Rituparno Ghosh's last directorial venture was finally revealed itself to audiences in a special screening at one of the most famed cinema halls in the city. The crème of the Bengali film industry along with fans alike missed the presence of the director himself but were eager and excited to catch the premiere. The film opens with Maharaja Arunagshu, the ruler of Balwantpur discovering about his son Himangshu's romances abroad and writing down a will that prevented Himangshu from inheriting the position of Maharaja if he marries a non-Hindu girl. Enter the sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi, a role expertly adapted by Kahaani director Sujoy Ghosh. He is on a train heading to Balwantpur with his author friend Ajit (Anindya Chatterjee), on an invitation for hunting by Maharaja Himangshu himself. However the mystery thickens when Himangshu reveals to Byomkesh about the disappearance of Harinath, the palace librarian, and how the queen was devastated at the ill event. Byomkesh, known for his brilliance and zeal to seek the truth starts investigating the mysterious disappearance, while Ajit finds out about the loneliness of queen Alaka and that her only friend in the palace was Harinath, for whose disappearance she blamed her husband. Maharaja Himangshu, in a desperate attempt to win back his wife's trust, threatens Byomkesh at point blank range. But Byomkesh, being the truth seeker that he is, solves the mystery of the palace and Balwantpur and finally, the royal physician Kaligati (Sibaji Bandyopadhay) turns out to be the culprit. Rituparno Ghosh's Satyanweshi does justice to Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's Chorabali, on which the film is based. Sujoy Ghosh fit perfectly in the role of the sleuth Byomkesh Bakshi and Sibaji Bandyopadhyay portrayed the double faced villain Kaligati brilliantly. The rest of the cast too performed their best, which includes Anindya Chatterjee as Ajit, Arpita Chatterjee as Rani Alaka and Indraneil Mukherjee as Maharaja Himangshu. The biggest leverage, however, is the music. Debajyoti Mishra's soothing rendition of Rabindranath Tagore's Shukhohin Nishidin, Rituparno Ghosh's Taradim Taradim and Kalidasa's Meghdutam clearly becomes the icing on the cake. Matching the sounds of the era of the maharajas, the only 3 songs are placed articulately, to go with the flow of the low paced thriller. Overall, Satyanweshi pays tribute to the writer Sharadindu Bandopadhyay as well as the director whose vision crafted the film. A must watch for every Rituparno Ghosh fan, as his last directorial venture does not cease to impress.