Badshahi Angti

BADSAHIE ANGTI is a fairly engaging thriller directed by Sandip Ray. A mystery thriller in the Feluda series created by Satyajit Ray, this story is based on a plot involving a 'royalty ring' weaving in historical fiction, murder, pilferage and threats against the backdrop of royal Lucknow. It is interesting to observe how several competent actors have donned the mantle of the detective through the years - Soumitro Chattopadhyay, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Abir Chattopadhyay (who plays Feluda in this film). This is an early Feluda story and so 'Jatayu' aka Lal Mohan Ganguly is yet to arrive on the scene. The rest of the cast contributes to making the film a watchable fare - Dipankar De, Biswajit Chakraborty, Paran Bandopadhyay, Bharat Kaul, Rajatava Dutta and others. An observation I made from the Feluda films I have watched is that women hardly figures in the scheme of things whereas in the other films of Satyajit Ray they have strong roles. Rating: 3.8 out of 5

The film is quite impressive when compared to Sandip Ray's previous films. Simply put it's a good story told to a tee. The positive factors are the tight script, well supported background music, and the nice use of camera in giving us a taste of Nawabi Lucknow.

Yes, the film could have been better. There are certain aspects which could have made a difference like the acting prowess of Soumitra Chatterjee to bring alive the character, intelligent and tighter script for which Satyajit Ray was well known, and lastly the presence of Jatayu to add another dimension (though we do not have Jatayu in the story of Badshahi Angti). These aspects together could have provided a much tighter integration with the concept of Feluda that is so well ingrained in the minds of middle-class Bengali. But shortcomings are simply beyond the control of the present director.

So it is not fair to always fall back on earlier films of Satyajit Ray, and come out with a criticism. On the contrary we should praise the fact that in spite of all the inherent shortcomings Sandip Ray has managed to come with a smart and absorbing Feluda film. So, watch the film as it is without carrying the past movies in mind. Thanks to Sandip Ray and his whole film unit in making this Feluda film a success.

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...!

Good recreation of iconic Bengali-Hindustani detective movie written by Satyajit Ray.

The treatment of the film is weird owing to the premises. It serves as a comedy drama rather than a detective mystery,although Abir as a young Feluda and Paran gangopadhyay as a menacing antagonist does an excellent job but the film seems lacking heart throughout. The titular ring also seems nothing other than a cheap imitation. Rajatabha Dutta's brief appearance as Ganesh is quite impactful tho.