The Cambridge Online Dictionary defines Detective as someone whose job is to discover information about crimes and find out who is responsible for them.
Fair enough I guess. And that is how even most of us picture any private detective in our minds. All of us have their own favourites. Some swear by the pipe-smoker from Baker Street , some are mesmerized by the antics of a certain elderly spinster who lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as a consulting detective, others love this impeccably attired Belgian gentleman with a sensitive stomach and a penchant for good food. If you are still to figure out who these characters are (I am in the detective mode right now , hence the clues 🙂 ), I was referring to Sherlock Holmes , Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot.
But every Bong boy/girl worth his/her salt will obviously remind me to add two more names to this illustrious list. One is the inimitable Prodosh C Mitter (Feluda) , Satyajit Ray ‘s immortal creation and the other of course is the one I will be dwelling at length now , a fictional detective in Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. And he goes by the name Bakshi .. Byomkesh Bakshi 🙂
I grew up in an India of the 90s (yes the Nostalgic Nineties the good ol days). Those were my wonder years you see. And there was this detective serial which premiered on DD1 one fine Thursday at 9 PM , the year 1993. Thanks to Basu Chatterjee’s direction and Rajit Kapur’s fine acting , Byomkesh suddenly became a national sensation. In fact, every time I think of Byomkesh , the background score still rings in my ears. That was my first tryst with this Calcutta-based detective and the only instance till date where I have seen the television adaptation before I read the actual book. By the time I was in my teens, I had finished Byomkesh Shamogro (the omnibus) in addition to what Agatha Christie , Arthur Conan Doyle and Ray had to offer.
In the Bengali consciousness, Byomkesh had played second fiddle to Feluda till the time Manik Babu was around with the honourable exception of Chiriyakhana , where Ray consciously chose Uttam Kumar, the matinee idol to essay the role of the super sleuth over his perennial favourite Soumitro Chatterjee who has since achieved cult status portraying Feluda on the big screen. All that changed with the TV series which not only catapulted Sharadindu Babu and his creation to nationwide recognition but also announced the arrival of a private investigator who was devoid of any idiosyncrasies (remember the carrot munching Karamchand) and went about his business without a fuss.
Come 2014, the detective parlance had undergone a sea-change. Most of us were either busy getting Sherlocked or were swearing by the True Detective . Suddenly the old-world charm of the erstwhile detective had vanished into thin air. And where was Byomkesh ?? (Sorry Mr. Anjan Dutta, your trilogy didn’t make the cut). Till one fine day, Yash Raj Films decided that they were fed up with the formula (read Swiss locales and white chiffon sarees) . Enter Dibakar Banerjee (referred to as DB from now on) and voila, they have their partner-in-crime grin emoticon The trailers only added to the anticipation and the fact that the script was in the safe hands of DB, the non-resident Bong (of Khosla Ka Ghosla , Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, LSD & Shanghai fame) made it doubly reassuring. So finally, yesterday, on a Good Friday, I kept my date with this brilliant Satyanneshi (Seeker of Truth) and I must admit that I came out greatly satisfied 🙂
Let me first highlight a few aspects which make Detective Byomkesh Bakshy ! (yes there is an exclamation in the title) stand out. Will discuss the cons later (minor).
The film is set in the backdrop of 1940s Calcutta. Yes, when Calcutta was still the second city of the Empire after London and the Calcutta Police was called the Scotland Yard of the East. The imagery of the Bow Barracks , the China Town and the Coffee House , all add to that indescribable feeling of nostalgia. To any pure-bred Calcatian like me, these images are a relic of the golden past from a time-warped city. And we still cherish them !! Dibakar succeeds in recreating the contemporary milieu and the darkness of WW2 and the constant air raids only heighten the reality quotient. The director has loosely based his script on the debut story সত্যান্বেষী but apart from the basic premise, everything else has been changed as per his cinematic vision and script. And every director in my humble opinion should have those cinematic liberties to operate with. Hence the hostel-owner and philanthropic doctor, Anukul Babu who peddles cocaine in the garb of his homeopathy trade, here becomes Yang Guan, the king-pin of a thriving drug-cartel who connives with the Japanese army as they plan to invade Calcutta and deliver a death blow to the Brits. The plot revolves around the murder of Bhuvan Banerjee (shown as Ajith’s father), a renowned chemist and Yang’s accomplice while in the original story it is the murder of Ashwini Babu, a hostel inmate, that triggeres the chain of events. Also in the course of events, Satyabati is introduced who later becomes his wife (check the end credits , you will see the marriage invitation 🙂 ) whereas in Sharadendu Babu’s story, Satyabati’s character is placed the fifth story of the series অর্থমনর্থম্. But who is complaining. As long as the essence of the classic detective is retained and the sub-plots add up to create the aura and thrill and romantic mysticism of war-ravaged Calcutta .. I am fine 🙂 DB executes the same to perfection and you get delightful yet subtle entertainment as the end product. The acting department is replete with fine performances from Sushant Singh Rajput as the detective himself , Anand Tiwari as his side-kick and ever-loyal friend Ajit, Neeraj Kabi as Dr. Anukul Guha / Yang Guan. For me Neeraj’s performance as the evil mastermind and Byomkesh’s nemesis is fantastic and brings out the same kind of intensity like in the exchange that Holmes shares with Professor Moriarty. Found Swastika Mukherjee’s portrayal of Anguri Devi, a dancer and spy, as insipid and nowhere close to Mata Hari, the Frisian exotic dancer and an enduring archetype of the femme fatale, that her role is rumoured to be modelled on. Divya Menon as Byomkesh’s love interest Satyabati, Meiyang Chang as the police informer Kanai Dao, Takanori Kikuchi as Dr. Watanabe and Mark Bennington as Deputy Commissioner Wilkie , all do justice to their roles.
Finally, a few accolades have to be reserved for the director. DB has done a splendid job and the film is fit for an international release. Not only do you get to romance the Calcutta of yore but the plot lends an international espionage crime thriller touch in what would have been otherwise a strictly native premise. Kudos to DB for the script. In fact Bollywood now might have its own Guy Ritchie in Dibakar Banerjee. Hats off to DB for his continued experiments with the sound-track.The background score will enthrall you as it brings to life the genre of “neo-noir meets crime thriller” and adds the right doses of chutzpah. The music actually tries to bind the past with the present-day modern techno sound in the same mould as The Great Gatsby OST designed by rapper-producer Jay-Z. It is a unique collection of songs – from the metal of “Life’s A B***h” to the swing of “Calcutta Kiss”. Then there is the amazing blend of classical (thumri vocals by playback singer Usri Banerjee ) and psychedelic synthetic pop by Mumbai alt punk act BLEK in “Byomkesh In Love” which again is my personal favourite. Both “Chase in China Town” and “Yang Guan Lives” matches the adrenaline rush that the project requires. A big Thumbs Up to DBB’s music. Kya Baat !! For me the film’s highlight is actually the climax where Byomkesh assembles all the characters in the hostel and finally unravels the true identity of Dr. Guha followed by the gory bloodshed in the ensuing gang-war. Dr.Guha aka Yang Guan lives to see another day and the seeds of a riveting rivalry are sown. Yes , both me and the director are hinting at the mouth-watering prospect of a sequel.
Now as far as the misses are concerned, I am in a particularly lenient mood. So won’t complain too much. Sushant could have been a little more assertive in his demeanor and how dare you show the cigarette-smoking detective munching on a bunch of potato fries with tea at the The Indian Coffee House. Dibakar must have taken our craving for the Aloo Bhaja a tad too seriously. Of-course the timely mention of The Statesman Ltd. and Bata ticks all the right boxes in our hearts 😀
To conclude, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is beguiling, captivating and delightfully delectable .. and the Calcutta Kiss is waiting to wrap you in her warm embrace 🙂 😛
By the way, have a great Easter Sunday everyone. Cheers !!
Do you know what time it is
Don’t know what time it is
Don’t care what time it is
‘coz it’s time for cal Calcutta kiss
P.S. Byomkesh Bakshi has been mentioned in the 2014 episode “The Mommy Observation” of the US TV series The Big Bang Theory. The character Bernadette Rostenkowski refers Bakshi as Indian Sherlock Holmes while Raj Koothrappali refers Sherlock as the English Byomkesh Bakshi 🙂
Calcutta Chromosome 