Detective Byomkesh Bakshy: All Reviews Here!

First Previous

Page

Next Last

Frequent Posters

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#111

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy

Sonia Chopra

Movie:

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy

Director:

Dibakar Banerjee

Cast:

Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Divya Menon, Swastika Mukherjee, Meiyang Chang

Avg user rating:

Kolkata in the '40s, a missing person, his distraught son, and student Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput) who happens to dabble in detective work. The distraught son Ajit (Anand Tiwari) approaches an indifferent Byomkesh for help. When Bakshy makes fun of his situation, Ajit punches him. He then proceeds to become Bakshy's assistant as they unravel the mystery. Such unlikely friendships and interesting equations are rife in the movie.

But what is the case? A man is missing, Bakshy is on his trail, a politician seems to be involved, a glamorous actress named Anguri Devi appears, freedom fighters are baying for blood, there is unrest among the drug mafia, and the timid house-help serves chai with shaky hands.

Anyone could be involved in this, and in the larger crime linked to this man's disappearance.

And as we watch Bakshy get deeper into the case, we often stop and admire the sights and sounds unfolding (often distractingly) in the background. In fact, there is an interesting scene where Bakshy is sitting in a tram in the foreground, merely as an accessory, while the vehicle movies slowly and we watch the bustling street scenes of pre-Independence Kolkata. Kudos to Vandana Kataria for an excellent production design and cinematographer Nikos Andritsakis for capturing its every texture. Now, the film begins on a gruesome note, and there is enough grime to keep your toes curled. There are brutal murders, all the characters are suspect, some move stealthily in the dark, and motivations run deeper than one thought.

Writer Urmi Jivekar and co-writer and director Dibakar Banerjee, in a very Tarantino- esque turn, brings in hearty black humour in the midst of it all. The film also has incredibly arresting portions like the detective and the culprit sitting across, playing a sort of game, where Bakshy guesses his modus operandi and the villain looks on admiringly, apologizing for the mistakes that got him caught. Sneha Khanwalkar's superb, trippy music adds to the fun.

The film is a triumphant whodunit as, even if you guess the culprit, you won't guess his motive. And the film keeps you hooked through the trials and tribulations that Bakshy encounters in cracking the case.

But the biggest strength of the film yet is the character of Byomkesh Bakshy, first created by Bengali writer, Shardindu Bandhopadhya decades ago. Bakshy has the sharpest mind, instincts, and courage veering on stupidity, but also carries the humbleness and awkwardness of an amateur. He's a genius who doesn't brag and comes across as a whiz kid, who's still learning the ropes, but is still good enough to nail the biggest fish.

Sushant Singh Rajput plays Bakshy with an understated elegance. He plays Bakshy as someone who appears calmer than he actually is, the passion brimming under the surface. Rajput gets the portrayal right-from the passion, to the humour to the innate clumsiness and lack of success with love.

The scene-stealing supporting cast, especially Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee, Neeraj Kabi and Meiyang Chang, is an absolute treat.

The actor (keep guessing) playing the central villain is so formidable, he transforms this character into one of the most reprehensible onscreen villains one has seen off-late. Where the film falters is that it leaves too many unanswered questions. However, if you avoid being too exacting, this is an unputdownable film.

Dibakar Banerjee (Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!) serves up a film that's an immersing whodunit with memorable characters, set against 1940s Kolkata that was in the midst of known and unknown strife. Whether you are on tenterhooks as another murky twist unfolds, or you laugh despite yourself even though the joke is outrageously taking place in a scene full of dead bodies, you'll definitely enjoy this film.

One also recommends you follow Bakshy's fondness for chai and follow it up with a discussion on the red herrings and what could happen next. Yes, the film leaves you with a sequel possibility, and this one will be awaited!

Rating: 4 stars

Rate:

Quote

@DianaPrince

Inactive

+ 4

Posted: 10 years ago

#112

Content Removed

Hindustan Times

Quote

Looks like you are new here. Register for free, learn and contribute.

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#113

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY: Splendid, spectacular & mesmeric! [4/5]

A man goes missing. The detective offering help doesn't even blink or think before giving out his verdict that it is a possible case of murder. His one of many simplistic theories draws even the son in suspicion. As a viewer, you don't need much time to realize that he is not your usual unrealistically intellectual' beast like Sherlock Holmes and is not at all a detective but a detective in making. Dibakar Banerjee's splendid-spectacular & mesmeric murder-mystery thriller DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! may not be able to flabbergast you with terrific twists and reckless revelations but then, it also never ceases to engage with enticing visuals, imaginatively authentic art-design to recreate the nostalgic period, acquisitive music score, brilliantly written characters and some really well-directed sequences for a cinematic treat.

It is Calcutta of 1940s. Japanese are constantly trying to snatch the control over the city from the British. Chinese drug mafia wants to make it a world drug capitol. The young ones are fighting for freedom. The newborn in business' Byomkesh Bakshy [Sushant Singh Rajput] is trying to prove his theory of missing man's murder for his forced client Ajit [Anand Tiwari]. He is the same who joins Bakshy later as his sidekick or subordinate. The connecting threads lead him to a powerful politician, his sultry & seductive mistress [Swastika Mukherjee], an intimidating dentist-cum-Japanese tutor and a kind and obliging [Neeraj Kabi of SHIP OF THESEUS']. For the most parts, Bakshy is only seen finding links between two loose ends. For times, when we all are modified to watch razor-sharp detectives seeing it from miles and acting against it in an electric-speed; there is hardly anything in the plot you would describe as extremely surprising' but the ambiguity in the air never goes missing.

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! is stylishly shot gorgeous looking film where everything you see is fabricated, but how aesthetically and inventively! This is the world nowhere close to what we have seen in Doordarshan's Byomkesh Bakshy series. The case-to-be solved here also doesn't have limitations of being just another family affair. Dibakar Banerjee takes it on a bigger canvas to make Bakshy's first case the biggest of what we have seen before. His Calcutta is nothing but a painting with brilliant art-design powered with nostalgic posters on wall, approaching vintage status' ambassador cars, man-pulling rickshaws on streets and Bata leather shoes for instance. In one momentous shot, we see camera following Bakshy-Bakshy bumping into a stranger-camera following stranger-stranger bumping into the man following Bakshy and then again camera getting back on track to follow the man; all this exercise through the windows of an ambassador car. See it, and you won't miss it.

With subtle and deadpan humor, film is a delightful watch. When at a drug-making company's office, Bakshy jokes about him providing blood-sample that it is a must for every candidate before the job-interview, we see the whole lot of young candidates disappearing like a Jeannie. In another just after the blood-bathed climax, Ajit instructs his home-servant to make some tea as the police can visit the crime-scene anytime soon. Though Sushant looks very much in skin of the character, it's the supporting cast that excels in the performance-sheet. Anand Tiwari as Ajit is a spot-on. Neeraj Kabi makes his act a balanced yet exceedingly outshining one. One more significant contribution one can't ignore is the outstanding music score by Sneha Khanwalkar. My first move after the movie got over was to put the album on my playlist.

At the end, Dibakar's DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! is like a strong and effective opium intake once taken you will sure get addicted to it, sooner or later. Expect the unexpected while watching it but don't forget, even Bakshy is a man with many drawbacks. Don't expect him to beat goons single-handedly. Watch it for being one of the most magnificent looking films of simple nature and nostalgic feel. [4/5]

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#114

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review-detective-byomkesh-bakshy-review-sushant-singh-rajput-s-never-seen-before-avatar-is-convincing-2074384

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#115

Analytically Accurate: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Review

In an introductory scene in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, which comes soon after one of the most iconic and brilliantly done opening shot, Dibakar Banerjee focuses his camera on to his central character sitting in a tram. Even though the camera pans straight towards the innocent face of the protagonist you also get to see how gorgeous the production design is. How impeccably he manages to show the good old Calcuttawith all the vintage cars, trams and double-decker buses.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy as the title suggest is a small piece in the tale of the Bengali detective. He is raw, rude, arrogant and good with his eyes. He manages to notice the minute details in one's character. Does that mean he is perfect? No. After all he is human. The good thing about the film is Banerjee knows it and manages to throw in a small buildup before Bakshy gets into his first case in what looks like a franchise in the making.

Set in pre-independence Calcutta, the film has a lot of things going on. Firstly, we get two plots which you know will have a definite cross-over. One of them deals with the Japanese trying to bombard and win Calcutta over, involving the drug-smuggling scene. The other deals with a murder mystery, where Ajit (Anand Tiwari) approaches Bakshy (Shushant) with the case of his missing father. Banerjee very brilliantly sets up his main character's arrogance as he puts down four possible outcomes of his father's whereabouts. Bakshy is a little skeptical at first but later when he learns that his lady love is not more his lady love, decides to get into the case. What follows is a classic old-school whodunit tale that fuses love, lust, betrayal, politics, drug-lords, patriotism and naivety in equal measures.

I will warn people before-hand. This is not a fast paced thriller as the trailers suggest. Infact, it's pretty inert throughout the first half. For a fast-paced whodunit tale Byomkesh Bakshy's dark themes wouldn't have left a mark and am glad Banerjee took the route of showing how the case evolves taking up small twist and turns as it goes forward.

"Duniya main aaise hi kuch nahi hota." says Byomkesh as he stumbles upon clues and new characters who do lead him in the right direction, but he has to face more hurdles than he can imagine. I know people who go into watching the film will complain about the premise not being thrilling enough. I agree it is not as thrilling as one will expect but I think the film manages to replicate the 1940s era and the things which happened there to a greater extent. This slow-burner never gets its morale down and there is something or the other going on in every frame. Dibakar has put so much work into the films detailing that non of the frames feel out of place. The no-filter cigarettes, the low-cut blouses, even the houses with a wooden framework and a big central veranda all speak-out brilliance.

The character of Bymokesh Bakshy is very well fleshed out. For around 20 minutes into the film you see a subtle sadness on his face, maybe its the lost love or maybe its the lack of excitement that doesn't arouse him. The film shifts gears and gets into the intriguing phase when he discovers that there's a murder at stake. He glimmers in excitement, pretty much like Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

As I said before the film is not very thrilling. For an intelligent lot of people, it might even be predictable. But there's no denying the fact that those intelligent people just won't notice how unpredictable Dibakar Banerjee'scharacters are. They are not just two faced assholes but strangely there is insanity, vulnerability and selfishness in every single one of them. The interesting part of the film is, even though we see Bakshy battling his eye-lashes and solving every step of the ladder with ease, he is also portrayed as this naive fellow who doesn't really understand that the road less traveled by is not always the right road.

"Sach ke aas paas ka jhooth pakadna mushkil hota hai", remarks one of the characters. I think this statement is a meta for the viewers as well. If they try to decipher every single lie in the tale, they'll understand that a story like this can be penned by anyone. What they don't understand is every lie they put in has to be equally balanced with a truth and Banerjee manages to over-shadow every film-maker in that aspect. Even though he does go into the throw-in-the-interesting-twist-just-before-the-interval cliche. He manages to move the film forward bringing in one after other interesting twist and turns.

Between all the glam and glow, the film manages to be very grounded. There is no over-the-top melodrama. There is no rotten egg in the seemingly complex way of story-telling which makes this and incredible experience. There are a few laughs here and there as well. Specially the part where you see two bihari body-guards all oiled up. The great thing about the movie is, even though there are not many exciting moments the seldom few leave you breathless, and that an achievement on its own.

I loved how Bakshy closes his window every time there's a girl in the balcony showing his distress for love. Shushant Singh Rajput completely own the roles of the savvy, charming and arrogant master-mind. I fell in love with the sexy, saucy counterpart of Irene Adler (Anguri) played bySwastika Mukherjee. There's also the immensely talented Neeraj Kabilast seen in the brilliant Ship Of Thesues. He is a treat to watch here. Everyone else does their part pretty convincingly and there's no one who is a sore to the eye. Sneha Kanwalkar's music is brilliant, so is the background score. The cinematography is flawless and the production design by Vandana Kataria deserves all the praises. Special shout-out to Yashraj Production, after this years Dum Laga Ke Haisha and the upcoming Titli, I sure hope things are going in the right direction.

Final Verdict: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a brilliant film. I hope it gets the love it deserves so that we get to see another well made film in the next episode of the Indian Mastermind. MUST WATCH!

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#116

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY MOVIE REVIEW

Release Date : Apr 03,2015

Home > Hindi Movie Reviews

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (aka) Detective Byomkesh Bakshi review

Review by : Anita, Kaushik L M

CAST AND CREW

1 of 2

Production: Aditya Chopra, Dibakar Banerjee
Cast: Anand Tiwari, Sushant Singh Rajput, Swastika Mukherjee
Direction: Dibakar Banerjee
Screenplay: Dibakar Banerjee, Urmi Juvekar
Story: Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Music: Various Artists
Cinematography: Nikos Andritsakis

Editing: Manas Mittal, Namrata Rao

While every genre of a film gives you a specific feel, a detective story will always make you want to think about minuscule things and observe small details that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is one such film that is impactful and will make you start thinking like a detective while you watch the film. This brilliant piece of fiction taken in the 1940s will make you get immersed in the silver screen and you may not want to come out of it.

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee and with story inspired by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's fictions, Satyanveshi' and Pother Kanta', Detective Byomkesh Bakshy makes you sit at the edge of your seat from the starting to the end credits. Byomkesh played by Sushanth is a detective who goes about solving a murder mystery. This film is one of the best performances of Sushanth as he has convincingly played a detective and has submerged himself into the character. The character's look, with the trim mustache and the authentic Bengali attire, deserves a special mention.

Adaptation to excellence

This film is a fictional adaptation of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay who has written about 32 Byomkesh Bakshi stories between 1932 and 1970 with one incomplete story at the time of his death. During that time the character Byomkesh received popular recognition through TV serials, films, radio series and comic strips.

Be it showcasing the time period very precisely, delivering the dialogues in an extremely convincing manner or maintaining the costumes and make-up to utmost reality, the film has given nothing less than top-notch. Speaking of the time period, we usually relate the 1940s era to Indian freedom struggle, but Dibakar Banerjee has smartly incorporated the impact of World War 2 in West Bengal in this film.

A complete surrender to the script

The production designer of this movie has quite literally surrendered to the script while showcasing scenes in the streets of Calcutta, the set designs for each sequence, the properties used in the background and more. From the little detailing of the cigarette brand, properties in a house like chair, table and cot, vintage cars, subtle yet bright colors used in the backdrops to the old radio sets and ancient newspapers, the production value was something to be highly appreciated. Even from the cinematography standpoint, the visuals were impeccable complimenting the production design work, thanks to Nikos Andritsakis. Being a complete two and half hours film, editors Manas Mittal and Namrata Rao have been very precise and taut.

Dibakar's visual magic

Post films like Shanghai and Bombay Talkies, Dibakar Banerjee is set to give an out and out entertaining and gripping story with a keen eye for detailing. The screenplay of the movie is so tight and stiff that, all the knots will be knitted fully before you come out of the theater. With versatile characters and many performers, this film is one complete package catering to all center audience. The performances of Neeraj Kabi as Dr. Anukul Guha, Swastika Mukherjee as Anguri Devi, Anand Tiwari as Ajit Bandyopadhyay, Meiyang Chang as Kanai Dao and other cast have been spaced out so well that, they will deviate your thoughts for the right reasons. They have all been directors' actors who have delivered excellent performances.

While the story unfolds to more characters and clues, the scenes were tied together with complete continuity. Case in point, the scene where Byomkesh leaves the house while shaving half-way through, and a few scenes later where he appears shaven one-sided. Such intricate detailing has to be appreciated.

BGM - A surprise treat

In a serious detective story that makes your conscience very focussed and non deviant, the music score is the only element that gives you a relief from listening to continuous dialogues. The BGM of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy will swing you to different moods and genres of music. You can expect tracks swaying you through various emotions. The music tracks are composed by artists from different backgrounds. While some tracks are remade, some retain the novelty. Kudos to everyone who worked for the sound designing.

The long, interesting table sequence in the end explains the film in one go and it demands complete devotion to the screen. The Western influences in the end credits roll and while showcasing bloodshed add to the style and impact of the film.

The film ends in a bloody brilliant, adrenaline pumping manner and all eyes would be on the sequel now.

Verdict: An arresting investigative story and a must-watch!

( 3.5 / 5.0 )

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#117

DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY!

Posted on April 3, 2015by komalreviews

Yash Raj Films and Dibakar Banerjee Productions' Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (UA) is a murder mystery solved by a detective. The film is set in Calcutta in pre-Independence India.

Ajit Banerjee (Anand Tiwari) is concerned about his father, Bhuvan Banerjee, who disappeared two months earlier. He approaches Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput) to help him trace his father. Byomkesh gets on the job and soon realises that Ajit's father has been murdered.

He now sets out on a journey to understand who murdered Bhuvan Banerjee and why, and to trace the murderer. He chances upon some clues and keeps getting closer and closer to the murderer with every clue. Along the way, a few people are murdered by unknown persons, probably because they would spill the beans about the murderer of Bhuvan Banerjee before Byomkesh Bakshy. The finger of suspicion points to different people at different times.

Not only is the revelation of the killer shocking but so is his motive. Byomkesh Bakshy realises along the way that the murder of Bhuvan Banerjee was just the tip of the iceberg and that the murderer had very big and insidious plans.

Writers Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee have adapted the original story of Saradindu Bandyopadhyay. The story is interesting as it involves the audience in the guessing game. But it becomes heavy and boring and confusing post-interval. The screenplay, penned by the duo, moves at a fairly fast pace in the first half. However, the scenes to unravel the intent of the killer get boring after a point of time. In other words, while the attempt of Byomkesh Bakshy to solve the murder mystery throws up an interesting and engaging drama till the point where the identity of the murderer is revealed, the bigger drama of why the murder was committed does not remain as interesting, and not just because the same is confusing. Besides, many of the characters have difficult (Bengali) names and are played by unknown faces, making the drama only more difficult to comprehend. A lot of shooting has been done in the dark as the scenes are of the night and although these would not normally have irritated the audience, they do so because the drama gets boring after a point of time.

On the other hand, what holds the audience's interest is the intelligent way in which Byomkesh deciphers clue after clue and keeps getting closer to his target. And since the screenplay involves the audience in the guessing game, it does manage to entertain upto a point. The duo's dialogues are natural and interesting but definitely often lack the punch.

Sushant Singh Rajput is natural and easy-going in the title role. He plays the titular character well but it would've been far better if his character had been made more endearing. Anand Tiwari does a fine job as Ajit Banerjee. Newfind Divya Menon is quite nice in the role of Satyawati. Swastika Mukherjee is truly impressive as Angoori Devi. Neeraj Kabi shines as Dr. Anukul Guha. He is supremely natural and steals the show whenever he comes on the screen. Meiyang Chang is alright as Kanai Dao but it must be added that he gets limited scope. Mark Bennington performs ably as deputy commissioner of police Wilkie. Takanori Higuchi has his moments as Dr. Watanabe. Dr. Kaushik Ghosh is alright as Gajanan Sikdar. Shivam lends fair support as Sukumar. Pradipto Kumar Chakraborty (as Puntiram), Arindol Bagchi (in the role of Ashwini Babu), Anindya Banerjee (as Prafulla Ray), Moumita Chakraborty (as Leela), Peter Wong (as Underboss), Tirtha Mallick (as Atanu Chandra Sen), Piyali Ray (as Dr. Watanabe's receptionist), Kawaljeet Singh Banga (as the Sikh taxi driver) and the others provide the desired support.

Dibakar Banerjee's direction is fairly good but, like the script, caters more to the class audience. His narration also seems a bit too indulgent. Music (by Madboy/Mink, Sneha Khanwalkar, Blek, Peter Cat Recording Co., Mode AKA, Joint Family and IJA) is functional. Lyrics, by Madboy/Mink, Sneha Khanwalkar, Rishi Bradoo, Suryakant Sawhney, Sandeep Madhavan, Akshay De and IJA, are alright. Background music (by Madboy/Mink, Blek, Peter Cat Recording Co., Mode AKA, Joint Family and IJA) is good but too loud at places - so loud that the dialogues are not clearly audible, at times. Nikos Andritsakis' camerawork is splendid except that the night scenes sometimes become difficult to comprehend because of the limited lighting. Action (Parvez Fazal Khan) scenes are okay; some of them are very gruesome. Vandana Kataria has done a creditable job of the production designing by re-creating the atmosphere of Calcutta of the 1940s. Editing, by Manas Mittal and Namrata Rao, could've been sharper.

On the whole, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is an ordinary fare which does not give the audience the thrill of a murder mystery. While it will be liked by the classes, its acceptance among the masses will be limited. It will, therefore, not do good business at the box-office.

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#118

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Movie Review

Rating:

dbb new

Star Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee, Divya Menon, Neeraj Kabi, Meiyang Chang

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Banner: YRF

Release Date : 3rd April 2015

Dibakar Banerjee has always made small but interesting films and some of them being Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Love Sex Aur Dhokha, Khosla Ka Ghosla. The ace director has come back for his new venture Detective Byomkesh Bakshy which is exciting for several reasons -

1. Big Screen Presentation of Cult Character Byomkesh Bakshy

2. Banner like YRF backing the film.

3. Interesting Promos

4. Super Talented Sushant Singh Rajput playing the central role.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a very honest and impressive attempt to create a spy thriller set in the times of 1940's. The film has the backdrop of Calcutta and World War.

The city is struggling with the Japanese invasion and smuggling of drugs that is trying hard to put the city to sleep. Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput) is trying to solve the mystery of his collegiate Ajit Bandyopadhyay's (Anand Tiwari) father. In this town full of disguises and mysteries will and at which cost Byomkesh discovers the truth? Watch the film to know...

DBB, without any doubt, is a strong example of powerful and engaging story telling. The film throughout its run time will give you amazing edge of the seat thrill and what a climax!! The screenplay is very well written and the suspense is so well hidden till the end that you won't believe its actually a Bollywood Film. Infact, it will not be a false statement to say that DBB is a perfect watch if you are losing interest in Bollywood Films.

Sushant Singh Rajput gives yet another worth applauding performance. This is easily the best performance of his career thanks to the extraordinary body language, expressions and his skill to get into the skin of character. Sushant is just perfect. Anand Tiwari also gives a nice performance. Swastika Mukherjee is good. Neeraj Kabi is super excellent.

Dibakar Banerjee delivers another winner and this one adds yet another feather in his crown of amazing films. He is one gem of the Director Bollywood has.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is Bollywood's own Sherlock Holmes. You have to definitely watch this one.

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#119

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy: Well baked fantasy

Get Your Biology Degree - Prepare For Your Career at Regis. Request More Information Here!regiscollege.edu/undergrad

ANUJ KUMAR

COMMENT PRINT T T

inShare

Here comes the detective Byomkesh

TOPICS

cinema

Hindi cinema

A robust mix of fact and fantasy, Dibakar Banerjee is literally on a high here. Blending opium trade and independence struggle, he takes us back in time when Calcutta was under Japanese air attacks, Chinese gangs were lurking in the corner and Allied forces were trying to hold on. World War II is the stage, the reason is to throw his childhood hero detective Byomkesh Bakshi in these tumultuous times. However, it is no child play as Dibakar has not restrained himself from the bloody details. You can almost smell the rotting bodies and the soot in the air and the grafitti reminds of the Bengal art.

Playing with the shadows Dibakar manages to transport us to a parallel universe where the colour of truth is red. Like a painter who is as much in love as the subject as the backdrop, he paints 1942 Calcutta in multiple hues. The city is as much his muse as Byomkesh. From ignoring Bengal Famine to Quit India Movement, of course, there is plenty of scope for nit picking but then it is not a documentary on 1942 Calcutta nor does it try to be true to Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's Byomkesh. It is Dibakar's Calcutta and Dibakar's Byomkesh made for an audience who are not trapped in the past. He is looking at the past with the eye of today. It reflects in the grungy background score, the art work and the whole noir mood. The point is nothing sticks out like a sore thumb.

Dibakar is talking of times when Byomkesh was not a finished product. And Sushant Singh Rajput reflects that he is a work in process. Just an everyman who preferred to be a detective rather than teaching mathematics. And perhaps it is this ordinary feel that makes Dibakar the right choice to reinvent the home grown detective in a dhoti. Dibakar has a knack to look for extraordinary in the ordinary lives without raising the tone or creating an artifice.

He is talking of times when Byomkesh and Ajit (Anand Tiwari) hadn't become two shades of one personality. For his screenplay is like an onion with endless layers that seamlessly unravel in front of eyes which refuse to blink lest they miss a clue. Such is the beauty of writing and execution that it takes the audience along as if he or she can also solve this case in the next scene and this process continues till the end. Dibakar and co-writer Urmi Juvekar never drop a curtain to cover the leaps of faith that they take. They make us develop a bond with all the red herrings that inhabit the universe. More importantly, they don't become the prisoner of Sharadindu text. They retain the essence of his works and then let their imagination fly as Byomkesh comes of age.

Sushant takes time to come to terms with the challenge but when he does, he takes charge. From the nerves on the forehead to that killer gaze he eventually makes Byomkesh his own. He is very well supported by actors who add to the atmosphere. Neeraj Kabi as Anshul Guha, the owner of boarding house where Byomkesh settles, lends a measured performance that makes even a maniac believable. Similarly, Swastika Mukherjee belongs to different era and as the femme fatale presents a kind of cross between Meena Kumari and Nadira.

However, when it comes to the nuts and bits of the case, more than the whodunit aspect it is the why and how he does it aspect that teases us more. The problem is Dibakar approaches the dark fantasy like a stingy visual chemist. In his formula, Byomkesh is not allowed to romance beyond a few amorous exchanges with Satyavati (Divya Menon). It might not work for some but this is the charm of his work. He makes even a fantasy everyday like, believable. With the air already thick with the promise of a sequel, we might have got our answer to Sherlock on screen.

Genre: Mystery/ Adventure

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Meiyang Chang,

Bottomline: A stylish noir adventure soaked in surprise and substance in equal measure.

Keywords: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, movie review

Quote

Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#120

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Review

Zehra Abbas / fullhyd.com

EDITOR RATING

8.0

Performances

Script

Music/Soundtrack

Visuals

7.5

8.0

8.5

Suggestions

Can watch again

Yes

Good for kids

Good for dates

Yes

Wait to rent it

Got a case that needs solving? Byomkesh Bakshi's your man. But forget Doordarshan's courteous, staid, graying Bakshi, and say hello to Dibakar Banerjee's fearless, unrelenting and energetic interpretation of Saradindu Bandopadhyay's Bengali detective.

Set in Calcutta in 1942, the film introduces young audiences to the classic Bengali pulp fiction character, and also reintroduces him to those viewers who read the books and watched the TV series. The adventure begins when Byomkesh Bakshi (Sushant Singh Rajput) is approached for help by Ajit Banerjee (Anand Tiwari), whose father has gone missing. What initially seems like a straightforward missing person case slowly turns into a murder mystery, a political intrigue, a drug smuggling case and ultimately an international conspiracy.

Banerjee expertly reveals layer after layer to the enthralled audience, and adds to the enjoyment of the story by staffing it with a range of quirky and interesting characters. There's Dr. Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi) and his band of bachelors in a crumbling guesthouse, shadowed by a tremulous, Gollum-like house help. Angoori Devi (Swastika Mukherjee) is less actress, more seductress, while Satyawati (Divya Menon) is a beautiful, young political activist. And there are heroin addicts, crazed Chinese mafia dons, a katana-wielding Japanese dentist and a rather inept British police commissioner.

Bakshi is young, brash and reckless, and consequently makes mistakes, gets duped, and sulks when embarrassed, but ultimately has the smarts to foil the well-laid plans of a megalomaniacal arch villain. Sushant Singh Rajput has got the role of his career here, and he knows it - the actor has nailed the body language, dialogue and emotional expressions of an ambitious detective who is going through the painful process of growth and discovering himself as he tries to uncover the truth of his case.

Anand Tiwari puts in a solid performance, too, but his character isn't given the scope to be the Watson to Byomkesh's Sherlock. Tiwari has wonderful comic timing and will have you in splits in a scene at the end, and you'll wish there were more scenes like that. Neeraj Kabi as Dr. Guha is a revelation, and shows a chameleon-like adeptness in his act. The ladies, Swastika Mukherjee and Divya Menon, look pretty, and that's that.

One of the best things about the film is the almost lyrical tandem with which the production design works with the cinematography to create Byomkesh's 1940s Calcutta; a vivid, stunning picture painted with the bold brushstrokes of the sweeping camera and the minute detailing of the set. The makers can lay claim to the rare distinction of making a modern day, contemporary audience feel nostalgic for an era they didn't actually experience in reality.

The admirable and almost excruciating attention to detail is an all-you-can-eat buffet for the senses. Pay close attention and you'll be rewarded with treats hiding in plain view. When his girlfriend jilts Byomkesh in a classroom, the blackboard in the background has notes on "The History of Love" scribbled on it. Angoori Devi's face unobtrusively follows Byomkesh around Calcutta in a soap advert painted on buses and trams zooming by. Such touches are fun and will ensure repeat viewings of the film.

Nikos Andritsakis' camera captures the verve, the sleaze, the filth and the fire of a Calcutta that darkens to the alarms of air raids and flares up again to political sloganeering as our Bengali babu and his sidekick weave their way in and out of its lanes. He hasn't shied away from using noir imagery, and it's most evident in the climactic battle scene where even gore is given almost artistic treatment, and shadows of blood spurts are shown in slow motion like paint being splashed on a canvas.

The music by Sneha Khanwalkar might seem incongruous on paper; she has unleashed the most eclectic collection of Indie bands on an unsuspecting Hindi film audience. You'll be startled by the thrash metal accompanying Bakshi's various chase scenes, but will also be surprised at how well this juxtaposition of period film visuals works with contemporary sounds.

Since Byomkesh Bakshi is essentially a whodunit, the narrative is full of twists and turns, and they keep you engaged till the denouement. However, the plot does seem a tad convoluted, and the pace of the film is directly impacted by that. Another annoying weakness lies in the dialogue writing. It is ironic that such obviously intelligent filmmakers have made the mistake of underestimating the viewer's intelligence - the film is full of "helpful" over-explanations of basic deductions and plot turns.

Overall, Dibakar Banerjee and team have created an innovative, entertaining and endearing detective drama, and one must doff their hat to them for having the guts to attempt a project that is so original in both its premise and its treatment. The movie ends with the villain, alive and kicking, screaming revenge against Bakshi, and you know that an arch nemesis has been born. However, his rant makes you happy because it can mean only one thing - a sequel.