Detective Byomkesh Bakshy: All Reviews Here!

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ChannaMereya

@ChannaMereya

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+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#71

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Movie Review - An Arty Case Worth Solving...

Dated : April, 2, 2015 BY Divya Solgama

Ratings :

Expectations:

As a kid, I used to be a great fan of detective based T.V series like 'Karamchand', 'Bhim Bhavani', 'Tehkikat', 'Suraag' and even 'Byomkesh Bakshy'. This fascination introduced me to the short stories based on 'Byomkesh Bakshy', 'Feluda' and 'Prof.Shonku'. The detailing and the pattern of solving the crime used to be highly engrossing. Sadly, when it came to films there were none to be found. Though we did witness films like 'Detective', 'The Perfect Murder', 'Apradhi Kaun?', 'Gumnaam', 'Kaun?Kaise?', 'Khoj', 'Plot No 5' and many more, which were mostly on lines of crime thrillers inspired by the work of Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Maria Corelli, James Hadley Chase, Suhas Shirvalkar or Surendra Mohan Pathak. Thus, right from the announcement of 'Byomkesh Bakshy' being converted into a full-fledged feature film to it being made followed by the promo and now its release, my curiosity and expectation level was at its peak. So, lets find out whether 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' will finally give us an out and out proper detective film in our Hindi cinema or might be on lines of last year's debacles like 'Samrat & Co' and 'Bobby Jasoos'.

Story:

'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' is the story of a private detective Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput), who is approached by Ajit (Anand Tiwari) to investigate the disappearance of his father. Byomkesh starts investigating the case from the lodge where Ajit's father used to stay and befriends Dr.Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi). The clues Byomkesh gets, leads him to an actor Anguri Devi (Swastika Mukherjee), a politician Gajanan Sikdar (Dr.Kaushik Ghosh) and a few more, along with a drug kingpin. How does Byomkesh solve this mystery is what the film is all about.

Screenplay & Technicalities:

The story is as we know, based on the fictional characters created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay and has been brilliantly transformed into the big screen by Dibakar Banerjee and Urmi Juvekar. Right from the first scene of the film the movie is set on its right course without wandering even for a minute into the unwanted territories. Every scene is important and full of detailing with the script of the film. There are no sidetracks to dilute the flow of the film. However, the slow narrative pattern might not go well with the normal cine-goers, but is apt for such type of slow detective genre, which gradually grows on you with every scene of the film. There are some great scenes like the whole credit title sequence followed by Sushant meeting Neeraj Kabi in the guesthouse, Sushant-Anand Tiwari being followed in the streets of Kolkata, the whole opium track followed by Sushant-Swastika scenes, the revelation towards the finale followed by graphic based end credits. Nevertheless, more than the scenes, what makes 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy', is the minute detailing attached to the film. It has one of the finest artworks in our Hindi cinema, the brilliant set up of Kolkata from the early 40's era is something worth watching for sure. The makers and the setup (trams, posters, newspapers, hoardings, transportation, costume, magazines, accessories, etc) transform you into the world of 1942. The movie might not appeal to the people who need spoon-feeding and who are die hard lovers of escapist cinema, as there is a lot of things happening in the film, leaving not a single breathing space for such type of cine-goers. Nikos Andritsakis's cinematography is outstanding, as the sets and whole feel of the film looks real and believable.

Music & Direction:

Music is good, but fails to gel with the flow of the film. It is more international, thus misses the connect with the film. 'Jaanam' is brilliantly presented. The background music is outstanding and does full justice to the feel of the film.

Director Dibakar Banerjee gives us probably the true dark detective film with 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'. He will satisfy all his fans and all those who love to see artistic films or are big admirers of proper detective films. His vision and detailing enhances the film to international standards and sets up a benchmark for Indian cinema. He might not be as real or simple in comparison with the films made by Satyajit Ray, Ritupo*no Ghosh, Anjan Dutt, Manju Dey and few more Bengali film makers, but has his own unique style and matches up to the true level of this genre. How we wished he would have presented it in a bit moderate manner in order to appeal the normal cine-lovers. In addition, the finale part should have been hard-hitting rather than being simple and creative.

Performances:

Sushant Singh Rajput is cute and charming. He adds the much-needed innocence to his character with help of his pure smile and soft dialogue delivery. He might not be as appealing as Rajit Kapoor (from Byomkesh Bakshy T.V series), but will still set its own identity. Neeraj Kabi is brilliant in his role. Anand Tiwari is good and adds up as a good support to the lead character. Swastika Mukherjee looks charming and does her part with total grace. Meiyang Chang and Divya Menon needed more detailing.

Final Verdict: So bol meri "FILMI KHOPDI" iss film mein kitna hain Dum?

Dum??? Well, the movie has all the dum needed for a dark and slowly enthralling detective based film. It is one of the good films we have recently witnessed in our Hindi cinema. Though, the masala film lovers will be highly disappointed with this movie as they might find it slow, boring and will fail to understand the plot line of the film. As for all those who love reading good detective stories, 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' is an arty case of mystery, which is worth solving for sure.

Ratings - 3.5*/5

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Scorpio_Velvet

@Scorpio_Velvet

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Posted: 10 years ago

#72

Good reviews as expected. Just checking ratings as I don't want to read any spoilers. 😃

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ChannaMereya

@ChannaMereya

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+ 2

Posted: 10 years ago

#73

Sidhu @sidhuwrites

#DBB: Lots of interesting turns, but the all important climax is a drag. Technically fab with a stunning background score.

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Sidhu @sidhuwrites

#DBB: Partially intriguing. Nicely built up murder mystery which loses steam towards the end. Sushant makes this worth your time.

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Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

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+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#74

RATING: 4/5 BULL'S EYE

Star Cast- Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee, Divya Menon, Neeraj Kabi

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DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY REVIEW

by Rajat Srivastav

written on April 2, 2015 - 5 pm EST.

Duel of Wits- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy

It is indeed a duel of wits between the story teller and the viewer. The story teller succeeds in keeping the viewer glued and guessing all the time. An envelope of silence is maintained in the auditorium and that is clear triumph for this gripping whodunit murder mystery.

The clever screenplay boasts of snappy twists and sharp turns and does not get dreary save for a few minutes during the build-up. It can still pass off as a near-perfect whodunit, the climax might face some flak though. However one will definitely admit that keeping the suspense till the very end does require a genius effort. To top it up, thrills are served seasoned with wits and subtlety

Subtle charm and witty nuances make Byomkesh the character he is and Dibakar , Aditya Chopra and Sushant bring the character to life perfectly draped . The tale of mystery transcends into a larger than life chain of events and that what makes the case a bite more than simple Byomkesh, can actually chew !

Will avoid giving away even remote hints to the tale. However still need to highlight the detailing in the recreation of Kolkatta ..oops Calcutta of 1942, the rampant opium smuggling, the struggle for freedom and amidst that a story full of deceit, intrigue, mystery, lust and suspense. The different cards will keep unfolding as you sink in-

Sushant Singh Rajput has assured himself of a character which can be recreated multiple times without losing its brilliance. Yash Raj has created yet another franchisee and Dibakar Banerjee's portfolio expands into newer, undiscovered genres.

With a charming, endearing, flirtatious, witty, composed and brilliant portrayal, Sushant lives Byomkesh and gives Bollywood a detective next-door. Swastika Mukherjee has a commanding screen presence as Anguri Devi. Anand Tiwari is an able side-kick and slips in effortlessly. The antagonist is definitely an actor to watch out! All others are up to the demands of the screenplay.

Mystery movie lovers will relish it. Minor blemishes do not rob the movie of its dexterity. Overall a movie not to be missed.

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Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#75

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Movie Review: Sushant-Dibakar's Cinematic Brilliance Posted by: Priyanka Prasad Published: Friday, April 3, 2015, 6:06 [IST] Share this on your social network: FacebookTwitterGoogle+ CommentsMail Rating: 3.0/5 Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, a character created by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay was like an Indian version of Sherlock Holmes, and from the very first book of this series, the character became an instant hit. People loved the story so much, that they never allowed the writer to retire and till his last breath, Sharadindu was writing novels based on this fictional detective. A number of movies have been based on this character, but when a two time National award winner decides to make a movie based on him, suddenly everybody is interested. Starring Sushant Singh Rajput, the director-actor duo seemed to have worked wonders in this movie which was easily visible in the film's trailer. Question is, "Is the movie as good as the trailer made it sound?" Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari and Swastika Mukherjee Director: Dibakar Banerjee Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Plot: The movie is set during the 1940's pre-independence time. Sushant Singh Rajput is seen playing the role of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, who doesn't like being called a detective. Divya Menon will be seen playing the love interest while Swastika Mukherjee is essaying the role of Anguri Devi, an exotic dancer who ends up confusing him in his case. In 1943, certain Japanese drug dealers plan to take over the Calcutta city with their smuggling business. Several people who live in Calcutta from politicians to the locals are involved with these Japanese dealers, helping them succeed in their plan. In such a situation enters Ajit played by Anand Tiwari whose father, Bhuvan Babu goes missing, Byomkesh who is approached to solve the case has a strong doubt that his father is not missing but is in fact killed. Dr Anukul Guha played by Neeraj Kabi helps Byomkesh in nailing the culprit. While digging deep into the matter, he finds out that Ajit's father was murdered in the politician's chemical factory. Now the politician comes under the radar of Byomkesh who suspects him of the murder but soon the politician dies leading him to now suspect politician's brother to have been involved In the process of digging a little deeper, he ends up getting entangled among the drug dealers and at the same time gets enlightened of their illegal smuggling activities. How these drug dealers are connected to the murder? Who exactly is the villain? The answers to all these questions forms the crux of the story. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Performances: Sushant Singh Rajput as expected has given a stellar performance, not just him, all the actors from Anand Tiwari, Divya Menon, Swatika Mukherjee to the villain whose identity will not be revealed, have done justice to their roles thereby making the movie all the more enjoyable. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Technicalities: The makers have brought alive the 1940's era on the big screen, they have succeed in giving us a sneak peek into the old Calcutta which will leave you spell bound. The only negative aspect would be the slow narration in the first half but after the interval, the movie picks up the pace making up for all the minus points, giving you good entertainment. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Movie Verdict: If you love the 1940's and if you are a fan of fiction, then Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is the movie for you. It may be a little slow and lengthy but in the end it is a paisa vasool entertainer and a pure cinematic brilliance. Check out the opinion of viewers who watched the premiere show of the movie...

Read more at: http://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/reviews/2015/detective-byomkesh-bakshy-movie-review-plot-story-sushant-singh-rajput-dibakar-178831-pg1.html

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Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#76

Detective Byomkesh Bakshi Movie Review : Catch mysteries unveiled in a style

Ratings

This Friday, you have a solo release in the form of Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, which is based on the fictional detective found in Bengali literature as created by the man called Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The film has Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee and Divya Menon in the lead role along with, Neeraj Kabi, Meiyang Chang, Mark Bennington, Shivam, Anindya Banerjee and Lauren Gottlieb in the supporting role. The film is directed by the talented man called Dibakar Banerjee, while it is produced under the banner of the most reputed production house called Yash Raj Films. This character has been known from long and was even seen in a TV series telecasted in 1993 over Doordarshan, which was directed by Basu Chatterjee apart from being covering in a number of Bollywood movies as well. Now, let's check how the 2015 movie called Detective Byomkesh Bakshi as under:

The movie revolves the life of Detective called Byomkesh Bakshi and the mysteries he tries to solve in the movie. Here you find an old Calcutta of British Colonial rule of 1940's. During this age, you have a young man just passed out from the university trying to settle down with his occupation for which he has the knack called investigation. The very same time, he gets into a case when evil genius who is all set to destroy the world. However, by using his wits and intellect against this man of grey shades, willing to destroy the world the detective uses his instinct and gut feeling to crack the case and save the world to get destroyed. In a sense the film is all about cracking a mysterious murder, pursuing global political intrigue and seduction. The detective is known to solve cases listening to his intuition rather than accepting the tangible proofs coming in his way and also goes out of the way to find out the truth something even taking law in his hand. In an old Calcutta who is war torn under the rage of World War II, the movie simply follows the adventure of the detective and ends up cracking the case the best with unveiling the real face of the evil. Now, how does this man carries out these things is a mystery and worthy to catch up.

Now, checking about the performances, let's start with the script and direction. Though the script follows certain roller coaster ride perplexing the audience to a great extent, however, at the end all the dots seemed to be joining as the case is cracked and evil face is uncovered. Though at times, you may find the scrip losing the grounds leading you nowhere but soon is seen catching up the attention of the audience treading the path of intrigue and inquisitiveness. The director somehow managed to keep the element of intrigue and curiosity high getting all attention from the audience. All in all, both the script and the director have the charm and attraction to render something special and unique for the audience. Now, let's talk about the performances of lead stars starting with the Kai Po Che actor -Shushant Singh Rajput.

Shushant has come a long way, right from working over smaller screens to the bigger ones; he has carved his niche with a tag of a complete and accomplished actor. Even in cameo performances like in PK, his skills and dexterity was noticed. Hence while playing a detective in a British Colonial ruled Calcutta, he has simply proved his worth of a competent actor in B Town. He has proved once again in Bollywood that he can act in any character assigned to him, whether it is a role of a detective or a typical lover boy, he is simply exceptional in his performance. The others in the movie including Anand Tiwari, Swastika Mukherjee and Divya Menon too were good over the silver screen. The other factors like music, cinematography, editing and screenplay, everything went par, which add an edge over the film making it worthy to catch.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshi Review Last Word

Detective Byomkesh Bakshi is essentially a crime beat thriller, which involves unveiling mysteries by digging deep into the rubbles. The movie has all the elements one can expect from any typical Bollywood film. Right from having incredible thrill and mysteries to romance and lip lock sessions, you have everything to enjoy in the film. The movie has every element to enjoy, which makes it a worthy catch this weekend. This gives the film a better rating as well.

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Anushya Pandian

@Minion23

Sparkler

+ 3

Posted: 10 years ago

#77

Movie review 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!': With a stunning build-up, Dibakar keeps you guessing till the very end

Deccan Chronicle | Kusumita Das | April 03, 2015, 08.04 am IST

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

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

Rating: 3.5 stars

1943 war-torn Calcutta, a wicked and violent city, its quirky sights and sounds hiding a secret in every corner. These are bloody times. A murder or two is the order of the day. World War II is at its peak, Calcutta's skyline is dotted with Japanese fighter planes, and the sound of the warning siren is as every day as the clanging of trams. It's also the year Byomkesh Bakshy graduates from college and lands his first case, quite by chance.

For Byomkesh Bakshi connoisseurs --- borne out of Saradindu Bandopadhay's stories or Rajit Kapoor's Doordarshan avatar of the bhadralok sleuth, or both --- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, with a definitive Y', may seem like an audacious departure. Our Mr Bakshy is a far cry from the self-assured, reticent, calm and slightly graying at the temples, detective. Just out of college, he seems a little footloose, highly impulsive and even more restless. Heck, he's also a jilted lover. He's young and learning, prone to mistakes. But he is sharp and crafty, taking baby steps towards becoming the Byomkesh we have seen on television and imagined in books.

In changing the behavior of his Byomkesh, Dibakar Banerjee makes his intentions clear right from the start. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! doesn't mean to be another direct translation of a Saradindu story on screen. And because of that the film goes beyond a whodunit, it transcends its own genre. It's not just the story that is unraveling, but the detective too. He's not an objective crime solver, going about his duty. He has become a part of the crime that is continuously unfolding and he is in trouble too. So it's more of an adventure than just clinically solving a case.

The director has completely reinvented the character of Ajit, the Dr Watson to Byomkesh's Holmes. The story starts when Ajit's father, a chemical scientist, disappears under mysterious circumstances and he approaches an arrogant Byomkesh to solve the case. The case leads Byomkesh to a boarding house owned and run by a Dr Anukul Guha, who administers free health care to the poor. Ajit's father was staying there before he went missing. To get a better grip on the case, Byomkesh shifts base to the boarding house, to get himself acquainted better with the missing person's housemates. And as he goes deeper into the puzzle, he slowly realises it's far bigger than an everyday case. It's a dirty nexus between the Japanese Army, a Chinese gang, the film industry and politicians, orchestrated by one mastermind criminal, and all the action unfolds in the backdrop of opium trade in Chinatown, Calcutta, 1943.

The film follows the core structure of whodunit --- the chase, the red herrings, the slow cooked suspense leading up to a grand reveal. There's a generous spray of blood too, that underlines just how violent those times were. But deviating once again from formula, Dibakar's exposition scene is only a gateway to the climax. While the surprise element is welcome, there seems to be a stretch there and a theatrical one too. And it doesn't entirely free your mind of questions either. After a stunning build-up, this is a mild let down.

But Dibakar keeps you guessing till the very end in this unabashedly noir Bengal pulp drama. And his leading man Sushant shows just why he was fit for the job. He gets the body language right and brings the right amount of boyish edge this amateur detective needs. He's no superhero, he throws up at the sight of a rotten body, he withdraws into a shell when he realises he has been made a fool of. The actor adequately brings out every shade of his character. He never sweeps you off your feet, he doesn't even mean to, it takes you a while to like him but he earns your trust and you are by his side throughout.

The supporting cast is rock solid, be it Anand Tiwari as the nerdy Ajit or Neeraj Kabi as the razor sharp physician, or Divya Menon as Satyavati, Meiyang Chang as housemate Kanai and the steely seductress actress Swastika Mukherjee as Anguri Devi. Each character is a stack of layers and these actors do a fine job hiding and revealing them as the story requires.

The production design and stunning camera work breathes life into Dibakar's story. There's a sequence in the beginning where the city in all its detail unravels outside the window of a moving tram as it cuts through traffic, while Sushant, sitting by the window, remains out of focus. Very subtly the canvas is set for the story to unfold. And adding to its pulpy edge is the film's background score. Thrash metal in 1940s, middle class Bengal. With a score like that, who needs lip sync songs?

There are two kinds of audiences for this film --- those who know Byomkesh and those who don't. Dibakar has a revelation for both. That's one case neatly solved.