Samrat & Co. Reviews

Samrat & Co.' Spins Tale of Mystery With Perfection

• MUMBAI, India
  

  The world of a private investigator is almost completely alien to the Hindi screen. We have had quirky, cunning private eyes in multiple films, as also spies, plainclothes detectives and ace cops. But we have never seen a private investigator on a case from entirely his perspective. And we have never seen someone using only his brain to solve unfathomable mysteries and "webs of deceit,"' as Sherlock Holmes termed them.

  Virtually the only complaint I have against this film is the car bomb sequence, straight out of so many older films in India and abroad, which was not needed even if we are told that detective Samrat (Rajeev Khandelwal) is an expert in martial arts. If some thrills for the hoi-polloi was the only aim, there were surely better alternatives in sync with the film's protagonist and the pitch of this remarkable film.

  Director and main writer Kaushik Ghatak, a detective genre addict, models his lead character along the lines of ace fictional sleuths (but without copying or imitating any) and keeping them relevant to modern India. Ghatak, a shrewd student of detective fiction (which in India thrives most in Ghatak's home state of Bengal), etches a razor-sharp character in the hero as well as in his Dr. Watson-esque associate, Chakradhar Pandey (Gopal Datt).

  Throughout the absorbing and thrilling narrative (at interval point, you wish there was no break, which happened to me last with "A Wednesday!"), Samrat, aka STD (his surname is Tilakdhari!) uses his brains and instincts to figure out solutions. So we excuse the stylized action sequence by which he outwits a key villain.

  In a complex case that brings the Mumbai sleuth to the hills of Himachal Pradesh, Samrat has to unravel the reason a mansion's garden is rotting and why its owner Mahendra Pratap Singh (Girish Karnad) is seemingly shriveling along with it. Dimpy (Madalsa Sharma), Singh's daughter, commissions Samrat, and when he arrives, her brothers (Priyanshu Chaterjee and Indroneil Sengupta) have opposite reactions to his presence.

  Soon there is a murder and a seemingly clear culprit. But Samrat goes deep into the matter, associating with Inspector Khaled (Bhaumik Sampat). As the head count of victims mounts and various sinister angles surface, the suspects increase exponentially " the dead man's sons, his mentally disturbed daughter Divya (Shreya Narayan), a neighboring couple (Smita Jaykar and Deepak Shroff) that has moved in recently, the family chauffeur who aims to be a performer (Navin Prabhakar), Dimpy's ex-boyfriend Anuj (Ajay Bhandari) and more. To complicate matters, there is a "tantrik" (Ram Gopal Bajaj) and some mysterious hate (e)mail that reached Mahendra before his death. And of course Singh's will.

  All the red herrings and clues are in place, some presented upfront to the audience. The ominously dark atmosphere is wonderfully created, the sense of foreboding complete thanks to superb camerawork (Sanjay Malwankar), production design (Jayant Deshmukh), visual effects (Prasad Sutar) and Digital Intermediate color correction (Makrand Surte). These are the true backstage heroes alongside the fantastic writing and direction. Sanjay Masoomm's dialogues deserve a special applause as an extension of the meticulous screenplay by Ghatak and Manish Shrivastav.

  Sandeep Shirodkar's excellent background score evokes the right moods throughout. The songs are impressive, too, though the best composition, "Sawaaalon Mein" is barely used.

  Rajeev Khandelwal soars far higher than in his past films and comes up trumps as Samrat, though one wishes that he occasionally reduced his speed of talking because some lines are missed. He has imbibed the character of Samrat deep into his psyche, and detractors may smirk that there is a lot of Holmes-ian energy in him, which was needed.

  Madalsa has a pleasing presence and does well. Gopal Datt as Samrat's right hand is loud at first but soon settles down. Everyone from the supporting cast is impressive, though special marks are in order for Priyanshu Chaterjee, Indroneil Sengupta, Bhaumik Sampat, Navin Prabhakar and Rajniesh Duggal. Girish Karnad is good, too.

  A perfect movie for its genre, "Samrat & Co" needs the complete support of an audience seeking a new definition to entertainment in this virgin genre in Indian cinema. We sincerely hope that the film is successful and we get to watch the next adventure of Samrat " a case mentioned in the end about a princess " a.s.a.p.!

  Rating: ***** (Despite the bomb sequence!)