Cal Ho Na Ho
Film:
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
Cast:
Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee
Directed by:
Dibakar Banerjee
Duration: 2
hr 30 mins
Rating: *
* *
Based on the works of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, Byomkesh
Bakshy (originally spelt with an i) gets his first outing in Hindi cinema. The
director couldn’t have been better, Dibakar Banerjee is surely one of the
brighter stars to shine lately and he also got the backing of one of the
biggest production houses in the form of Yashraj.
The positives first – the setting of Calcutta in the 1940’s,
the detailing that has gone into it, the ambience, costumes, lighting, camerawork and the overall production values are absolutely top class., there is no two
ways about that. It is as real and as good as a period drama can get.
But those factors aside, this film is about a detective and
whether it is Holmes, Feluda or Byomkesh,
ultimately it is the story and the suspense that keeps you going, the
surroundings and aura only add to the effect.
A visual medium like cinema only enhances the scope for better story
telling but on a downbeat note, the focus in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is only
on the grandeur of the scenes with very little going for it in terms of the
story. Perhaps the film makers got swayed away in making a magnum opus by
ignoring some of the basics.
Set in the middle of WWII, it opens with a bang, opium trade
is booming and when one such consignment is being loaded, a shadow appears from
nowhere spoiling the party. That scene reminded me of noir films of
yesteryears, like Carol Reed’s classic, The Third Man (1949). Next: a young man
(Anand Tiwari) approaches another young man who goes by the name of Byomkesh
(Sushant Singh Rajput) to probe his father’s disappearance. The latter is a
detective, not much is told about his background even though this is supposed
to be an ‘origins’ story.
We then cut to the chase, Byomkesh decides to investigate the
disappearance and lands up as a paying guest at a doctor’s (Neeraj Kabi of Ship
of Theseus fame) house. The missing man knew a thing or two about chemicals and
the plot thickens as several characters are introduced including a Mata Hari
who happens to be an actress (Swatika Mukherjee) by profession.
Chinese drug dealers, Japanese army are involved as the story
gets a bit complicated but at that point, as a viewer, you are not with
Byomkesh in solving the mystery nor are you too keen to find out. Ultimately,
it is more out of formality rather than curiosity that you want to know,
who-dun-it and why.
The pace slackens from time to time and characters keep
coming and disappearing only to pop up again.
You can’t help but admire the canvas and the moody setting. Cinematographer
Nikos Andritsakis, Banerjee’s long time collaborator has used lights like we
have never seen in a while. Vandana
Kataria’s production design and the collaborative music score that uses heavy
metal deserves a special mention.
On the acting front, Sushant Singh manages to hold fort in
the lead role with Anand Tiwari admirably giving him company. Neeraj Kabi makes
a positive impression whenever he is on screen.
Detective
Byomkesh Bakshy! is worth a watch, with some reservations though.
Published in The Navhind Times on 5th April 2015
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