Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Movie Review

Rating: 4/5

Critic Rating: (4/5) Users Rating: ( 5/5 from 4 Users )

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! : A puzzle you should solve

When Dibakar Banjeree brings alive on screen a fictional character, we surely know that he would do justice to it. The fictional character penned down by Sharadindu Bandopadhyay, Byomkesh Baksy is adapted in a Bollywood film by Banerjee and the plot flows real smooth!

The film has suspense, thrill, mystery, case-solving technique and logic! The Indian crime thriller is drawn on the lines of Calcutta of 1943, during Second World War and how drug dealing and battle of Swaraj were close-linked yet camouflaged.

How one man solves a mere mystery single-handedly by taking cues from the situations, how he is played and plays in the end and how he saves the whole city from brutality? All of it is depicted beautifully in the film. There would crop a few similarities that people would draw between Byomkesh and Arthur Conon Doyle’s famous character Sherlock Holmes.

Talking about the film without divulging the main plot is a little difficult, but then again, “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!” is that film that comes as a breather from the mundane tales of Bollywood. If you love thriller and suspense stories, you’ll surely love this Sushant Singh starrer tale.

Star Performances:

Sushant Singh Rajput is a brilliant actor, and nobody would second guess that! Yet again, this man delivers his acting chops and slips under the skin of his character. He gets the sensibilities of Byomkesh right and aptly portrays them. Though he is playing a Bengali who speaks Hindi, there could have been more touch of Bengali in terms of accent. But then again, as the film is made in Hindi, we can’t complain about it. At least the good thing is nobody attempted to have a fake Bengali accent.

The one who impresses more than Sushant is Neeraj Kabi! His portrayal in the film is brilliant and the touch of grey shades to his character, shine too bright. Much so, that at one point in the plot, he looks stronger and more powerful than the film’s protagonist. He has a bounty of talent and we just got to see a glimpse of it yet again. His theatre experience shows and he delivers a mind-blowing performance.

Anand Tiwari as Ajit, Byomkesh’s sidekick, is very convincing. His portrayal is similar to that of Dr.Watson to Sherlock and pulled off very naturally. He is too smart to know that he is smart. But his self-discovery upon the fact that he can think extraordinarily is quite intriguing.

Swastika Mukherjee as Anguri Devi is the Indianized version of exotic dancer, Mata Hari, placed in the scenario of Second World War. Meiyang Chang has a brief but substantial role. Everyone else fits in too and does their part well.

Technicalities:

The adaptation by Dibakar Banerjee isn’t flawless but then again is very relatable and close to the original character. The film is made in Hindi and hence we miss the Bengali touch to the Bengali character. We wouldn’t mind a Bengali version of the same.

In terms of direction, the film’s vision is reflective of the director’s vision. The old Calcutta is recreated beautifully. You will surely love the way it showed. The film’s plot is close-knit and every scene seems crucial until the final twist is revealed. Just that the length of the film is a bit long.

The music of the film is by various artists and blends well with the flick. Cinematography by Nikos Andritsakis is brilliant. The camera angles, lighting and scenes are done really well.

Watch or not:

Overall the film is really good. The suspense is quite good and the story keeps the intrigue alive. Whatever film has come under Dibakar Banerjee’s helming has been loved and appreciated a lot. And this time around too, we had a great fictional character in great hands. “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!” is a must watch and those who love suspense and thriller films, will deem it to be a really wonderful film. It is a puzzle you want to solve!

Thumbs up: Great plot, great acting, keeps the suspense alive

Thumbs Down: A little drag here and there, length of the film

Yawns: Maybe

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( 5/5 from 4 Users )

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