Joy Baba Felunath

I may have mentioned earlier that Ray’s works, be it film or literature, always reveal something new irrespective of the number of times these are view or read. This time as I re-read the detective classic called ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ I seem to rediscover the master’s style of penning down descriptions of nature and expressions that people make. The story starts with Lalmohanbabu peeling off a nut skin and the way it is narrated the reader won’t find any difficulty visualizing the whole. This and many more are strewn throughout the entire novel and this is one of those unique qualities of Satyajit’s writing that makes him class apart from several others.

The story is also the first in the series where Feluda meets Maganlal, one of his smartest and cunning opponents. The backdrop here is Benaras where on the occasion of a holiday tour during the Durga Puja, Feluda is introduced to the case of a stolen idol of Lord Ganesh from the house of Ambika Ghoshal, one of the oldest and respected residents of Benaras, which was not only a revered item of the household but also the adornments that gilded the idol could bring thousands, if sold. The interesting factor was five days previous to the discovery of the theft, Maganlal, a one-time classmate to Umanath, son of Ambika Ghoshal, meets his classmate and offers him a handsome amount to purchase the image. But Uma refuses. Thus one of the prime suspects in Feluda’s list was Maganlal. The case is further complicated by two other factors. The first one was the murder of Shashibabu, who used to sculpt the Durga Pratima for the Ghoshal family for years. The second one was the appearance of Machlibaba, a self-proclaimed saint from the Himalayas who assembled a vast crowd of followers in Benaras and on the day Uma and his family visited Machlibaba coincided with the day of the theft. Thus it required Feluda’s wit to find out the robber and the murderer and his nerve to fight off the threat of Maganlal. Those who have only seen the film, they may be surprised when I tell that the story not only differs from a different finish, but the actual perpetrators of the crimes are somewhat different in the written version.

Apart from the classic ending the descriptions of the different Ghats of Benaras, the famous lanes and by lanes of Kashi are also worth appreciating and the reader seem to take a short tour of Benaras with Feluda in this novel.

Nrisingha Rahasya

One of those books which I purchased long back when the Doordarshan was televising its soap version. I was school goer then but believe me, Shirshendu’s work for the young readers hadn’t lost its appeal, but had increased many folds for me at least!

The story in “Nrisingha Rahasya” starts with the disappearance of one Gayeshbabu, an apparently polite individual who possessed a weird sixth sense of reading other people’s minds. Also rumour circulated that he possessed a tail which, though was unconfirmed, but seemed to be his only virtue in the eyes of the local biology Professor Mridangababu. So with the disappearance of Gayeshbabu, he seemed to receive the greatest shock as his pursuit for the missing link in the evolution of the ape man to the human seemed to get a serious jolt. Returning to the case of the disappearance, it seemed to be jumbled up even further when the frivolous Paltu, a young man from the city, made up a false story during police interrogation. Though he was only joking to frighten the apparently fearsome police in charge, Bajranga Bose, but soon a second disappearance in the form of Paltu himself gave a new turn to the mystery. Not only the police, but the local residents were also worried about this series of disappearances and one Sumantababu, in particular, was more than concerned about the happenings. He soon started exercising and looked forward for a possible encounter with the criminals. Thus it remained to be seen whether Gayeshbabu and Paltu were ultimately recovered and the motive behind their disappearances.

Though the story did not lose the typical Shirshenduian comedy but I feel that the author seemed to go astray in certain occasions. The character of Gayeshbabu, has never been fully evolved, the mystery of Ruitan remained a mystery, the extraordinary sixth sense of Gayeshbabu never seemed to be of any use, the basis of the tail’s myth was also unexplained. In the course of the story it is positively mentioned that Mridangababu possessed something that the criminal wanted and also had taken it from him but what actually it happened to be remained unstated.

Bish

While roaming across cyber space in search of e-books, I’d stumbled upon murchona.com and seemed to strike gold at this remarkable site that features variety of books only to be freely downloaded by the eager readers. The next few days saw me glued to the site fervently downloading them one by one without paying heed to what I was downloading. This had continued until very recently when I sat down to go through them one by one. Bish was one of the Suchitra Bhattacharyya mystery stories featuring her sleuth Mitin that I’d picked from the site.

The story starts with a Mrs. Labanya Majumder, a 45 year old who seeks Mitin’s help from a possible slow poisoning that she thinks her husband is employing to get rid of her. But Mitin fails to find a motive for it and thinks that Labanya is just some woman in the verge of a nervous breakdown. To soothe down the woman she advises her to have her blood checked. But alas, Mitin’s theory is shattered when within days Labanya was found dead by the administration of poison. Now she has to find the murderer as well as the motive and a fantastic finish awaits the readers.

Though the plot is good but the story is quite short and I felt a slightly longer version was due for the correct evolution of the plot.

Valkyrie

Maybe history would have been written in a different way, had the 20^th July plot of destroying Hitler did not meet such a tragic end. A cleverly devised plan not only to kill the dictator but also to destroy the core Nazi regime within three hours was the brainchild of Chief of Staff of the Reserve Army Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg whose idea was based ironically on a plan approved by Hitler himself to deploy the Reserve Army force, in case of state emergency, to secure the Government to maintain domestic law and order.

As a faction of the Army was growing increasingly dissatisfied by the impending loss in the hand of the Allies, some were also restless in serving the country with honour. A secret society had thus formed which made several failed attempts on Hitler’s life. When Stauffenberg joined the society, he pointed out a serious flaw in the earlier plans that would have led to serious setback had the any of the previous attempts were a success. He indicated for the first time that no concrete plan exist after Hitler’s death. This led to redraft of the plan by the plotters to initiate Operation Valkyrie and staging of a coup in which the Reserve Army will be used to disarm and arrest SS and the Hitler’s Party elite under false belief that the later were trying to secure power. Thus Valkyrie was redrafted and Stauffenberg, utilizing his advantage of his position managed to get Hitler to sign the document. But a major obstacle still remained in the form of Reserve Army General Friedrich Fromm who tried to maintain a safe side at all cost. But it was decided by the resistance to arrest Fromm, if he remains obstinate after Hitler’s death and thus the stage was set for the plan to be executed. It was planned to blow off Hitler at a party meeting in the Wolf’s Lair but one of the leaders of the Resistance, Dr. Carl Goerdeler insisted that the assassination must include Heinrich Himmler, else it should be aborted. Thus the 1^st attempt on 15^th July, 1944 was called off as Himmler was not present in the meeting. Meanwhile the other leaders Colonel General Ludwig Beck and Field Marshall Erwin von Witzleben, who didn’t approve of Goerdeler’s point asked him to go to hiding from Gestapo and thus indirectly brushed aside the Himmler constraint.

So on 20^th July, Stauffenberg and his adjutant Lieutenant Werner von Haeften, again attempted the assassination and the bomb did go off in the right time as was expected. Stauffenberg managed to buff his way outside, having witnessed the blast but in the general confusion, General Erich Fellgiebel who controlled the communication and was also another inside man of the Resistance, failed to convey the confirmation of Hitler’s death to General Friedrich Olbricht and Colonel Albrecht Mertz von Quirnheim, who were assigned the duty to mobilize the Reserve Party. Though Mertz insisted that they should immediately issue the orders, Olbricht was adamant to do so before final confirmation. So Mertz forged Olbricht’s signature and issued the orders anyway. Meanwhile Stauffenberg flies to Berlin and rumours also arrive that Hitler survived the blast. But Stauffenberg dismissed them as SS propaganda and continued the plan of securing the Government. Several Nazi party leaders and SS officials were arrested and Government quarters were being started to be taken control over. But at this time, Hitler, truly surviving the blast, personally ordered Reserve Army leader Otto Ernst Remer to release the party heads and instead arrest Stauffenberg and the rest of the Resistance’s leaders alive.

As Remer reached Bendlerblock, the Resistance HQ, Fromm is released and Stauffenberg and his allies were arrested. In order to save himself from charges of his involvement, Fromm immediately ordered executions of the Resistance leaders and thus directly disobeying Hitler’s orders of bringing the conspirators alive, finally met with death sentence later. When Stauffenberg’s turn came to face the firing squad before Haeften, the brave Lieutenant placed him in between and met his death before his honourable superior.

Brian Singer’s direction was perfect as is the cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel. Tom Cruise delivers one of his finest performances as do the others specially, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Christian Berkel, Jimmie Parker, Eddie Izzard, Thomas Kretschmann and Hervey Friedman. But as a whole the trace of Americanisation could not be masked completely. Apart from this, the rest was really a great tribute to several heroes trying to save the honour of their country.

Hit List

http://calcuttatube.com/hitlist-2009-bengali-movie-review/

Shesh Sanghat

http://calcuttatube.com/shesh-sanghat-2009-bengali-movie-review/

The Last Don

Welcome to the world of deception, lust, hatred and revenge mingled with passion and humanity. The Mafia's rule of terror, primarily based on the love for power and also their family, had always been the central theme of Puzo's novels. So after 27 years of 'The Godfather' Puzo's 'The Last Don', starts with Don Domenico Clericuzio expressing his wish of legalizing the family for the new generations after the recent war with the Santadio that caused too much bloodshed. His wishes were a command to his chief followers comprising of his sons Giorgio, Petie, Vincent and his nephew and the family Hammer, Pippi De Lena. But the seed of evil had already been sown in the past crimes of the family and thus years later Dante, his grandson and Croccifixio (Cross), son to Pippi De Lena seemed to be going opposite to the Don's wishes. The cunning Cross was promoted to the position of the second Hammer and the violent Dante eventually made his way as the primary one. Also Cross, operating in Vegas got involved in Hollywood business and started defying the Family, though slowly. Dante acted in operations under Pippi's guidance but the later complained about his crude techniques that too were not recommended by the family. Curiously, the Don seemed not to take too much offence in these two and thus his behaviours seemed mysterious to Pippi. The shadow of an evil past too seemed to loom at large and a sudden assassination of Pippi worsened the situation. Cross was baffled and silently enraged while oddly it appeared the Don was not interested in deeper investigation of the murder. Thus it was on the hand of Cross to exact revenge and for that he secretly ensambled a crew to punish the murderer. In doing so whether the Don's wishes remains guarded were yet to be seen in the final few pages.
After going through 'The Godfather', my fascination drove me to buy this book but it seemed that the years of his detachment in his writing of the Mafia families infact detached Mario Puzo further from their ways and comparing 'The Godfather', this seemed not so intense. Infact the Hollywood part and the lavish Vegas lifesytle semed to be the primary focus in the long introductory chapters though the final progress and the twist in the story no doubt, reflected ‘The Godfather’ days. Infact the description of the events preceding Pippi's assasination seemed classic to me. Overall a good read but I suggest you not to compare it with the outstanding novel called 'The Godfather'.

Daddy Cool

A hilarious piece of comedy, though a remake one but correctly acted throughout. Of all the movies that I’ve seen with him acting, this seemed to be Aftab’s best performance. Javed Jaffrey and Chunkey Pandey also acted well. Sunil Shetty, though, didn’t seem to be a right choice for the role and Ashish Choudhury also had been underutilized but Rajpal Jadav’s short but important role adds significantly to the comic.

The drama is based on Goa and all the characters have been portrayed as Christians. Steven, a resident of Goa is preparing for the final speech in honour of his father at the later’s funeral. But this seemed not to be approved even by his wife as all are expecting Brian, his brother, a famous novelist, to be the speaker. This irritates Steven as though he had always taken up the responsibility of their parents but Brian had always been held at a superior level by the relatives and friends.

In the meantime Steve’s cousin Maria was on her way with her boyfriend Michael. On the way they picked up Maria’s brother Harry, a dealer of drugs who had currently been designing a hallucinogenic drug inside Relaxo capsules. Now at Harry’s house, as Michael was increasingly panicking at the thought of confronting Maria’s father at the funeral, Maria gave him a Relaxo to lighten his nerves. But as the true character of the drug unfolded Michael started to feel its effect along the way to Steven’s.

Meanwhile, Karlos, Steven’s best friend was also on his way to the funeral accompanied by his wife, Jenny who always distrusted her husband’s fidelity. Along with them was Steven’s cynical Uncle Murphy whom age and illness has made more and more vile tongued and for no particular reason, seemed to pick on Karlos only. To make matters further worse for Karlos, one of his friends, Jim, travelling with them, joined in the ragging too. Infact worse was still to happen as a budding model Ayesha was on her way to meet her would be producer named Karlos and mistook Jenny’s husband as him. Thus the confused Karlos seemed more at risk of losing his loyalty to Jenny when a comic twist made matters straight and Ayesha’s entry seemed not so worse in reality for him.

There was another character Andrew, who claimed to Stevens to be his late father’s lover and demanded money from both the brothers threatening to expose the relation there and then.

Thus all the characters combined and the sequence of events will leave you roaring in laughter but at the same time will leave you wondering for the reason why funeral was chosen as the theme for the movie and also the justification for its name. The direction by K. Murli Mohan Rao was good though T. Surendra Reddy’s cinematography could have been much better. The music had been kept at minimum that suited the picture well.

Sab Charitro Kalponik

http://calcuttatube.com/shob-charitro-kalponik-2009-bengali-movie/22102/

Stree

A classic movie with a difference with a star cast of Uttam Kumar, Soumitra Chatterjee, Arati Mukherjee, Tarun Kumar, Bhanu Bandyopadhyay, Jahar, Sulata Chowdhury and many others. Studded with some memorable numbers by Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Manna De, including duets of these legends, the movie will touch everyone’s heart.
The story starts with a freelance photographer, Sitapati, losing all his property to the conspiring uncles and living in the shelter of his beloved cousin and brother-in-law, earnest in his search for a permanent job. In this moment of his crisis, he was appointed as personal photographer by the whimsical Mahesh Dutta, one of the last few nobles existing in the final years of the British regime in India. Thankful to his generosity, when Sitapati began his career he was exposed to the peculiar character of his lord. He found that being an womaniser and alcoholic, Dutta loved himself to be surrounded by sycophants and didn’t care to look after his property which was slowly being exhausted by his lawyers and managers. His belief in his associates was supreme and moreover his prestige prevented him from taking advice from anybody below the ranks. The honest Sitapati did not like this and tried to make Dutta wise of the reality but to no avail. At this point of time Sitapati was introduced to Dutta’s wife Mrinmoyee and it stunned him to see that she was no other than his lost fiancée. Following this, Mrinmoyee secretly started to meet Sitapati from time to time and confided in him, her life of misery that was devoid of husband’s love. This caused much trouble in Sitapati’s mind as on the one hand his principle checked him from possible elope with Mrinmoyee that the later earnestly wished for and on the other hand his love for her prevented him from getting away from the Duttas. The drama turned to a series of misunderstandings climaxed in a classic scene with death coming as the saviour to the characters.
Salil Dutta’s direction and Nachiketa Ghosh’s music makes this movie unforgettable as do the acting of Uttam Kumar, Soumitra in the lead roles and Tarun Kumar, Arati, Bhanu and Jahar in the side roles. That a rude and negative character as that of Mahesh Dutta can invoke sympathy of the audience is once again proved by the brilliance of Uttam Kumar's acting and the meek but principled Sitapati has been portraied to perfection by Soumitra. Tarun Kumar and Bhanu are irreplacable in the side roles and Jahar also delivers anm unforgettable performance in his short role. As an afterthought, I must acknowledge that this picture would have never been possbily seen by me, were it not on the insistence of my wife for which I really am grateful to her and it truly baffles me that though her choice of movies are most of the time more than correct but I don't know why I can never have enough confidence during the time of purchase.

Raag Anuraag

A hilarious movie (another of my wife's choicest gifts to me) by Dinen Gupta featuring comic geniuses, Rabi Ghosh and Anup Kumar and also some memorable numbers by Hemanta Mukherjee adds to its appeal. Though Ranjit Mallick plays the lead role but he is never a good hero but his comic senses make certain scenes delightful to watch. Aparna Sen diffuses in her role well and Chinmoy also was the correct choice for his side role.
The drama is about a young budding singer and thus quite correctly an eligible bachelor Sankar Sen, who lives with his maternal uncle and aunt, the later trying to find the right bride for their nephew. In this pursuit, they ultimately chooses Mita, who not only comes from a respectable family but also is an ardent lover of music and a also a fan of Sankar Sen. But problem is that since Sankar Sen avoid publicity, so there is not a public photograph for her to identify her fiancé. Thus she quite readily agrees to the proposal though doesn’t show off her approval. On the other hand Sankar is also excited once he sees Mita’s photo but soon he learns that her grandfather has kept only one condition and that is the future son-in-law must stay with them after marriageThis infuriates Sankar and he escapes temporarily to North Bengal at his friend Barun’s place. But as it happens, Mita also is on a holiday at the same place with her grandfather and the duo meets face to face. At that moment, in order to prevent identification Sankar introduces Barun as himself and passes him as Barun and thus initiates a series of comedy of errors. But the intelligent Mita soon finds out the true identities and then sets a trap for Sankar. But being ignorant to all this, Sankar and Barun continues their acting, much to the chagrin of the later who is already engaged to another lady. So the confusion continues and the entire second half is filled with some extremely funny sequences devoid of any unpleasant scenes and thus proving it to be a must watch for comedy lovers.
As an afterthought, I find this movie, set in so early days of Bengali cinema actually proves itself superior to several of the Bollywood or Tollywood productions of current generation and thus it really saddens me when I find that the treasure of old always seems to be underutilized by the present. So I recommend this to the movie lovers to have a peek into this classic.

Patol Babu Filmstar

http://calcuttatube.com/patol-babu-filmstar-bengali-drama-by-satyajit-ray/

Hirer Angti

One of my favourite childhood movies when the name of Rituparno Ghosh was foreign to me and so could not bias my appreciation while I watched it. It was also one of those movies that I had watched before reading the actual story written by Shirshendu. Infact when I later read it, I was again marvelling at the author’s creativity and at the same time marvelled at the director’s nice touch of originality that kept the theme of the story undisturbed though the finishing was quite deviated from the written version. So it was good to see that the movie was now available at the stores in CD version and I purchased one of the copies just a few days ago.
The story can be categorized as a children’s story but the nicety of the plot and the classic direction have made it likeable to all ages. Of all the actors that have performed in the movie, the acting of Jnyanesh is marvelously natural but the use of Dipankar Dey’s (my wife pointed out this to me while I was trying to figure out whose voice was used to dub that of Ayan’s) voice in some of the scenes can’t be justified as such. Basanta Choudhury fitted into his role well but the age of Barun Chanda should have been further toned down for a more realistic effect. Ayan himself seemed to be meant for his role well and excelled in the characterization and Dulal Lahiri also was casted perfectly.
The story is about a Ratanlal Bannerjee, once a priest for a band of outlaws, who accidentally tumbled across a treasure trove and offered it to the leader of the bandits, Ramdulal. But it so happened that some of the members of the band turned rebels and tried to kill Ramdulal and his only successor, his grandson. As they escaped, Ramdulal left the treasure with Ratanlal with the promise that if within 30 years time he or his grandson do not come to claim the wealth, it will pass on to the priest’s family. To keep the promise alive two of Ramdulal’s bodyguards, Swet and Lohit used to visit the Ratanlal once a year to identify the grandson in case of Ramdulal’s death is reported and he turns up. Panchu, the priest’s servant was also the witness of this promise. After these, 29 years had gone by, Ratanlal had used some of the wealth to make his living though at heart he always remembered the promise and looked forward to the day when he will surrender all his wealth to Ramdulal or his grandson, whom he considered the rightful owners of the property. On the final day of the 30th year, coinciding with Mahalaya in that year, there arrived a young man of the name Gandharbakumar, a nice and likeable youth, who claimed himself to be Ramdulal’s grandson. Though it shook Ratanlal to the core but he prepared to tell his sons and their respective families the dark secret that he so long kept hidden from them. Thus it remained to be seen what happens to Ratanlal’s family in this sudden turn of events and whether Gandharbakumar can reclaim his treasure.
On the whole the movie is quite enjoyable and remains an all time favourite for me though at some places, its pace seemed to slacken unnecessarily. The director must also be praised for criticality in detailing that many pays less attention to on the excuse of a children’s movie.

Dadu Chaae Nati Chaae

http://calcuttatube.com/dadu-chaae-nati-chaae-bengali-drama-review/

Saradindu Omnibus Vol II

When I again started to go through the chapters, most of whose plots were still etched upon the memory, this time I was enjoying the play of words, the slight clues strewn here and there and the ultimate convergence that speaks about the crafty penmanship of the author. That I was reading a detective story with the criminals already known did not matter as the literary level of each piece kept me enthralled just with the beauty of narration.

In the introduction by Pratulchandra Gupta titled Byomkesh, Satyabati, Satyabatir Gari, he not only introduces Saradindu's immortal creation to the new readers but also brings the human qualitites of Byomkesh to fore so that the readers, both old and new, can feel his presence in the real world. That Byomkesh is no other than an ordinary citizen of Calcutta blessed with extraordinary intelligence and quick wit is again reminded here.

1. The volume starts with Adim Ripu, and what seemed to Ajit as a very ordinary case quickly turned complex by a sudden murder. When Byomkesh was on the verge of solving the case and it seemed he was not interested in bringing the convict to justice, a second murder changed his mind and the readers await a classic solution.
2. It is not very regular that in the midst of a case Byomkesh is found to be involved in another case but the case Bahnni-Patanga presented itself while he had temporarily stalled his activities concerning Adim Ripu. This is truly a marvelously plotted case and promises a startling revelation that will surely be appreciated to its full extent by crime fiction readers. This case also projects Bikash, an enthusiastic youth, earlier employed in the police service, who helps Byomkesh in trailing his suspects. He features in several other stories and is shown to have respect for the detective.
3. Saradindu had a knack of presenting several peculiar cases for his detective but Rakter Daag seems to hit the top in the way the client requests Byomkesh's assistance. It appeared that the client knew he was going to be murdered and he employs Byomkesh, with fee in advance, to find the truth behind his death. That Byomkesh will be interested is apparent by its peculiarity and though it is not my favourite but it is surely worth appreciating the seemingly realistic imagination that the author was capable of.
4. Manimandan is on the other hand a straight forward case where the criminal, a thief this time, is already suspected but the wherabout of the stolen material required Byomkesh's quick wit and critical observation.
5. In Amriter Mrityu, as Byomkesh was trying to solve a case of illegal arms trade, he parallelly investigates the death of an innocent lad, which he suspected to be closely linked to the illegal trade.
6. Saila Rahasya seemed to be the creator's strong belief in supernaturals imposed in a marvelous fashion in bringing the famous detective face to face with a ghost client. It is an ordinary story narrated in an extraordinary way with the most part being narrated by way of a letter and its reply between Byomkesh and Ajit and thus this was the 1st instance where Byomkesh's literary skills were also revealed.
7. Achin Pakhi defines the level of shrewdness that Byomkesh possessed and his knowledge of human psychology as he solves a previously unsolved mystery years after it had happened.
8. In Kahen Kabi Kalidas, the humane nature of Byomkesh is revealed as he highlights the tragedy that underlines the crime which he investigates.
9. Adrishya Trikon is also about a crime commited in the past but the climax is more of a drama than a reality.
10. The author provides a refreshing change from the violent crimes in Khunji Khunji Nari where Byomkesh applies his brain to solve the riddle left by a dead man that seems to point to his last will and testament.
11. Adwitiya is another classic case where Byomkesh solves the crime sitting at home.
12. In Magna-Mainak, the motives and suspects to a supposed murder seem to be many and Byomkesh must find out the truth to give peace to the innocent minds.
13. The suddent twist in Dushtachakra speaks volume of the author's ingenuity with honours to his detective.
14. H(n)eyalir Chande have Ajit as a suspect with murder at Byomkeshe's apartment and it is all upon the later to save his friend. This is also the last Byomkesh story narrated by Ajit, the rest being written in a passive voice by the author.
15. Apart from the interesting case of Room No. 2, it is a change in writing style with the use of colloquial Bengali.
16. Chalanar Chanda is a fantastic case with a straightforward solution though I got this impression reading it not for the first time.
17. In Sajarur K(n)ata, which is more of a novel than a detective story, the queerness of the murder instrument is the prime interest to the readers.
18. Benisanghar can be termed as the case of a camouflaged murder with all the ingredients of a social drama incorporated that intensifies the mystery. Inspector Rakhal Sarkar, one of the admirers of Byomkesh who appeared in several of the later novels also plays his part well in assisting the detective in time of need.
19. In Lohar Biscuit, maybe the author's wow for a good plot is felt as Byomkesh is clearly happy at the client who brings him a problem after several days of inctivity.
20. The final story Bishupal Badh, is an incomplete one which the author's sad demise has left the readers to speculate on the outcome. It starts with two murders with a span of quite a few years in between. The 1st murderer got the sentence and it was only after his release the 2nd is committed. Byomkesh starts on the trail of the 2nd murder but alas the solution never reaches the audience. As a fan, I can say that the detective would surely have solved it but the chronicles remains incomplete, which is the only sad part.
21. In the final pages of the volume is Jibankatha by Shovan Basu where he has supplied the readers with a brief biography and bibliography of the renowned author.
22. Also there is an article Byomkesher Katha, dedicated to the great detective numerous appearances in Bengali literature that Mr. Basu has compiled.
23. In Byomkesher Shange Sakhatkar, we have the excerpt of an interview of Saradindu by Partha Chattopadhyay.
    

Poran Jaae Jolia Re

http://calcuttatube.com/poran-jay-joliya-re-2009-bengali-movie/

Narayan Gangopadhyay's Galpa Samagra Vol III

When I had completed volume I, purchased in the earlier Bookfair, I was looking forward to buying the remaining of the series this year. So it was disappointing to hear that Mitra Ghosh was discontinuing the publication of the separate volumes and had already publishied a consolidated volume in this year's bookfair. This routed me to the direction of College Street where I managed this volume but was still short of the 2nd in the series.

When I finished reading through the entire book the 1st point that came to my mind is without this book nobody's treasury of Bengali short stories will ever be complete. Quite a few of the stories were devoted to rural Bengal, their pains and pathos which mostly remains unheard of and also some humourous strains here and there which makes the compilation a treasure. But what I liked most were the final few stories which the author seemed to design in the most classic fashion.

The series consists of
Rasikata
Kala Badar

• Top
• Saibya
• Izzat
• Apaghat
• Banduk
• Shilpi
• Srijukta GopiBallav Kundu (missed from content list)
• Ustad Meher Khan
• Kala Badar

Gandharaj

• Dhas
• Kalpapurush
• Taash
• Idu M(n)iyar Morog
• Hariner Rong
• Gandhaaj
• Unmesh
• Darja
• Natun Gaan

Bhanga Bandar

• Bhanga Bandar
• Kabor
• Tirthayatra
• Cholonamoyee
• Luchir Upakhyan
• Pandoolipi
• Nakra-charit
• Atmyahatya

Dushashan

• Dushashan
• Kalo Jol
• Puskara
• Bhanga Chasma
• Bonbiral
• Kharga
• Mummy
• Deem
• Pipe

Swetkamal

• Baishe Shraban
• Timirabhishar
• Kalnemi
• Adhikar
• Janmabhumishcha
• Swetkamal
• Haat
• Ghashbon

As you near the end, you will surely be longing for more and so I am fervently hoping to get the 2nd volume in the series even though its publication is threatened to be stopped.

Brake Fail

http://calcuttatube.com/brake-fail-2009-bengali-film/

BoX#1313

http://calcuttatube.com/box-no-1313-2009-bengali-film/

Hansraj

This is the tale of a young Baul boy, Hansraj, representative of one of the innumerable dormant talents in the rural Bengal and his dream of singing in the radio, a hope that could never have been realized but for the determined effort of the teenage Basanta and his friend Shamu. The village, where Hansraj lived with his widowed mother, uncle and aunt, was situated not too far from Calcutta and was a regular picnic spot for the school goers. In one such picnic party, he had a chance meeting with Basanta, Shamu, the flamboyant Tony and several others from the city school. There, hearing the excellent voice of Hansraj and his knack of quickly creating compositions, Tony falsely promised to introduce him to the big bosses of radio industry if Hansraj could manage to come to the city. Thus encouraged, the innocent Hansraj left his home and travelled to Calcutta with Tia, his fiancée, promising to look after his family. He eventually spotted the school where Tony and his friends studied and there Tony, under pressure from his friends, took him to his home where his sophisticated mother, on the first glance ordered Tony to get rid of him. Thus Hansraj soon learnt the ways of the city dwellers when Tony, trying to save his face, accused him of theft and threw him out of the house. But thanks to Providence, he was saved by Basanta and Shamu, the later giving him shelter in his house. Then it was upto Basanta’s tenacity and Shamu’s support to counter all the obstacles that the rich Tony created to prevent Hansraj to make it to the radio station.
This delightful story is ably directed by Ajit Ganguli studding the entire narrative with a number of songs, mostly in the voice of Arati Mukhopadhyay and Sandhya Mukherjee with the wise choice of fascinating lyrics by Pulak Bandyopadhyay. As to the casting Arindam was just appropriate in his role while the others also produce a balanced performance.