Topshe turns Feluda in this hunt for a mysterious treasure that traverses Kolkata, traces a few steps back in Bangladesh and touches Darjeeling and Kurseong as well.
Saba from Bangladesh arrives at the Roychowdhurys in Kolkata with the story of a lost lineage - the story of her maternal grandfather. Queerly enough, a letter, very important but lost accidentally from the Roychowdhurys, traced its way back to the mansion, roughly simultaneously. The letter embeds a message via a deceptive riddle that hints at a mysterious treasure, hidden in a secret recess.
The adventurer in Saba is immediately aroused. But she needed a guide. So enter Tapasmitra aka Topshe, a seeker of old history by passion. Thereafter, starts their quest that attempts to solve the strange case of a disappearing couple, recover a secret treasure and in the process, stumble upon yet another mystery of a murder from the past, which was never really solved. Bonding over their common admiration of the great Ray and advised by Bodhida (their very own wise old Sidhujetha), a retired cop, erudite but sadly crippled, Topshe and Saba dives deeper through the past while averting threats to their present! With a motive to crack dormant mysteries, the journey puts forth unforeseen twists.
Anik Dutta weaves a tale with tribute to Satyajit embedded. Touching several Feluda novels and references, the screenplay (Dutta and Utsav Mukherjee) is fast and pleasant. The theme is further augmented by the opening score of Debojyoti Mishra that blends Mozart with Ray and sets the mood readily from the initial moments. But, somehow the grip is lost midway, maybe due to certain forced dialogues and events that appear to be less rational but only being nicely coincidental. However, Abir Chatterjee is brilliantly refreshing and imbibes correct enthusiasm almost throughout the movie as the theme demands with his spirited act. Ably supporting are Mithu Mukherjee and Dulal Lahiri with their performances, characteristic of seasoned veterans. But the sweet composed role of Aparajita Ghosh Das deserves a special appreciation for her emotionally correct composure in a role that she played with the perfect poise and balanced dignity.
The movie is thus a good choice to watch but falls short of being remembered and though suitable for the young adults but parental guidance will be advised for the audience comprised of the mildly matured batch.
picture: Arghya De
