Rating: 7.5/10
Arjun, the young sleuth created decades back by Samaresh Majumder premiers on the silver screen as he is mentored in the quest for truth by the nicely attired and insightful Amol Som and accompanied by Major and Bistu Saheb which promises a thrilling entertainment in the summer holidays not only for the school-goers but the final twist reserves an attraction for the elders as well.
Introducing one of the younger sleuths of Bengali detective fiction Prem Prakash Modi promises more in the line of the Byomkesh-Feluda genre with his Arjun: Kalimponge Sitaharan. Adapted from Majumder’s stories Khunkharapi and Sitaharan Rahasya, the main plot has been modified almost entirely that maintains the thrill and keeps the suspense alive for readers of both the stories due to the novel climax.
Arjun, son to a widowed mother, tries hard to get a job after college just like any other ordinary Bengali youth but cherishes the dream of an adventurous career accompanying his idol, the private investigator Amal Som in solving challenging mysteries. Chance comes almost unexpectedly as Som asks his assistance in a case that apparently seems a simple one. All Arjun had to do was to watch over Sita, daughter to the prosperous Mr. Sen in Kalimpong. It was alleged that Sita got herself involved in bad company during her stay in the US and her father was afraid that she might be kidnapped by them. So he requested assistance of Som and thus Arjun was instructed to guard Sita at Sen’s residence under an appropriate guise. But it seemed that another underlying plot was slowly unfolding. Sita’s grandfather, Taashi Palden, a man of varied qualities, happened to be the chief designer of a vault containing immense riches in a Buddhist monastery. Palden possessed the only imprints of the original blueprints and he hid them in some secret place leaving a trail of riddles, that too planted in veiled locations. Sen, though not aware of the exact location of the documents, was apprehensive that his daughter’s security may be threatened by the dangerous secret and so sought professional help from Som after employing a governess to look after Sita. But when Arjun turned up in place of Som, Sen was not at all pleased. But supported by the wise and revered Bistu Saheb, Arjun tried to gain his confidence by his sleuthing. Support also came from the jovial Major, a long time friend to Som and relative to Bistu Saheb whose voracious appetite and straightforward attitude immediately cheered up the budding investigator.
But evil struck more than once as Sen’s watchdog was poisoned and one of his long time servants was found dead in the premises. Arjun found himself a suspect to the local police enquiry and felt helpless as Som seemed to disappear from the scenes. As dark sides of several characters came to fore Arjun’s own cover was blown up by none other than Sita. The villains repeatedly struck at this vulnerable junction with a murder and kidnapping Sita.
Will Arjun be able to rescue her and keep the blueprints in safe hands? Where was Amal Som? Why Sen seems afraid of the monks? With whom does Sita’s governess rendezvous at night? Why the psychological patient Wang Di always points to his eyes? And what secret does Major boast of?
To know all these and to share the excitement you have to watch the movie and believe me just the beauty of the landscape will enthrall you and the mystery will seem an added flavor!
Though the story has been extensively modified but credits are due to Prem Prakash Modi for his courageous introduction of a sleuth, who unlike Byomkesh-Feluda begins as an apprentice rather than stealing the centre-stage. Introducing all the major characters of an Arjun novel including his signature motorbike (though my personal disappointment was Habu, Amol Som’s deaf and dumb assistant whose screen time was not enough and portraiture also lacked the intelligence that Arjun stories always depicted), Modi has also prepared the audience for a continuation of Arjun’s adventure. His promise of sequels will thus keep hopes high for enthusiasts of Bengali crime fictions. Also, Modi’s keenness on maintaining chronological sequences - evident as Arjun refers to his first adventure with Amalda at the Khutimari Range - satisfies fans like me to whom it feels unnecessary that certain movie versions of renowned detective literatures seems bend on referring to previous scripts that needlessly points to change in the original sequence. Modi’s direction along with Abhijit Sarkar’s screenplay and dialogue also proves once more that films based on literatures are always a pleasure to watch.
The best point about the movie, as I’ve already hinted at is the choice of locations and Rana Dasgupta’s cinematography. The captivating beauty of North Bengal has been elegantly captured and the greeneries aptly echo the freshness of an honest mind – the fundamental item of a detective story. But one thing clearly disappoints, the music and background score that seems a bit demanding on certain occasions.
Coming to the acting we need to categorize on the seniority. Beginning with the veterans, undoubtedly the lion’s share of the compliments is due for Sabyasachi Chakrabarty who blends into the character of Amal Som just splendidly. Amol Som’s acute observation, sharp intellect, innovative tactics and last but not the least his physical agility has been so correctly presented by him that similar to Soumitra Chatterjee’s Feluda and Rajit Kapur’s Byomkesh, Sabyasachi and Amal Som are bound to become synonymous if the series continues. Portraying the expert in the field Amal Som’s need for a young apprentice, especially where action is concerned, has been just correctly projected by Chakrabarty. With his composed performance Sabyasachi thus is just perfect for each and every scene where he appears. Manoj Mitra as Bistu Saheb balances the mood with the right mix of seriousness and humour and the scripts that he shares with Biswajit Chakrabarty (Major) breath relief to the tense plot. In fact Biswajit Chakrabarty presents the much needed comic angle that never compromises on the character’s intellect and presents the simple and frank Major, reminding ever so slightly of Santosh Dutta’s legendary Lalmohanbabu and making the character intensely lovable. Dipankar Dey plays the distressed Mr. Sen with his characteristic eloquence though his expressions of fright are not so natural. Now coming to the significant female characters, Churni Ganguly in her portraiture of Sita’s governess has been marvelous as she moulds her character and the scenes, swapping her role between the intentionally irritating governess to the lady with her own secret mission. But the find of the movie is Raya Chowdhury whose portraiture of Sita could not have been more fitting. The spoilt but shrewd daughter of the wealthy Sen, frustrated by her arrested movements, doubting each and everyone, seemingly unaware of the dangers looming large and always on the lookout of escape, Sita was gradually turning to a bundle of nerves. Raya not only makes the character fiercely exact but solely her accent makes her the Sita as described in the book. Coming to the debutant Om (Arjun) though he may need to work on his expressions a bit more but his features matched that of Arjun quite well. True that he is not as cool as Feluda or as sharp as Byomkesh and undoubtedly less witty than both of them but the script demands that only! Centering more on his mentor’s activities the film is more about the trainee in Arjun as he turns to a more responsible investigator. Bringing the focus on himself on other scenes, Om correctly plays out of the limelight in presence of Som. His suppressed excitement to be part of Amalda’s team and his contrasting reluctance of a more mundane career makes the character more realistic. Another important character had been played by Anindya Banerjee as the officer investigating the murder in Sen’s premises who makes his short appearance crisp yet enjoyable.
Thus the Mukul Sarkar presentation promises a pleasant summer and the film may well be considered as the first of an enjoyable series.
