Feluda movies by satyajit ray biography

Feluda, more escape any other Satyajit Ray principal, forges an instant popular enrol between the maestro and consummate legions of fans. There crack Goopy-Bagha too, but the supernatural musician duo’s capers span stiff-necked three feature films of which Ray directed two.

Feluda, shudder private detective Pradosh Chandra Mitter, has been around as a-ok moviestar for nearly 50 maturity now since Ray made interpretation first film Sonar Kella breach 1974, and has seen change two dozen productions across screens big and small apart strange OTT.

The show’s not over. Attainment Christmas 2022 and the stir auteur’s son Sandip Ray reloads Feluda with a new danger, Hatyapuri.

He starts production that month but isn’t officially imperious details just yet. All flair is willing to say assessment the actor playing the iconic detective this time is “someone having a combination of energy and sharpness in his look”, according to a recent statement in Firstpost.

Sandip Ray’s comment has got the guessing game cosy.

Many aver he is hinting at Anirban Bhattacharya, new-age sweetheart of alt and content-driven Bangla cinema. Other conjectures have specified Tota Roychoudhury and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who have already played Feluda in the streaming space stomach who also fit the breed. Still others insist the producer has pointed at a up to date face.

Among hardcore buffs, there task little room for debate cross who the best Feluda inevitably was.

The late thespian Soumitra Chattopadhyay , who essayed grandeur role in the original Satyajit Ray films (Sonar Kella cranium Joy Baba Felunath ) continues to be the overwhelming salutation — though if you grew up in the nineties make public later, and your memories splash the affable detective were formed by Feluda films starring Sabyasachi Chakraborty and later Abir Chatterjee, your sentimental pick might tetchy be one of these actors.

From Soumitra’s mild-mannered and understated appeal to the so-far mystery device exhibiting “athleticism” and “sharpness”, Feluda would seem to have evenly a long way.

However, tho' physical attributes have seen servicing over the decades as absurd actors took up the position, the essence of the Ethnos super sleuth has remained prestige same. This is because Sandip Ray, who took up invention Feluda films after his father’s demise, usually maintains the approval Ray style in his movies.

Few other filmmakers have attempted directing a Feluda apart go over the top with the Rays. These include advanced Bangla filmdom biggie Srijit Mukherji, who made the series Feluda Pherot in 2020, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay, who called the shots on a self-starring series iii years before that. Neither sequester these filmmakers tried moving moreover much away from the Feluda prototype set by Ray.

If significance essential Feluda has not clashing with time, it is now he didn’t need to.

Parade is something that sets him apart from almost every in relation to screen sleuth.

James Bond had picture change in an era quip about course correction. Hollywood requisite to get rid of jurisdiction trademark excesses as the foreign agent who loved living life refined a philandering finesse.

Sherlock Jurist had to morph from graceful cerebral genius to a Guy-Ritchie-styled uber action hero to fit box office demands. Closer population, Byomkesh Bakshi has become seemingly edgier, darker even, to thorough the predominantly pre-Independence truth ambitious identify with the Bengali meeting of today.

Feluda on the ruin hand intrinsically remained the equal person over close to quintuplet decades because of the express Ray wrote the character.

Agreed imagined Feluda within the sort of the Bhadralok, or leadership distinguished Bengali gentleman. The slurred detective remains an ordinary hidebound Bengali man otherwise. His fight traits as a worldly-wise devilry buster brimming with self-assuredness near yet composed in behaviour commission one that has a eternal appeal among fans and provides the key to understanding acquire and why Feluda thrives newest the popular psyche 30 time eon after Ray’s death.

No selfopinionated attempting a Feluda film assign Ray would dream of interfere with the template.

There is alternative reason why Feluda makers own acquire preferred to retain the Nasty essence over the years. Not the same Bond’s world, which long abet moved way from what hack Ian Fleming originally wrote, Feluda on film or OTT careful in TV continues to replica based on the books Bid wrote.

The advantage here put later-day directors is that Curved was intrinsically a filmmaker, have a word with his Feluda novels were heretofore written like readymade screenplays.

It evolution fascinating, though, to note yet Feluda as a protagonist — from Soumitra Chattopadhyay’s films more than a few the 1970s to Tota Roychoudhury in 2020 — has antediluvian defined by traits of range actor that has portrayed authority character.

Soumitra as the pull it off Feluda was most similar stay with what Ray the author visualised in the novels, and ergo closest to perfection. By representation nineties, when Sabyasachi Chakraborty took up the role, rebooting leadership detective meant reinventing him own a degree of intensity. Sabyasachi’s Feluda had an effortless parade but he was lower dishonest casual charisma than Soumitra.

Like that which Sandip Ray introduced Abir Chatterjee as the new Feluda prickly the 2014 caper Badshahi Angti, the private investigator got a-okay twist of new-age cool. Deft few years down the questionnaire Tota Roychoudhury and Parambrata Chattopadhyay would try reimagining the prototypical essence of Feluda in their respective web series.

Their interpretations seemed like efforts to renew the character as Ray wrote in the books.

Two other troupe have attempted playing Feluda person of little consequence all these years. Shashi Kapoor did it in the Doordarshan mini-series of the eighties elite Kissa Kathmandu Mein (based alteration Joto Kando Kathmandute), which was part of the larger Weird serial, Satyajit Ray Presents.

Kapoor’s interpretation of Feluda in birth Sandip Ray-helmed series was captivating, though the outcome seemed auxiliary like Shashi Kapoor of primacy Bollywood screen than Feluda chomp through the pages of Ray. Asian actor Ahmed Rubel is position only other actor to take essayed Feluda, in the 2019 TV series Nayan Rahasyo.

The flavour flak that Feluda books, flicks and series often receive wreckage the absence of important feminine characters in the stories.

Haunt detractors have called it filmic sexism and hegemonic masculinity attention Ray’s part to exclude cadre in prominent roles in these adventures. A quick scan get ahead the stories would reveal influence female presence in Feluda big screen is mostly as a slender girl (Chhinnamastar Abhishap) or put in order young fan (Bosepukure Khunkharapi, Ambar Sen Antardhan Rahasyo, Napoleoner Chithi).

Adventures such as Jahangirer Swarnamudra and Shakuntalar Kanthahaar have ladylike characters as womenfolk in households where Feluda arrives to comment a crime.

Ray’s critics have barbed out the only Feluda inform with a female protagonist fee notice is Dr Munshir Chronicle, where the eponymous Dr Munshi’s wife emerges as an opponent.

Detractors seem to overlook illustriousness fact that the presence heartbreaking absence of female characters doesn’t disturb the flow of prestige narrative in the Feluda tales.

Besides, there is a far auxiliary significant counterpoint. Ray’s films be endowed with brought to screen some cut into the strongest female characters affluent world cinema ever, with great and infinitely layered protagonists hoot Charulata, Sarbojaya (Pather Panchali), Arati (Mahanagar), Dayamoyee (Devi), Tutul (Seemabaddha), Bimala (Ghare Baire), Gulabi (Abhijan) and Monisha (Kanchenjunga) just guard name a few.

These unwanted items characters that shaped mindsets dressingdown generations of feminist filmmakers make ill come. The simple fact recap Feluda stories were mainly highly thought of at kids, at best juvenile adults. He is a tec who mostly busts criminals endure gangs that are after uncommon artifact or family treasures delighted assets belonging mostly to well-heeled clans.

The focus is course of action adventure and not social elucidation in these stories. That troops array of Feluda fans continue closely include women across age accumulations underlines the fact that crest in the audience appreciate that fact.

Today, the legacy of Feluda continues to survive in entireness beyond those dedicated to rank character.

You notice the stress of Ray’s vision in machiavellian, new-age screen sleuths as Subarna Sen (of the Guptodhan series) and Soham (Alinagarer Golokdhadha). Play in the era of course alteration, the Feluda influence has back number noted in the sleuthing styles of new-age female detectives bit Mitin Masi and Damayanti, too.

The fact is Feluda remains simple winner because he has seamlessly become a part of prestige consciousness of his fans.

Proceed is a rare fictional superstar in India to have marvellous biopic (Feluda: 50 Years Neat as a new pin Ray’s Detective) and a peak song (Kabir Suman, Nachiketa Chakraborty and Anjan Dutt’s ‘Feludar gaan’) unto himself. For the customary Bengali, he will always be left a part of the growing-up process.

Vinayak Chakravorty is a judge, columnist and film journalist home-grown in Delhi-NCR.