Review of Bengali film Har Har Byomkesh

Last winter during Christmas vacation we had three consecutive big hits in Tollywood , "Badshahi Angti", "Byomkesh Fire Elo" and "Ebar Shabor". This winter Venkatesh films have came with a new movie "Har Har Byomkesh" taking ingredients  from all those three movies, Director of "Ebar Shabor" Arindam Shil, the leading actor of all those movies Abir Chatterjee , the story is based on detective Byomkesh Bakshi and just like "Badshahi Angti" here too the backdrop is an ancient city of Uttar Pradesh with heritage and culture. Although the original story was based in Patna but here the location has been shifted to Varanasi which have given the film a better look and feel as the city with abundance of cultural heritage playing a character itself. Also not to forget Varanasi and detective story have a nostalgic connection in all Bengali's heart, thanks to the great Satyajit Ray. While watching the allies of Varanasi and the classical music in background you are bound to be nostalgic about "Joy Baba Felunath", even in the climax there is a fantastic tribute to the classic by the director himself in a guest appearance.

The story is an adaptation of Sharadindu Bandopadhyay's story "Banhi Patang". The movie

begins with Byomkesh's(Abir Chatterjee) trip to Varanasi with his wife Satyabati(Sohini Sarkar) and friend Ajit(Ritwick Chakraborty). In Varanasi they received the hostage of local Police Inspector Purandar Pandey(Harsh Chhaya). Almost without any intention they get involved in a murder case of a local rich zamindar Dipnarayan Singh (Adil Hussain). Singh was a very rich and powerful personality. He had almost forcefully married a girl Shakuntala (Nusrat Jehan) who was half of his age. They don't have any child but have a nephew and his wife in his family. Also there are some other family friends like some doctors and other local rich brats. Among the family and friend circle many people have motive to kill Singh. Everyone is in the circle of doubt but how Byomkesh will find the truth that is the story.

The story is not much complex and even before climax there are enough clues to predict the culprit but the narrative style is so nice that you hardly bother to solve the mystery rather you will enjoy the journey with Byomkesh and Ajit with the help of Purandar Pandey and some accidental clues from Satyabati. Here one thing need to said the interaction between Byomkesh , Ajit and Satyabati is very nice and there are few romantic moments between Byomkesh and Satyabati too. Unlike Anjan Dutta's Byomkesh movies here Satyabati is not always ready to shout and fight, here she  is soft spoken and more realistic even when she is angry she doesn't shout rather she choose to protest silently.

Director Arindam Shil has given it a totally different treatment than the Byomkesh movies made by Anjan Dutta. He has recreated the era and feel of Varanasi wonderfully keeping a perfectionist's eye on every detail. The story never feels boring or stretched, the story has been told precisely but still manage to take us for a small trip to the wonderful landscapes of Varanasi. To give the film a rich look , the production house is also very much responsible. The way they have allowed a flexible budget it has enhanced the production values unlike the other Byomkesh movies which look like telefilms for their limited budget.

Abir Chatterjee has already proved he is very efficient as Byomkesh. He has mastered the

character with persistence and now he has became a pro to act in this character. His dialogue delivery and body language is very apt for the character of the Sleuth.
Sohini Sarkar is the best Satyabati played by any other actress so far. She has underplayed her character wonderfully. She is obviously not the central character but she has managed to make her presence felt with her simple yet powerful performance.
Ritwick Chakraborty is a very talented actor but probably his on screen image doesn't goes with the conventional Ajit we know so far. So he has not even tried to act like an intellectual writer rather his Ajit is very refreshing, more jolly and less serious.

One must praise the casting director for choosing the actors for playing different characters

who are mostly from Varanasi so they must talk in Hindi but considering it is Bengali film, they must need to be confident in Bengali too to work smoothly with a Bengali crew. So mostly the actors have been chosen in a such a way who knows both Bengali and Hindi and have acted in Bollywood movies. They don't belong to Tollywood but have Bengali connection. It works really well for the story as well as it has given a fresh look to the film with fresh faces.
Nusrat Jehan has played the character of Shakuntala which is very different from the roles she generally plays in her commercial mainstream movies. One can say she has been relaunched with this movie. She has looked absolutely gorgeous and graceful exactly as per her character's demand. She has acted well too. Hopefully in future she will get more significant roles in Tollywood.
Harsh Chhaya is an wonderful actor. This is his first Bengali movie and he is perfect in this one. Adil Hussain is superb in an extended cameo. The other cast members have given good support.

Among the technical team everyone has done good job. Production design and costumes are very authentic to recreate the era. Cinematographer Soumik Halder has captured Varanasi wonderfully. The editing is sharp and has not wasted any time, it gives it the required pace.

On the musical front, Bickram Ghosh's north Indian classical tunes go perfectly with the period and the setting. Listening to the different soundtracks is, in fact, an experience in its own right. The background score, too, adds to the mystery, waxing and waning with the audience's adrenaline.

Overall it is an engaging thriller which balances story, pace and presentation perfectly. It has some wonderful acting by the lead cast and the trip to Varanasi is an added attraction. Don't miss it, this winter Har Har Bolo.