Hatyapuri: A good Feluda instalment, if not one of the best ever

I still vividly remember the first time I read Hatyapuri, the Feluda Samagra part two. By the time I finished reading it, cyclone Sidr, one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent memory, hit Bangladesh.

Like every other Southerner, our home suffered heavily. There was no electricity for weeks. The surroundings bore the sign of the lethal calamity. Sitting on an uprooted tree trunk, I read how the trio went about solving the murder mystery by the sea of Puri.

When Sandip Ray, son of Satyajit Ray, announced that he was bringing Feluda back on the big screen with my most memorable Feluda story, Hatyapuri, I was overjoyed. 

I watched Hatyapuri at the iconic Prachi Cinema in Sealdah, Kolkata. I did not step into the theatre with high hopes. Expectations were kept in check because a plethora of negative reviews had already been floating all over the social media. 

Sandip Ray has not ruined his father's creation, at least with this particular film anyway. Despite what many critics said, Hatyapuri is a well made film, all the way. Sandip Ray's simplistic style and his loyalty towards the source material was apparent. 

The movie is a modern adaptation of Feluda, set in contemporary Bengal. However, the film still managed to preserve the essence of the original. 

As much as I liked the portrayal of Feluda by Tota Roy Chowdhury in the Srijit Mukherji creations, I must admit that Indraneil Sengupta has taken a hefty lead after his debut attempt at donning Bengal's favourite sleuth. 

Sengupta has delivered an earnest performance. He kept his feet grounded and it was evident that he did his own homework. The fluency of his Bangla in this film is commendable, to say the least. 

The same, however, cannot be said about the characters Jatayu and Topshe, played by Abhijit Das and Ayush Das. 

Abhijit did not feel like he was a good fit for the role. In my opinion, he has by far played the worst version of Jatayu till date. Ayush showcased the boyish charm as Topshe to an extent. But Ayush, as Feluda's satellite, left a lot to be desired in his performance. 

The supporting cast, however, filled the void left by Abhijit Das and Ayush Das. Paran Banerjee as the mysterious personality D G Sen was brilliant; it is hard to imagine anyone playing the role better. Time and again he reminds us how big a thespian he is, and we should savour every bit of his relentless talent. 

Subhashish Bhattacharya was brilliant as Laxman Bhattacharya. Saheb Chatterjee as Bilas Majumdar was also on top of his game. Other artists' contributions, including Supriyo Dutta, Mahim Chakraborty, Debnath Chatterjee and Bharat Kaul's, brought the story to life. 

Unlike his father Satyajit Ray, Sandip Ray does not experiment too much with his work. Aside from a few minor changes to the story, he took very little creative liberties. But the music is where Ray excelled the most; every impact was made more meaningful with it. 

Overall, Hatyapuri is a good Feluda movie, if not one of the best ever. If you are planning to take a trip to India any time soon, watching Hatyapuri, even for the sake of nostalgia, will be well worth your time.