A friend tells me why Banerjee decided to replace the "i" to "y" in the title Bakshy because he wanted to "create a balance (sic)" and God knows what he meant by that. Maybe he wanted to differentiate between the loads of previous adaptations and samplings from his magnum opus. Anyway, the purpose gets almost fulfilled.
World War II is happening and the frame focuses on pre-Independent Calcutta. Byomkesh Bakshy (Rajput), our own (aspiring) detective, is approached by Ajit (Tiwari) to investigate the disappearance of his scientist father. Bakshy sets out and gets entangled in a mesh of illegal opium trade, politics, nationalism, and fight over power - all in the backdrop of the ever formidable War. The story picks up, goes haywire, picks up, goes haywire, and picks up to become a titillating thriller which demands rapt attention if one hopes to understand the plot better.
The film is multi-layered, with Bakshy jumping streets, throwing wits, figuring out his foolishness, getting apprehended, and finally inching near the truth through a complicated maze. So there is a high chance that the audience may be divided into many types: the ones who delve into the plot and figure out the whole drama along with all the niceties, the ones who get the picture, but are confused about certain factors, the ones who know what the film is about, but have no idea who the villain is and what his intentions are, and the ones who sneer at their own lack of ability to construe the whole rave.
Yes, the plot is intense with gory and vivid depictions of War and its side-stories through the eyes of India. One will feel the adrenaline rush, watching the fiction unfold through twists and turns. But the biggest problem is that the antagonist is revealed by the interval and all you have in the second half is the build up. Of course this buildup is not raw, but climactic.
Banerjee has truly transitioned India's own, calm and cool detective into an excitable character, and with the gritty story, it is already being nominated as a future cult classic. The attention to details (from fear of anachronism) and production design is the biggest highlight of the whole film, and will definitely mesmerize people who can grasp it. Plus, the sound mixing is the most brilliant work I have seen in Bollywood so far. The indie score/music is brilliant, but it may divide the audience, because of heavy and shameful use towards the end. Inventive camera work that will keep you at the edge of your seat, but the screenplay had equal potential to push you back, and there is where one experiences exhaustion. The cast is good, and Rajput can be lauded. His efforts are clearly visible.
BOTTOM LINE: All in all, a great effort by the team for adapting a highly revered character into silver screen without spoiling it. 6/10 - average.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Gore/Violence: Strong | Drugs/Smoking: Medium
World War II is happening and the frame focuses on pre-Independent Calcutta. Byomkesh Bakshy (Rajput), our own (aspiring) detective, is approached by Ajit (Tiwari) to investigate the disappearance of his scientist father. Bakshy sets out and gets entangled in a mesh of illegal opium trade, politics, nationalism, and fight over power - all in the backdrop of the ever formidable War. The story picks up, goes haywire, picks up, goes haywire, and picks up to become a titillating thriller which demands rapt attention if one hopes to understand the plot better.
The film is multi-layered, with Bakshy jumping streets, throwing wits, figuring out his foolishness, getting apprehended, and finally inching near the truth through a complicated maze. So there is a high chance that the audience may be divided into many types: the ones who delve into the plot and figure out the whole drama along with all the niceties, the ones who get the picture, but are confused about certain factors, the ones who know what the film is about, but have no idea who the villain is and what his intentions are, and the ones who sneer at their own lack of ability to construe the whole rave.
Yes, the plot is intense with gory and vivid depictions of War and its side-stories through the eyes of India. One will feel the adrenaline rush, watching the fiction unfold through twists and turns. But the biggest problem is that the antagonist is revealed by the interval and all you have in the second half is the build up. Of course this buildup is not raw, but climactic.
Banerjee has truly transitioned India's own, calm and cool detective into an excitable character, and with the gritty story, it is already being nominated as a future cult classic. The attention to details (from fear of anachronism) and production design is the biggest highlight of the whole film, and will definitely mesmerize people who can grasp it. Plus, the sound mixing is the most brilliant work I have seen in Bollywood so far. The indie score/music is brilliant, but it may divide the audience, because of heavy and shameful use towards the end. Inventive camera work that will keep you at the edge of your seat, but the screenplay had equal potential to push you back, and there is where one experiences exhaustion. The cast is good, and Rajput can be lauded. His efforts are clearly visible.
BOTTOM LINE: All in all, a great effort by the team for adapting a highly revered character into silver screen without spoiling it. 6/10 - average.
Can be watched with a typical Indian family? YES
Gore/Violence: Strong | Drugs/Smoking: Medium