Feluda is Back - and back with a BANG!
The much awaited web series on one of the most celebrated characters in Bengali literature came alive on TV screens on Christmas and as is expected of every diehard Feluda fan, despite being on a vacation, I managed to binge watch it - and here's my take on Season 1.
"Feluda Pherot" is Srijit Mukherjee's maiden attempt at bringing Feluda to screen. Interestingly, one of the earliest full fledged directorial ventures of Srijit, while still at Bangalore was a play by the same title, at the historical Ranga Shankara and with Parambrata in the lead, that was extremely well received. The choice to stick to the same title for his web series therefore, has to be more than just a coincidence!
Season 1 is based on "Chinnomostar Obhishaap" (The curse of the Goddess in the translated version in English) and is set in late 70s at Rajrappa near Hazaribagh in Bihar (now Jharkhand). The story in my personal opinion is one of the most iconic creations of Ray. Chinnamasta as a unqiue form of Shakti is a mystical concept in Hindu mythology that interestingly also finds resonance in Buddhist scripts. The supposedly 6000+ year old temple at Rajrappa is considered to be a close second to Kamakhya in its tantric significance and despite its not-so-easy-access finds serious religious & academic tourists from all over the world. Hazaribagh used to be a summer retreat and/or retirement destinations of prosperous Bengalis of Kolkata for its weather, rustic natural beauty and for its rich wildlife (read Royal Bengal Tiger!) and the folklores around the (in)famous Tatijhatriya forests . Ray's genius amalgamates all these aspects into a spine chilling adventure - as Feluda along with his two confidantes try unravelling parallel mysteries of a Royal Bengal tiger having escaped from a circus and a septuagenerian's cryptic clues at his deathbed regarding his son who has been incommunicado for 10 years . At hindsight, its rather surprising that no one thought of bringing this potent story to the screen earlier and the director needs to be specifically lauded for having made an eclectic pick.
Srijit Mukherjee, a Feluda fanboy himself has chosen to stay absolutely true to the original story. People who have eaten, drank and absorbed the Feluda stories will get an emphatic feel of déjà vu as Srijit has pretty much cellulodified the cellulose - and is sure to have most (if not all) of them swooning for more! Srijit is arguably the most celebrated and decorated director in Tollywood today and he needs to be called out for being able to refrain from adapting the narrative to his statements. There is only one dialogue that talks about the dangers of overzealous interpretation(s) of religion that he has slipped in but that is just a byline and does not dilute anything. His signature plays with the color palletes and his trademark one - on - one encounters in screenplays do appear once in a while but he seems to have judiciously and consciously stayed away from lending a "creative" touch to influence the narrative.
A significant contributor for the overall impact of Feluda Pherot is its casting. Tota looks to have come straight out of the sketches of Ray. His diction, appearance and mannerisms pretty much reflect "Pradosh C Mitter". Even while keeping in mind that Tota has extremely big shoes to fill, I am willing to stick my neck out to say that Srijit and Tota have shown enough promise to create the next popular "Feluda" after Soumitra and Sabyasachi. Anirban Chakrabarti, as expected, has been refreshingly impressive as Jataayu. Kalpan Mitra as Topshe has been a bit of a disappointment and I am still wondering if Srijit has purposely kept Topshe a bit on the sidelines in Season 1. I guess we will be answered when we see Kalpan next in season 2 as the adventure at Kathmandu has the character of Topshe playing a more important role. All in the supporting cast look to have been thoughtfully cast and have played out their parts very well. Two performances however stand a little taller - Dhritiman Chatterjee (Mahesh Choudhury) as the erudite and cryptic patriarch breaking up from within due to his guilt consciousness and the veteran Arun Guhathakurta (Akhil babu) as the benevolent astrologer cum Ayurveda practitioner to Mahesh Choudhury. The latter in fact plays a gem of an innings which also sadly turned out to be his last. I hope the thespian is smiling from the heavens above; happy to have been part of a production that is bound to live through the sands of time.
Feluda Pherot's opening music as well as the overall soundscapes have had a pivotal role to play. Keeping Ray's epic signature tune intact, Joy Sarkar & Srijato have created a charming opener. Srijato in particular has penned a song which is not something we typically see of him and hence deserves a lot of credit. Despite being on a binge watching spree, it was nearly impossible to skip the opener as it manages to give you goosebumps every single time. Rupankar Bagachi, Rupam Islam & Anupam Roy need to be complimented for infusing the right dose of nostalgia into their renditions. The background score has been used with subtle variations in intensity to specifically enhance the impact remarkably well at critical moments in the narrative.
Summing up, Feluda Pherot is a Santa's Xmas gift for all Bong cinelovers and definitely a treat for all the Feluda fans. More importantly with the directorial genius of Srijit and the near prefect casting of Tota, I would like to believe it to be a harbinger of sumptuous Feluda spreads being served om screens in not so distant future. I shall eagerly wait for the action in Kathmandu and beyond!
#feludapherot #srijitmukherjee #feluda #jataayu #chinnomostarobhishaap #thecurseofthegoddess #hazaribagh #rajrappa #joysarkar #srijato #anirbanchakrabarti #dhritiman #arunguhathakurta
