Detective Byomkesh Bakshy, a periodical saga of the Calcutta's famous fictional detective 'Byomkesh Bakshi' created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay during pre Independence era. Its a journey of this agile, courageous and flamboyant private investigator whose first case has been shown in the movie. The case is a murder mystery which our protagonist gets committed to and works ardently in his own way to solve it. He however faces a lot of obstacles thanks to the situational occurrence of various twists and turns throughout his detection. To be honest, i don't know much about this spirited detective's career and life history. As a movie viewer, i experienced whatever director Dibakar Banerjee showed us about the titular character and his intriguing initial case. And as i said, its quite a jig jag journey that Byomkesh Bakshy faces while solving his first case. The storytelling is too complex and you have to be patient enough to enjoy this wittily crafted thriller. Its boasted with several merits. Such as :
HIGHPOINTS -
1) It has a story that's robust and keeps you on your toes. Finely written scenes and dialogues with unpredictable twists and turns are worthy of praise.
2) Acting by all is commendable. Sushant Singh Rajput as the leading man is amazingly believable. He gives his blood and sweat to the character of Byomkesh Bakshi and comes up with a striking, nuanced performance. He does his job very very well. Well done!
Also other actors like Anand Tiwari and especially Neeraj Kabi are spot on. They played their roles with utmost perfection. Swastika Mukherjee and Meiyang Chang do total justice to their parts too.
3) The movie is benefitted greatly from Banerjee's skillful direction although his storytelling could have been made easier for most people to get in.
4) Fascinating cinematography and stellar background score work.
5) Although adapted, its original in nature with realistic treatment.
Despite all these plusses, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy suffers from problems that could and should have been avoidable.
LOWPOINTS -
1) The movie runs at a snail pace for the most part and that makes it niche and even a bit monotonous.
2) There are loopholes in the screenplay in some areas. They seem uninspiring and unclear.
3) The movie lacks perspicuity. It becomes too hard to be understood at some point. Storytelling could have been better, i mean simpler.
So eventually, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a thriller not all will like as its not everyone's cup of tea. But credit goes to the entire team for backing this old, unconventional project and creating the same into a unique, different experience. It's intelligently made with arresting acts. A film that you all should watch with your eyes & mind wide open just to witness what clever cinemas are all about. Afterall, quality scores over fatuous entertainment.
Rating - 3.5/5
Keep patience and do give it a try and you won't regret!
