Detective films are enjoyed by everyone, in my opinion. Who doesn’t enjoy racking up the brains and trying to solve the mystery before the sleuth in the film succeeds in his/her endaevour? Shockingly, there have been very few detective films in Bollywood. Last year saw the release of 3 such films – Mr Joe B Carvalho, Bobby Jasoos and Samrat & Co. While the first two were disappointing, the latter was a timepass fare but nothing special. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy however shines and emerges as one of the finest detective films of Bollywood, despite its weaknesses!

The story of the movie: Calcutta, 1942. The very young Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput) is an aspiring detective and gets his first case when Ajit Banerjee (Anand Tiwari) approaches him to help him find his missing father, Bhuvan Banerjee. Byomkesh looks at the whole thing practically and logically and concludes that Bhuvan Banerjee has been murdered. Ajit refuses to agree Byomkesh’s theory. As Byomkesh tries to prove he’s right, he realizes that the case is much deeper and complex and that it is connected with the drug mafia, Japanese invasion, Chinese goons, political party workers etc.



Detective Byomkesh Bakshy has a thrilling start as a mysterious person makes an entry and creates havoc. The opening titles are too good and the song ‘Jaanam’ adds hugely to the impact. It’s just superb! From here on, there’s no dull moment as Byomkesh Babu tries to solve his first ever case. The introduction of characters like Anguri Devi (Swastika Mukherjee), Satyawati (Divya Menon), Dr Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi), Meiyang Chang, Gajanan Sikdar (Kaushik Ghosh), Sukumar (Shivam) and of course Yang Guang add to the mystery and intrigue. The intermission point is a shocker and makes a tremendous impact. Post-intermission, the fun and entertainment continue as the mystery gets deeper. At this juncture, it’s no longer about who’s the culprit – it’s about what led that person to do what he/she eventually did and what shall be gained by that person in the future. It is quite interesting but at the same time, the whole thing gets a bit complicated. Too much of things get clear in a short amount of time in the end resulting in too much of information for the viewers! It is intense and gripping without doubt, though. However, one wishes if the whole complex plot was revealed in a slightly better way to the viewers.

Talking of the performance, Sushant Singh Rajput comes out with flying colours! He’s one of the most talented actors today who has already proved his worth with 3 brilliant films. But undoubtedly, he delivers his finest and most accomplished performance in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! This is a dream role for any actor and Sushant puts his heart and soul into it. The manner in which he exhibits his wit, sense of humour, vulnerability and arrogance has to be seen! Way to go, Sushant! Anand Tiwari plays his Dr Waston-kinda role with utmost sincerity. He’s not just another hero’s sidekick. He has an important part to play in the narrative and Anand brings out the characteristics of Ajit Babu beautifully.



Swatika Mukherjee is pretty and does a great job in her supporting role. The same goes for Divya Menon. Neeraj Kabi, who rocked in Ship Of Theseus comes up with yet another memorable performance. The actor is sure to go places after this film! Meiyang Chang is adorable as always and does quite well. Kaushik Ghosh, Shivam, Mark Bennington (Deputy Commissioner Wilkie) do a fair job. Takanori Higuchi (Dr. Watanabe) is fine, especially in his entry scene. The actor playing the Chinese goon and his son are quite good.

The music score of the film is quite unconventional and definitely stands out. Jaanam, as aforementioned, is the best of the lot. Calcutta Kiss is foot-tapping while Byomkesh In Love is used in the most unexpected situation in the film that makes for an interesting watch! Background score is minimal but immensely impactful. Nikos Andritsakis’ cinematography is arresting. Vandana Kataria’s production design deserves lot of praise. The sets looked every inch the Calcutta of 1940s! The VFX (Prana Studios) compliment the sets in helping viewers relive the yesteryears. Urmi Juvekar and Dibakar Banerjee’s story is inspired from Satyanweshi, the first story written Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, the creator of Byomkesh Bakshi. They neatly expanded and made the story more complex so that even the people who have read the story will be in for a surprise. Dialogues don’t reflect the period in which the film is set. It is in fact quite contemporary and hence appeals to the modern youth (same goes for editing, by Manas Mittal and Namrata Rao). Screenplay is gripping although it could have been slightly better and easy to decipher at places. One can say the same about the direction as well, especially towards the end. Also, the character of Anguri and her actions seemed unconvincing to an extent. Also, more light should have been thrown on Sukumar’s track. But nevertheless, a great effort by Dibakar as always! Here’s one filmmaker who has never disappointed even once and always comes up with something entertaining and unconventional everytime! Hats off!

Some of the best scenes:
1. The opening titles
2. Byomkesh meets Dr Guha
3. Byomkesh’s first night at the Boarding House
4. Byomkesh meets Anguri Devi
5. Byomkesh enters the abandoned factory
6. Byomkesh’s meetings with Gajanan Sikdar
7. The intermission point
8. Byomkesh in disguise
9. Byomkesh gets his blood tested
10. The last 20 minutes

On the whole, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a well-made suspense thriller that deserves a watch for its gripping storyline, execution, the beautiful period setting, performances and music. Sushant Singh Rajput delivers an outstanding performance while Neeraj Kabi will go places thanks to this film! It is a bit complex and the goings-on become a bit confusing thanks to the manner in which the mystery unravels so quickly in the end. Nevertheless, a great effort and kudos to Yash Raj Films for backing such an unconventional film and giving it all the support that it requires so that it reaches to more number of people!

My rating - *** ½  out of 5!