Shabash Feluda (2023) Bengali Movie Review: Story & Performances
Arindam Sil's directorial web series, Shabash Feluda, based on Satyajit Ray’s Gangtoke Gondogol, premiered on ZEE5 on May 5th, 2023. The series stars Parambrata Chatterjee as Prodosh Chandra Mitter, aka Feluda, and Rwitobroto Mukherjee as Topshe in the lead roles in this mystery thriller comprising ten episodes.
The series follows Feluda and Topshe as they prepare for their tour to Gangtok, Sikkim, where they meet Shashadhar Bose, played brilliantly by Ritwick Chakraborty. Shashadhar assigns Feluda the task of finding out the mystery behind Shivkumar Selvankar’s death. Shivkumar Selvankar died after buying a Tibetan Idol Yamantak from Nishikanto Sarkar, portrayed by Rudranil Ghosh. Can Feluda resolve the mystery behind Shivkumar Selvankar’s death?
The series starts with a fight scene where our modern Feluda fights with a few bad guys and saves an antique from them. However, some scenes like this one neither help in the progress of the narrative nor help you understand the reason for their presence in the script.
The series has some drawbacks, such as the over-the-top performance of Rudranil Ghosh as Nishikanto Sarkar, and the forgettable dubbing and background score. Furthermore, one actor was presented in different characters of different ages, but the dubbing for both characters was done by the same person, making the story predictable and boring.
Parambrata Chatterjee fails to impress as Feluda, and Rwitobroto Mukherjee's performance as Topshe is forgettable. While we understand that we won't get another Feluda like Soumitra Chatterjee, another Maganlal Meghraj like Utpal Dutta, another Jatayu like Santosh Dutta, or another Topshe like Siddhartha Chatterjee, we see a new Feluda and a new Topshe almost every year in Bengali cinema, and most of them are failing to meet the audience's expectations.
The release of numerous detective thrillers in the Bengali Film Industry indicates that we Bengalis love watching our favorite Sleuths on the screen, showing their brilliance in resolving mysteries. Unfortunately, the series does not live up to expectations and fails to capture the essence of the Feluda series.
Overall, Shabash Feluda has its moments, but it falls short in many aspects. If you are a fan of the Feluda series, you may find it worth a watch for the beauty of Gangtok and Ritwick Chakraborty's performance. However, if you are expecting it to meet the high standards set by the previous Feluda adaptations, you may be disappointed.
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