Adventure on the holy banks (Jai Baba Felunath)

Satyajit Ray did with his films what many filmmakers of his generation didn't. He infused in his scripts the sights, sounds and smells of the places where his story is set. So, along with the characters of the film and their varied idiosyncrasies, the place attains a personality. Like how Rajasthan does in Sonar Kella, how Shundi does in Gupi Gayen Bagha Bayen and Varanasi in 1979's Jai Baba Felunath.While you follow Prodosh Mitra and his party as he unravels the mystery behind the stolen Ganesha statuette, you start noticing how Ray brings Varanasi and the holy banks alive. The place adds to the fun and adventure of the sleuth's exploits. While the days are used to discover the frantic activities in the vibrant surroundings, the dark nights heighten the eerie nature of the serpentine lanes. That is the fun in Ray's Feluda films. They are detective stories as well as entertaining travelogues, something that Sandip Ray's film miss...

Though my favourite Feluda film will always be Sonar Kella, I do not mind watching Jai Baba Felunath repeatedly. For, it has the fantastic trio up to their antics, a fabulous story, great performances, melodious bhajans and a spectacular show by Utpal Dutt. The downsides---Soumitra Chatterjee is older than in the previous venture, hence sports a hideous wig, Topshe lacks the innocent boyishness now that he is a big man and Captain Spark is no Mukul. But nevertheless, we have the able Haradhan Banerjee here, a mysterious loner in Biplab Chatterjee, Kamu Mukherjee in a wickedly funny cameo as the knife-throwing daredevil Arjun, Monu Mukherjee as the trickster Machli Baba and the hustle bustle of the holy location.

For those who have not seen this film, here's a teaser. Feluda, Topshe and Lalmohan Ganguly (Santosh Dutta reprises himself as the funny Jatayu) are on a vacation in Varanasi when a rich and famous man named Umanath Ghoshal (Haradhan Banerjee) comes to take his help. A prized possession of the family has gone missing from his ancestral house and his father is deeply distressed over it. Lacking confidence in the police, he calls for the services of this super sleuth. The first meeting between Umanath's cynical and stern father and Feluda proves that Feluda would indeed have to churn his grey matter with double speed to get hold of the lost property. The old man is curt and somewhat arrogant and hardly gives any clue to the detective. In the mansion that is getting bedecked for the upcoming Durga Puja festivities, Feluda gets to meet Bikash (Biplab Chatterjee), an orphan who has been staying and working in the house. His behaviour is somewhat secretive. Umanath tells Feluda about a sudden visit from Maganlal Meghraj (Utpal Dutt), a notorious yet rich businessman of the town, some days back. In a bid to convince Umanath to sell the Ganesha statuette to him, Maganlal hid no intentions to have the jewel to himself. That he has coveted it for long and was willing to offer a huge amount to buy it is nothing strange considering that Meghraj is famous, or rather infamous, for smuggling such rarities out of the country for astronomical returns. Umanath also tells Feluda that his father does not know about Meghraj's visit and that he anyways had declined Meghraj's offer.
Feluda's mind is clouded with numerous questions and riddles. Then there are the double meaning statements made by Umanath's young son. His head filled with imagination, he calls himself Captain Spark and he has a satellite called Raxit. Who is the African King this boy is talking about? And why would the Ganesha flow into the ocean?? Riddles, riddles everywhere...

Feluda is a brave man. But he does not thump his chest and holler out the fact. A veiled threat from Meghraj to abandon the case, followed by a devilish attack on Jatayu's prestige and life is enough to anger the detective. He vows that if he is not able to teach Meghraj a lesson and revenge the insult done to his friend, he will quit his profession. Thus we are prepared for more adventures. A perfect relaxation to the tensions, the scenes comprising the body builder and his show of false valour are seriously funny. Just watch Jatayu gaping at his biceps, triceps and quadriceps and you would know that Ray's conception of humour is not loud but clever wit...

I love the scene where Feluda and his team meets Meghraj at his den. Not just the taut execution, it is the performance of Utpal Dutt that steals the thunder from everyone. Here is a man who is a Bengali, who is playing a Hindi-speaking man who is trying to talk in Bengali!!! Immaculate absolutely. He starts off as amiable, slowly becomes unnerving and then completely brazen and blackmailing. The knife-throwing scene is fantastic. Meghraj is relishing the fact that he has caught Feluda's attention and has managed to scare him out of his wits. His expressions are perfect and so is his diction. And the best part is that Ray does not overuse Dutt's character. He appears only when he is required to. Perhaps that is why this scene is one of the best in the film.
Siddhartha Chatterjee and Santosh Dutta are the perfectly pleasing foil to Soumitra Chatterjee's sober and silent personality. While Feluda is thinking and contemplating his next moves, Jatayu and Topshe provide the fun. I like the scene where Topshe needles Jatayu about Captain Spark's popularity. You can see here how an acclaimed author of mystery novels feels irked about the rise of his rival's fame...

Though the scene where Feluda unravels the mystery behind Machli Baba is a bit stretched, I guess it is important. That the sage is an imposter and connected to Meghraj could not be shown without Feluda's intervention. This only prepares us for the deep dark secrets of Bikash, the true identity of the African King and a treacherous murder. The shroud gets thicker and the adventure multiplies. That Feluda would catch Umanath's father unawares with his razor-sharp brain is commendable. The climax is nail-biting and fun. And yes, it only reinstates our faith in the dynamic detective and his awesome creator...