5 Bengali Detectives from Books to Screen, Other Than Byomkesh & Feluda

By now, the entire nation has become aware of the great Bengali " Satyanweshi" (seeker of truth) Byomkesh Bakshi, thanks to his presence in national celluloid, first in the form of Basu Chatterji's TV series and then years later, Divakar Banerjee's film with the Late Sushant Singh Rajput. Then there is Feluda, the Bengali sleuth from Satyajit Ray's children's literature. These 2 detective characters of Bengal have become quite popular as movie characters too. However, apart from these 2, there are a few more Bengali sleuths that have marked their presence in movies. Today, I have listed a few such characters.

1. Kiriti: Nihar Ranjan Gupta's immortal detective Kiriti came to movies much later than his counterparts. There were multiple films made with a variety of actors playing the detective's part. First, it was veteran actor Chiranjit and then there was Preyangshu Chatterji but the one that caught the audience's fancy was Indraneil Sengupta's portrayal of the character. There are 2 films in the series, Kiriti o Kalo Bhramar and Nilachaley Kiriti.  Samadarshi Datta, as Kiriti's friend and assistant Subrata is quite likable. Sengupta, who is known for playing various characters of negative shades, looks quite like the character described by the author in his book, with thick-framed glasses and smoking a pipe.

 2. Gogol: Samaresh Basu's kid detective Gogol was an instant hit with children of our generation. There have been a few films based on the character. The 1st was back in 2013, called Goyenda Gogol, with Ahijit Ghosh playing the lead character, along with some popular actors like Rachana Banerjee, Saheb Chatterji and Indraneil Sengupta. The film was a humble effort and the Gogol was cute and lovable. The next film from the series, Gogoler Kirti was a bit smarter, with Ahijit reprising his role. There have been a web series and a TV series based on Gogol's stories, too. Gogol is a very lovable character.

3. Inspector Shabor Dasgupta: Now, this is one character I have come to know only after watching the 1st film of the series. The character Inspector Shabor Dasgupta is based on renowned author Shirshendu Mukherji's detective short stories. Saswata Chatterji plays the character of Shabor, with Shubronil Dutta as Nandalal, his assistant. There are 4 films in the series, created by Arindam Sil - Ebar Shabor, Eagaler Chokh, Abar Shabor and Tirandaj Shabor. The films are very well-made, with Saswata bringing full life to the character of Shabor, and Shubhronil's comic timing adds to the fast-paced screenplay. 

4. Mitin Masi: Suchita Bhattacharya's lady detective, Pragyaparomita, better known as Mitin Masi, is the next-door mom with an extra eye for detection. Director Arindam Sil has brought her to the screen with Koel Mullick in the titular role. It is good to see her in a very different avatar and she does her part sincerely and with full conviction. There are 2 films in the series- Mitin Masi and Jongole Mitin Masi. 

5. Eken Babu: Another detective that was made popular by the web series and later films, Eken Babu is author Sujan Dasgupta's creation. Played by Anirban Chakraborty, the character has won the hearts of millions across Bengal and beyond. Interestingly, the physical features of the funny detective are very different in the books than on screen. But Chakraborty, as Eken Babu, does not leave any scope for complaint. He is simply adorable. After a few seasons of successful run as a web series, Eken finally came to the big screen in 2022 with The Eken and then with Eken- Rudhoshas Rajasthan.