Top 3 Bengali Thriller Shows to Binge Watch this Christmas

The word thriller often evokes a feeling of discomfort. It generally speaks of murder, kidnapping and other acts of violence. So, selecting a thriller show to binge-watch on the prosperous occasion of Christmas can be a questionable attempt. However, here's the twist: the thrillers I will be discussing are humorous and can be enjoyed by everyone, in addition to being suspenseful.

1. Ekenbabu Series: A very unusual detective, Ekendra Sen, is the main character of the series. He works with the Detective Department of the Kolkata Police and is accompanied by his two friends, Bapi Babu, a professor, and Pramatha, a scientist. This series has been adapted from the detective book series of the same name by Sujan Dasgupta. 

Detective Sen, popularly known as Eken Babu, is a peculiar character who appears to be anything but a sleuth. His untimely poor jokes and his verbal fights with Pramatha Babu are quite hilarious. The show, directed by Joydeep Mukherjee for eight seasons, is one of the most successful franchises on Bengali OTT platforms.  Anirban Chakrobarty, who plays the lead character, has garnered a cult following for his effortless performance, which has further solidified his reputation as one of the top character actors of recent times. This show is available on Hoichoi.

2. Gora Series: Sayantan Ghosal's Gora has completed 2 seasons, and is another hilarious representation of a sleuth. This man is eccentric with a sharp mind, yet some strange actions. His friend cum assistant, Sarathi, solves complex mysteries together. 

Both Ritwick Chakrobarty as Gora and Suhotra Mukherjee as Sarathi are excellent in their respective roles. Their chemistry is impeccable and often provides some extremely funny moments. It would be great to watch a few more seasons of the show in the upcoming days.

3. Feludar Goyendagiri Series: The 3rd season of this show has just been released today. I have already binge-watched all 6 episodes and enjoyed it. Feluda is an evergreen character in Bengali literature, created by Satyajit Ray, who later brought him to the celluloid screen. Later, it was made by different makers, including Ray's son, Sandip Ray with various actors, . But Feludar Goyendagiri is a completely different take on the stories. It's a very detail-oriented attempt, where the characters and their personalities most closely resemble those in the book. So much so that one cannot miss the resemblance of the characters during conversations to the illustrations in the book (by Ray himself). 

The first two seasons were directed by acclaimed director Srijit Mukherji, while the latest one was made by Kamaleswar Mukherjee. Tota Roy Chowdhury has been roped into play Feluda, while Anirban Chakraborty plays Jatayu. Here also, instead of turning the character of Jatayu into an utterly funny one, the director has added subtle humour to highlight his character's hilarious side.