As a child I had this strange aversion towards reading books. I disliked it to the most. I vividly remember the first book I read that kept me glued to it. It acted as a magnet, attracting me towards it. It was the 'Collection of Feluda' series. Yes, the book that made every Bengali kids’ childhood memorable. For those who do not know 'Feluda'- Pradosh C. Mitter aka Feluda is our, Bengalis’ Sherlock Holmes. Well, I know Satyajit Ray is not only about Feluda. His masterpieces (Ghare-Baire, Agantuk, Charulata, Debi, Pratidwadi and many more) are the epitome of Indian cinema. But today let me write about my childhood and forever favourite, 'Feluda'. And frankly, the child in me can never get bored of 'Feluda'.
Well, I have no shame in admitting that I may not remember mathematics formulas but I do remember each and every detail of Feluda; his cigarette brand (charminar), his height, 21 Rajani Sen Road... everything. Feluda taught us to be curious about our surrounding.
One might think, what’s so special about Feluda? He is like any other detectives…. Well, No. The beauty of Feluda stories is that they talk about a range of topics- from Indian classical music as part of code, to riddles which transform into a numeric password to European art to ancient Egyptian religious practices and the idiosyncrasies of Nawabs. So whenever one reads Feluda, they would get to know some interesting factoids for sure. Another thing (weapon) that Feluda has apart from his Colt 32 revolver (which he used rarely), is 'Maga-jastra' (the brain weapon).
Well writing about Feluda and not naming Lalmohan Ganguly aka 'Jatayu' is daytime without sunlight. Jatayu- the quintessential Bengali 'bhadrolok'. He is crime story writer and Feluda’s friend. The comic relief, witty, talented, the short heighted cute grandfather kind of person with wide eyed wonder and unintended humour. From the moment he first met Feluda, he has been with his 'Felu Babu' and 'Topshe' through thick and thin. In fact, one of the reason why Feluda is so popular today is- Lalmohan Babu. Only Jatayu could have said “one of the innumerable dacoits in this dacoit infested country”.
If Sherlock had Watson then our Feluda had his teenage cousin, Tapesh Ranjan Mitter aka 'Topshe' (the narrator). Topshe had the innocent admiration and blind faith on his Feluda. And thus completes the pair of the three musketeers who went on making some memorable adventures.
Back in those days we didn’t have Net or Google. We had this human form of google who existed those days; they were the retired bureaucrats or academicians who stayed in book lined rooms and sat on mattresses with bolsters. Yes, 'Sidhu Jyatha', the encyclopedia. Ask him anything and he would open his scrapbook with newspaper cuttings and quiz Feluda…
Ray provided us with plethora of colourful villains- Mandar Bose, Maganlal Meghraj, Gopinath Gorey, Bonobihari Sarkar, Naresh Pakrashi and a lot more to name. My favourite obviously has to be Maganlal Meghraj… (don’t ask why… those who have seen will know it).
Feluda took us to different corners of India as well as abroad. He made us want to explore and travel more. Feluda’s stories have such an effect that I still tell my father that I want to go to the places where Feluda went and stayed. He took us to the dreary barren desert of Jaisalmer, windy beaches of Puri, dark- damp serpentine lanes of Benaras, hilly Darjeeling, the city of Nawabs- Lucknow and a many more to name. He made us want to spend our time sitting at the ghats of Benaras. And in order to get a streetscape of 60s-70s Calcutta, one needs to watch 'Sonar Kella'.
Well talking about films, be it a 5 year old or a 50 year old, everyone equally loves and awaits for a Feluda film release. Probably one of the best children film ever made- 'Sonar Kella' (Golden Fortress) directed by Ray himself. In the film, Feluda travels all the way to Rajasthan to save a 10 year old boy who claims to remember events from his past life.
The one moment from the film that stays iconic is when Felu, Topshe and Jatayu chase the train, sitting on back of the camels, in the barren desert of Rajasthan. The popularity of the film is such that even if today one goes to Jaisalmer, they will surely hear about the film and Ray from the tour guides.
Watch the film if you are a Ray fan, Feluda fan, if you love the scenic background of Rajasthan, if you want to watch a thriller as well as want to have a bellyful laugh, if you wish to know some cool facts about camels, peacocks, forts and topography of Rajasthan, watch it if you just want to appreciate good art.
One of the actors who first played Feluda is Ray’s favourite Soumitra Chaterjee. There are many who believe that Ray wrote Feluda keeping Chaterjee in his mind. Indeed the actor was best suited for Feluda’s role, and the audience started seeing him as their 'Feluda'. Whenever we name Jatayu, only one person comes to our mind- Santosh Dutta (played the character of Jatayu in Sonar Kella and Joy Baba Felunath). I feel, that the character of Jatayu was written for Santosh Dutta only. I won't be wrong if I say that it was the portrayal of Jatayu by Dutta that made the film into a classic. Santosh Dutta remains inseparable from the character in every Bengali’s mind. It was his body language, posture, dialogue delivery that brought justice to Jatayu’s character.
In later years, there are many who played Feluda but, my favourite remains Soumitra Chaterjee and Sabyasachi Chakraborty (probably for many Bengalis their OG Feluda).
The second Feluda film- Joy Baba Felunath (The Elephant God), directed by Ray. The film is set in the age-old ghats of Kashi and its winding by-lanes. In this film we get introduced to one of the best written and thought of villain- 'Maganlal Meghraj' (Feluda’s arch rival), played by the wonderful Utpal Dutta. Maganlal Meghraj is cunning, shrewd, threatening as well as comical. I again won’t be lying if I say that one of the reasons why we love watching Joy Baba Felunath is Utpal Dutta’s portrayal of Maganlal Meghraj. Probably the best way to describe Maganlal Meghraj is – love him, hate him but you can’t ignore him. A man of same calibre like Feluda that once, even Feluda fell weak infront of him. We all loved him when he spoke Bangla in his non-Bengali accent; we laughed when he called Lalmohan Babu as 'Halwamohan Babu'.
Well, recalling some iconic moments from the film- the scene where Jatayu is made a target for Meghraj’s knife throwing show by an extremely old artist. This scene was worth a million claps. Undoubtedly Santosh Dutta (Jatayu) was the show-stealer of this scene, depicting each emotion agilely. It was a highly comical scene within the dark confines of Meghraj’s haveli as well as intentions. Also, the climax of the film showcases utmost brilliance by each and every person associated with the film. As 'Mohe Lage Lagana Guru' (sung by Reba Muhuri) plays in the background, Feluda comes out of his disguise as 'Macchli Baba' pointing his gun towards Meghraj and avenging Jatayu’s humiliation. With each time Feluda firing a shot from his Colt. 32 revolver, we see a vulnerable scared side of Maganlal as he says “keto taka chai”. At the end when Maganlal falls into Inspector Tewari’s lap, the same way as Jatayu fell in Maganlal’s haveli, we see the full circle of retribution. All such detailing make the climax into a just a cinematic brilliance.
Another story worth mentioning is 'Chinnamaster Abhishap' (The Curse of the Goddess), one of the best Feluda story written. And when I say this, I represent the whole Feluda fandom demanding a proper feature film on it. The story of puzzle after puzzle after puzzle…
Finally, we all love Feluda. He is one of us. He is like any Bengali person next door- he is well-read, well- travelled, foodie, intellectual, cultured, expert at wordplays… All bengalis could identify themselves with Feluda. It can be said that he is an embodiment of all Bengali characteristics that we, Bengalis, possess one or the other. In our day to day conversations many of us do throw some Feluda dialogues. Feluda is one such factor that unites Bengalis from all over the world. Feluda film is watched as a ritual in Bengali household. At last I would say that Feluda is a celebration of Bengaliness.
Pictures are personal from book
Written by- Hridi
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