Cast: Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari, Neeraj Kabi, Swastika Mukherjee, Divya Menon

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Rating: **1/2

To start with Dibakar Banerjee has done a brilliant job in putting his vision and creativity on screen. The sets, the attire, the language everything has been exhibited beautifully, it seems like picture perfect. It wouldn't be wrong referring to the film as a periodic film. As the storyline of the film falls in1942. Though there have been a few periodic films this year what I wonder is, that would Bakshy be able to draw the audience to the theaters or not?

However, the suspense and the murder mystery does keep you hooked to your seats, leaving out few scene which seemed to have been underwhelming a little.

Getting back to the film, the set is of Calcutta in 1942, a young lad Ajit Banerjee ( Anand Tiwari) is distressed and is searching for his father, Bhuvan. who is then tipped to approach Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (Sushant Singh Rajput) to help him find his father. Ajit requests Bakshy to help him find his father, to which Bakshy without considering rejects and gives him few possibilities what might have gone wrong with his father.

Raged with Bakshy's ruthless behaviour Ajit knocks down Bakshy and walks away. However after getting rejected by his love interest, Bakshy finally decides to take up the case. Bakshy starts investigating in his own unique way. While investigating he reaches the men boarding house where Ajit's father, Bhuvan Banerjee use to stay. Bhuvan was actually a chemical scientist who could work wonders with chemicals.


Dibakar is truly a genius who has undoubtedly put in his heart and soul into the film. We can notice the Dibakar has kept in mind the minutest of details in mind, when Sushant is in the tram we can see the market and the people outside the window, where Sushant is out of focus, great camera work there, to highlight the backdrop of the 40's era.

Bakshy meets, Anukul Guha (Neeraj Kabi) who is a physician by profession and is also the owner of the boarding house. Dr Guha is a smart man and quickly discovers the reason behind Bakshy's visit to the boarding house. Bakshy who is looking for Bhuvan's 'Paan-Box', which he thinks, is hidden somewhere in the boarding house.

The story further unfolds with the tug and war between the Japanese Army and the Britishers. The Green Gang (Chinese gang), the politics and the politicians, the freedom fighters and the film world. Whereas in the backdrop there is a drug market of opium penetrating in Chinatown, Calcutta, which is being imported into the country by the Japanese.


Battling to find the truth behind the murder mystery of Bhuvan, Bakshy doesn't know what all he has to face ahead. Bloodshed, lust, betrayal all walk with Bakshy like his shadow. In this quest Bakshy gets a hand on a map, Now would Bakshy be able to solve the mystery? Will the 'Paan-Box' and the 'Map' act as a catalyst in the case?

Talking about our lead actor Sushant Singh Rajput, he has done a stupendous job. He fits into the character of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy perfectly. He has the charm, the young lad look, his hesitation, his amateur detective skills. He has done full justice to the role, be it being a vulnerable boy who enters his cocoon after being betrayed or a boy who gets all stirred after seeing a dead body. He makes mistakes and learns from them. That's what the character, Bakshy was and Sushant has yet again proven his acting ability.

The supporting cast beyond doubt has done a bang on work! Ajit Tiwari's humorous one liners add a little laughter to the serious script, Neeraj Kabi's acting speaks for itself, Divya Menon as Satyavati, Meiyang Chang as Kanai (secret Chinese officer) and the seductress actress Swastika Mukherjee as Anguri Devi adds the glamour to the film.


Each and every character in the film has his own unique importance and as the story unveils the different layers of these characters are discovered.

The film has an outstanding script and the camera work brings Dibakar's imagination to reality. Somehow the background score did not work for me very well. The abrupt music and the variation did not match up with the film. It did act as a set back for me. Also the climax of the film, the revelation in the end had been too much elongated. It did last for almost 25-30 mins which did kill the entire charm of the film, making you want to shout out loud, 'please for heaven sake be done with it'! The ending seem like a blow up of a stunning film.

However, the film is an adventurous murder mystery, unlike you have seen in the recent times. My verdict **1/2 stars.