FELUDA - SATYAJIT RAY - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 

Goodreads

Feluda or Pradosh Chander Mitter is a fictional Bengali private detective, the creation of the prolific Satyajit Ray. The latter was deeply influenced by the writings of Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. Hence, it comes as no surprise to see that Feluda resembles Holmes, and his cousin and assistant, Tapesh Ranjan Mitter Dr Watson. Tapesh acts as the narrator in the stories and Feluda affectionately calls him Topshe. In one of his stories where Feluda visits Baker Street, he openly acknowledges Holmes as the master (guru) of private detectives.

Feluda and Topshe

Wikipedia

Feluda first appeared in the story Feludar Goyendagiri (Danger in Darjeeling) in 1965. This was published in a children’s magazine ‘Sandesh’ that was edited by Ray himself.

Feluda is portrayed as a well-built young man of 27 who, like Holmes, prefers to use his analytical skill to solve cases, rather than violence. He does possess a revolver but uses it rarely. His sleight-of-hand prowess is an additional skill that helps him in his cases. Like Hercule Poirot, he enjoys having an audience at the end where he deftly plays mind games to reveal the criminal. He is also a master at disguises.

Before he turned detective, Feluda had worked in a bank. Ray has fleshed out his character by making him an avid reader of books, interested in people and places. This knowledge often helps him when he is interacting with the people connected to his cases. Music and movies interest him, and he is also a health freak, exercising to keep himself fit. Maybe, his one vice is smoking Charminar cigarettes.

 Topshe is an ardent admirer of his cousin, Feluda, and equally involved in solving cases. There are instances where he has made his own deductions which often prove accurate. Topshe enjoys reading the adventures of Tintin.

Maybe it was a blessing that Satyajit Ray himself directed the first two Feluda movies – Sonar Kella in 1974 and Joy Baba Felunath in 1979. The veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee has played the role of Feluda in the movies, while Siddhartha Chatterjee was Topshe.

Sandip Ray directed five Feluda films until 2011, and ten short films on television as well. In one of the telefilms, Feluda was played by Shashi Kapoor. A web series titled ‘Feluda’ came out in 2017 which was directed by Parambrata Chatterjee who also played the title role.

Even today, the name ‘Feluda’ brings to mind the brilliant Bengali private detective who has created a niche for himself in not only Bengali households but across India as well.

Actors who have played Feluda

Times of India

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