In an earlier review of how Sandip Ray’s cinematic version of Tintorettor Jishu stacks up against the book, I pointed out the extensive makeover that Feluda has undergone since the Seventies. In Sandip Ray’s Feluda films, Lalmohan Ganguly’s green Ambassador has given way to a green Hyundai Santro. Characters move about in the present day. As Sandip Ray mentioned in an interview with the Telegraph taken during the shooting of Tintorettor Jishu, even though Feluda himself does not use a cell-phone, others around him do. I think this transition to modernity is a very bold move.
Sandip Ray has made clear his desire to make a film based on Gorosthane Shabdhan! in modern Kolkata. As I review in my commentary of this book, in the middle of the adventure, Feluda is entrusted with finding out exactly what a Perigal Repeater is. As customary in many of the Feluda stories, he seeks information from Sidhu Jyatha. In this case, Sidhu Jyatha cannot help him out because he doesn’t know the answer to his question. Feluda, Topshe, Jotayu, and the readers have to find out the hard way and it is an enriching experience!
The use of Sidhu Jyatha as a reliable compendium of information works brilliantly in a world that predates the internet. Sidhu Jyatha becomes anachronistic and redundant in today’s world – the world of internet search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. In my opinion, this is the primary danger that Sandip Ray faces in completely updating the series. It took me under five minutes to find out what a Perigal Repeater was from Google. Do we want Feluda to live in a world where antiquated books can be accessed through Google Books and up-to-date maps through Google Maps thereby making travel through time and space essentially an armchair feat?
What would be the role of Sidhu Jyatha as a purveyor of rare information? Would he be asked to peer through well-worn volumes of newspapers clippings or would Feluda do a search for articles by year on Google News instead?
Sidhujyatha.com!
Of course, in a world filled with “crowd-sourcing”, Sidhu Jyatha might be a contemporary equivalent of Yahoo Answers or Ask.com (formerly better known as “Ask Jeeves” and named after the fictional valet of Bertie Wooster from P.G. Wodehouse’s works). Sidhu Jyatha could provide expert insight along with opinion through his website Sidhujyatha.com.
Still, one cannot help but be anguished by the role that Sidhu Jyatha would play brushing shoulders against members of Generation X and Y who tread easily on the information superhighway.
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How come you guys don’t post videos of the movies so ppl can watch the movies in this Web,nd also write down the stories in Bangla!
Thanks for reading, Shilpa. I don’t post videos of movies because I don’t own the copyright and I prefer not to break the law.
I agree Anirban, I am uncomfortable with Sandip Ray’s attempts at temporal relocation. I wonder why he doesn’t stick to the period suggested. I am sure we’d love to see films set in Calcutta of the 70s and 80s.
I certainly would enjoy it more. Thanks for reading and commenting.
The cost of relocating a film to a specific period can be prohibitive. Won’t recover a fraction of the production cost. For instance, see Ray’s Shartanj Ke Khilari. All exterior shots are either in lanes or in the countryside, or taken at low angle, so you mostly get the sky in the background – way cheaper than creating/populating a large area.
-tonmoy
This is a nice site you have put up. I’ve been a fan of Feluda since I saw Sonar Kella as a kid. Truthfully, I think, Feluda and his ways of investigation fits well 20-30 years back and not now. If you watch the movies you will know there are a lot of inconsistencies due to this modernization. So, I think Sandip Ray would either go for a complete makeover or create the sets for 70′s
First of all, let me congratulate you for putting up this blog and on a personal note, thank you for giving a vent to my childhood lost some 30 years ago.
Having watched a few Feluda stories, “modernised” as it is, on television and dvds, I found it terribly difficult to introduce any of them to my non-bengali family. The entire pride of value systems, subtle humor, informatica was lost when I found the horrible carricatures of Feluda, Jatayu and Topshe in their “modernised” incarnation.
To my mind – all those stories, if created today, must be created in the ’70′s and ’80′s environment, making them kind of period movies.
In the process of modernising, the director has not just lost one fundamental thematic of these stories, and that being period, but also – he has killed the strength of the characters by chosing the wrong kind of actors.
Can any dialogue of the current Jatayu be in any remote comparison to (Oonth) ” kaanta ki bechchey khaay?” of Sonar Kella?
The present Feluda’s face could well fit a modern villain role – some where closer to the one played by Biplab Chatterjee in Joy Baba.., but a kind of ego that the current artist’s face potrays, minus the elegance and benevolence of Saumitra Chatterjee – has the ability of destroying Feluda’s image in our minds when these books were released.
I would think, that your blog, should be a good avenue to raise these issues of destruction, which ironically, has been created by the junior Ray himself.
Sidhu jyatha is there and so is the modern day of internet and Google. In Gorosthane Sabdhan Sandip Ray has made Feluda use internet to find out about the Perigal Repeater apart from collecting information from Sidhu jyatha. Moreover Medica Superspeciality was also not there when Satyajit Ray wrote this piece but Narendranath babu is admitted to that hospital after he is hit by his brother …….. Medica Superspeciality is also the producer of the film.
What, if at all, would have been outdated and unpalatable to the Bengali or global audience, should Feluda movies be made to reflect the period?
Even if the current audience does not enjoy a “period treatment” of Feluda, what justifies characterising Feluda’s image as a raw ruffian or Jatayu with complete lack of humor.
The current actor playing feluda looks more of an unintelligent Telugu movie villian. As for Jatayu, the director or actor makes a tragic comedy of the original director and comedian as well as the role.
In simple words, Sandip Ray not only fails to recognise the intelligence of the Bengali community but thoroughly abuses it.
Dear Arindam and Supriyo,
Thank you both for your incisive comments. I haven’t seen “Gorosthaney Sabdhan” yet, and since I live in the United States, it will likely be a month before I can put up my own review of it.
Having said that, if, as you say Arindam, Feluda “cheats” by using Google to look up the Perigal Repeater, where is the fun? What is the point of even having Sidhu Jyatha who pursued knowledge solely for its sake?
This is rather disappointing news.
Best wishes,
Anirban
I think we should not try to compare Satyajit Ray with Sandip Ray or Soumitra Chatterjee with Sabyasachi Chakraborty or Santosh Dutta with Bibhu Bhattacharya. Why compare two generations of film actors and directors when it would not be possible to make a modern day Feluda with all the original actors and director? Sabyasachi is playing a good role as Feluda as an actor and also matches the description of Feluda as given by Satyajit Ray. The modern day Jatayu, Bibhu Bhattarcharjee also matches the description of Jatayu as provided by the writer, but possibly Satyajit Ray’s description of Jatayu was made keeping Santosh Dutta in mind. But it must be mentioned that a comedian as Santosh Dutta is yet to be born. So let us see whether the modern Feluda films matches upto the modern era keeping the taste of the original mystry. Feluda has already started using cell phones though he does not own one, but I wont be surprised if in any of the future films Feluda uses his own cell phone instead of the landline and Sidhu jyatha starts using the internet apart from his huge collection of books and newspapers.
Arindam, I think comparing is, to a certain extent inevitable. It isn’t necessarily bad either. I’ve mentioned here on this site my own opinion of Tintorettor Jishu which I thought was one of Sandip Ray’s better Feluda films. But the issue at stake for me isn’t whether the current films live up to the standards of the earlier ones. I’m more concerned about whether the films give proper justice to the literary creations.
Before the films, we only had the books. So, it is quite proper if we discuss the former with the latter in my opinion, as long as we do it respectfully (of course).
Hi
I’m particularly interested in so called boring advertisement in channels and even in movies. Not only medica super speciality there are idea cellular, sify i way, santro, trincas and lots of other advertisers. Even ringtone plays very popular idea tone.if you google Perigal Repeater now a days you will even get link to Bangasree Jwellers…..
Interesting. Thanks for sharing.
Anirban,
Being away from Calcutta for more than a coupla decades has its own little challenges, when it comes to adjusting to the changes that is in vogue today.
So when once in a while on some DVD we get to watch Sabyasachi or Bibhu, one is left to wonder what went wrong…
As for retaining the period or modifying to contemporary environment, nothing, however, stops the director to find an appropriate face.
In this case, specifically, Sandip Ray depended on a locally known faces – even if the degenerated image of the hero or comedian or villian or heroin of today’s casts may not fit the image of the novel.
It will not surprise me, if Sandip Ray or other local directors pick up some local B Grade Telugu villian for a Maganlal Meghraj tomorrow…
And yes, “… the issue at stake for me isn’t whether the current films live up to the standards of the earlier ones. I’m more concerned about whether the films give proper justice to the literary creations.” is indeed the issue.
After watching Gorosthane Sabdhan on YouTube (thank you who uploaded it), I stopped the streaming to google perigal repeater–ah! the joys of internet streaming movies–but the first search that came up for the words here in the US was a link to this site! Great job and hope to read many more posts on Feluda, his team, books, and new and old movies, and my Kolkata.
While I would like to see Sandip Ray’s movies set in 70s and 80s, I think it is time we see old stories in new context and age. Otherwise I fear Feluda and his team will get obscure, lose relevance and be forgotten.
Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting.
Sananda, I understand your fears about Feluda and his team getting obscure. The thing is Feluda is a detective set in the classical cozy whodunit. Had Satyajit Ray written the stories now, I’m sure he would have written many of them differently.
As I’ve said elsewhere, Sandip Ray puts himself in a somewhat unenviable position by choosing modernity. If he deviates too far from the originals he risks incurring the wrath of purists who will claim he is using only the name, while recreating the stories. If he sticks too close to some of the stories, he risks making them unbelievable.
Personally, I liked his adaptation of Tintorettor Jishu (though I find it a weaker story). And there are many stories for which the modern treatment won’t matter (for example Hatyapuri).
Feluda is a brilliant mixture of classical as well as modernity. Sandip Roy has very intelligently made the character a contemporary of 21st century, retaining the flavour of vintage feluda. Hence, in this new series of feluda we find google & sidhu jetha together, each proclaiming its own significance. It also throws light on the undying, indispensible role of books in our life. I simply admire Sandip Roy’s attempt of presenting the old wine in a new bottle.
Have you written this, Ani? Or some other member of the team (if any)?
Anyway, I just watched it a few days ago. I don’t quite like Sandip Ray’s direction (watched Hitlist recently. Didn’t like). But I particularly disliked bringing in internet. Sidhu JyaTha IS internet. No point in doubling that.
Hi Anirban,
Thanks for your site, it was really nice going through. I believe its true Sandip Ray couldn’t have met both demands at the same time, today’s adoption and purist opinions. But even then i strongly believe the representation of those scripts lacks something, even Satyajit Ray had made changes in the two movies, Sonar K. & Joy Baba F. to a great extent from the original story to suit its adaptability, but the new ones acually lack changes that could have been soothing to my eyes.
The story demanded Jatayu, who was never scripted to be bald or having hairs; I believe you may notice the changes in the Jatayu pictures drawn by Satyajit Ray varied after he made the Sonar K. movie. I personally believe Lalmohan Gangouly had actually been very smart from his own perspective, and it looked funny only on a screen; he never appeared weak irrespective of his stature.
But to admit honestly, I didn’t see the same person in Sandip Ray’s movies except for Baksho Rohosyo, only where Jatayu was indifferent to what Feluda or the spectators were thinking about him. Here I believe modernisation shouldn’t have made Jatayu weak before Feluda.
it may happen that we would love to take Kolkata where Calcutta was, and would really appreciate the way Feluda as a private investigator used to judge and assess things and not the way how we find our keys today in the google search engine, but may be I can’t help it.
A story don’t have any limited scope for its readers to imagine the scene, whereas Movies obviously make us see the way director wants, so its really a tough call for the director to present movies, but if he takes the responsibility, he has to perform with no other option.
i gt smthng……. i wd lyk feluda 2 b mordernizd yet b unique…. i mean….. googling nd thnkng…. 2 in 1………….
The look f sabyasanchi chakraborty itself is modernize… Wearing jeans, smarter gaites…in royal bengal rahasya ‘torit’ used mobile… in fact in one movie (kailash e kelenkari) feluda himself used it..
sidhujatha provies some informations that net will not provide… About Jakhir matha in kailash e kelenkari or about dr hazra & bhobananda in sonar kella….
i personally dont want him to use mobile or net ever… den the use of ‘magoastra’ will reduce…
As an ardent fan of Feluda & Co. I hate this idea of modernizing Feluda & his world! With due respect to all parties involved in Sandip Ray’s new take on Feluda…the thing is they are just doing business with a horrible passion for making films out of those awesome Feluda stories! If Mr. Sandip Ray had (& has) the respect for his father’s all those so much beloved creations & understand their actual gem, he won’t even made a single attempt to make another Feluda film after SONAR KELLA & JOY BABA FELUNATH. Even any of us who haven’t got the rare chance to met the Man in real life but we all know quite well that the great Satyajit Ray was not only an amazing talent in vast area of creativity but by reading his books & watching his films the fans can tell that he was also a man with simple but great & rich taste. And by taste, I mean as a writer he could add many mumbo-jumbo typical average stuffs in an effort to higher up the “entertainment level” in his stories (say…i.e. adding a love interest for Feluda or making him a Bond like Superhero international figure with limitless skills & gadgets etc.) but he didn’t & we all glad for that; cause by not doing that Mr. Felu Mittir becomes Feluda for us…a very believable, brotherly/friendly & a total Bengali figure for us who has always been inspired us to seek justice & truth by using our potential level of intelligence & maturity.
Sometimes I wonder how badly & sadly our Guru of Bangla detective stories Sir Satyajit Ray would react if he had the chance to see how terribly Mr. Sandip Ray portrayed Jatayu in KOILASHE KELENKARI…the scene when Jatayu fantasize about dancing with a film heroin!!! OMG!
and that’s the utter most horrible effect of modernizing Feluda & his world!
Moreover, with due respect, the honorable actor late Bivu Bhatyacharja who played Jatayu in later films was a wrong choice for the role. I think he was a very fine & capable actor to play many roles in films but to play the character like Jatayu IMO…he didn’t complete his home works or received proper instructions or guide lines. As an actor to portray Jatayu he failed in timing & style of dialog delivery & making the punch lines work. There were pause in many cases after or before delivering a dialog…like he was waiting for his audience or co-starts to laugh out loud or react. It was painful to watch as a fan of the original series & works of legendary actors like Santosh Dutta & Robi Ghosh.
And on last note, I like to say only an uninspired & unimaginative fan or fool can think of replacing Sidhujyatha with wikipedia or google.