Bengali filmmaker Arindam Sil’s fourth film in his Byomkesh Bakshi franchise is set to go on floors in May. The untitled film will feature Abir Chatterjee, Sohini Sarkar and Suhotro Mukhopadhyay in the lead roles.
Chatterjee will be seen reprising the role of Byomkesh Bakshi once again in the fourth instalment, after Har Har Byomkesh (2015), Byomkesh Pawrbo (2016), and Byomkesh Gotro (2018). Sarkar will take on the character of Byomkesh’s wife, Satyabati.
Mukhopadhyay will essay the character of Ajit Kumar Banerjee, a writer and friend of Byomkesh’s, who also accompanies him on his cases. Ajit also serves as the narrator as the stories are mostly written from his perspective.
The upcoming murder-mystery is based on Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay’s last story in the Byomkesh Bakshi series, Bishupal Bodh, which was left incomplete due to the author’s untimely death. Sil and screenwriter Padmanabha Dasgupta have worked together to complete the story for the film.
“Out of all the movies I have made till now, the Byomkesh movies have always been very close to my heart. I am immensely happy to present the fourth Byomkesh movie and as it is based on an incomplete story, completing it was the biggest challenge for Padmanabha and me. I hope that the audience will shower the same amount of love which I have received for my previous Byomkesh films,” said the director, in a statement.
Referred to as Satyanweshi or ‘truth-seeker’ in the stories, Byomkesh Bakshi is a fictional Bengali detective created by Bandhopadhyay, said to be inspired by the character of Sherlock Holmes. Byomkesh, who is known for his sharp skills of observation, logical reasoning, and proficiency in forensic sciences, uses them to solve cases, especially murders.
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The official synopsis of the upcoming film reads: “Set in the tumultuous Naxalite uprising in Bengal, in 1971, Byomkesh Bakshi gets involved in a tale of vengeance, when he decides to attend a play at a theatre and becomes a witness to a crime that unfolds on stage. As Byomkesh digs deeper into the case, it leads him to a tripartite story of love, betrayal and infidelity.”
According to a press release issued by the makers, Sil will embed a political and cultural commentary on Bengal of 1971 in the narrative of this new Byomkesh Bakshi film.
The upcoming film is produced by SVF in collaboration with Camellia Productions.