Abir Chatterjee has scored a hat-trick by pulling off his third literature-to-film detective character — after Feluda and Byomkesh Bakshi — and this one is also possibly the most fun. In Debaloy Bhattacharya’s Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole, Abir plays Dipak Chatterjee, the pulp-fiction detective of the hugely popular novel series that Swapan Kumar started writing in the 1950s and continued for three decades.
The film’s central theme is the interplay of reality and fiction with both the fictional sleuth Dipak Chatterjee (Abir Chatterjee) and his creator, author Swapan Kumar (Paran Bandyopadhyay), interacting as real-life characters.
When the story begins, we find Dipak Chatterjee, now a delusional security guard at a ramshackle library, questioning his relevance in a changing city. However, with the threat of a mysterious antagonist, Badami Hyena, looming large over Kolkata, Swapan Kumar decides to coax Dipak out of his retirement to put on his crime-solving cape.
The bone of contention is a small box that Badami Hyena wants to take control of. He assigns the task to Dipak’s old nemesis Bajpakhi (Goutam Halder), but Dipak outwits him in getting his hands on the box. Enter an enigmatic woman named Tashi (Shruti Das), whom Dipak saves from an attempted murder. As the sparks fly between the two, it turns out Tashi is Badami Hyena’s mole. With time running out, Dipak puts up a brave fight to save the city once again.
Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole is a brave adaptation that retains the suspension of disbelief present in Swapan Kumar’s works while paying homage to pop culture with clever references and easter eggs. Through interactions between Dipak and Swapan Kumar, the film unfolds in a nonlinear meta-narrative style which incorporates the angst and disillusionment of both the central characters.
It takes a jab at the cultural gatekeepers who allowed Swapan Kumar’s creation to fade into obscurity. In one of the sequences, Dipak has a few tips for his creator on how to make his novels more saleable. Add Rabindrasangeet and riddles for a treasure hunt, suggests Dipak, prompting Swapan Kumar to sit with a Gitabitan to choose the right song for the plot.
Abir successfully deconstructs his conventional image to portray a beaten, has-been detective. Paran Bandyopadhyay is equally compelling as a once-upon-a-time best-selling writer refusing to give up despite societal disdain. Pratik Dutta will catch your attention as Dipak’s wingman Ratanlal, while Goutam Halder’s over-the-top act as Bajpakhi goes perfectly with the film’s tone.
After a slow start, Shri Swapankumarer Badami Hyenar Kobole picks up pace in the second half with enough plot twists to keep you hooked. The film is visually captivating with the CGI and colour scheme creating a world that embraces the absurdity of Swapan Kumar’s fantasy world. The film may test your patience at times, thanks to a rather long runtime, but count on the witty dialogues to keep you going.
The musical score is another plus. With haunting tunes like Nirbashito Chand — written by Debaloy Bhattacharya and composed by Amit Chatterjee — and westernised renditions of Rabindrasangeet, the music heightens the film’s dark comedy vibe.
