Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!

This article is about 2015 film. For the title character, created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, see Byomkesh Bakshi.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Dibakar Banerjee
Produced by Aditya Chopra
Dibakar Banerjee
Written by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Dibakar Banerjee
Screenplay by Dibakar Banerjee
Urmi Juvekar
Based on Satyanweshi and Arthamanartham by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay
Starring Sushant Singh Rajput
Anand Tiwari
Swastika Mukherjee
Music by Various Artists
Cinematography Nikos Andritsakis
Edited by Manas Mittal
Namrata Rao
Production
company
Yash Raj Films
Dibakar Banerjee Productions
Distributed by Yash Raj Films
Release dates
  • 3 April 2015 (2015-04-03)[1]
Running time
 147 minutes[2]
Country India
Language Hindi
Budget ₹35 crore (US$5.2 million)[3]
Box office ₹36 crore (US$5.3 million)[3][4][5]

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is a 2015 Indian action mystery thriller film directed by Dibakar Banerjee and produced by Banerjee and Aditya Chopra.[6] The story is based on the fictional detective Byomkesh Bakshi created by the Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay.[7] The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari and Swastika Mukherjee in principal roles. It was released on 3 April 2015 to positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In a contemporary interpretation of war-torn Calcutta during 1942, the story follows the first adventure of Byomkesh (Sushant Singh Rajput), fresh out of college, as he pits himself against a mastermind criminal.

When Ajit Banerjee's genius chemist father disappears without a trace, he hires a young private detective Byomkesh Bakshi to find him. Bakshi uncovers clues that Banerjee might have been blackmailing veteran political leader Gajanan Sikdar. After Banerjee's corpse is found inside Sikdar's factory, the case seems closed until Sikdar is poisoned and killed as well. Ultimately, Bakshi stumbles onto a heroin smuggling ring run by a criminal mastermind known by several names and guises and who might be playing an extremely dangerous game that goes beyond the confines of mere crime and progresses to treason against the state.

Cast

Production

Casting

After Khosla Ka Ghosla, Dibakar Banerjee wanted to make this film and he approached Aamir Khan to play the villain. Eventually the deal was cancelled because Aamir chose Dhoom 3 over it.[15] Sushant Singh Rajput was roped in to play the role of Byomkesh Bakshi in mid-2013.[16] Earlier reports suggested that fashion designer Sabyasachi's assistant, Divya Menon, would be making her debut as an actress in this film as Rajput's character's wife.[8]

Initially Rani Mukherjee was considered to play the female lead. However, Rani refused the role since the heroine's character had a few bold scenes.[17] The role was later offered to Bengali actress Swastika Mukherjee. On 6 November 2014, Banerjee stated that Mukherjee's role is sketched along the lines of Mata Hari.[10] In March 2014, reports suggested that Meiyang Chang would be seen in the film in an important role.[13] In May 2014, it was revealed that Neeraj Kabi is also part of the film.[12]

Development

Dibakar Banerjee expressed his desire to make a film on Byomkesh Bakshi so that India will get its own detective. On 28 June 2013, the co-production venture of YRF and Dibakar Banerjee Productions officially announces its first directorial outing with Banerjee titled Detective Byomkesh Bakshy![18] In July 2013, Banerjee revealed that YRF had bought the rights of "31 of Byomkesh novels in all languages outside Bangla".[19]

Before shooting, workshops were held for the cast.[20] In an interview Rajput said, "I have taken leave for two to three months for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! after the release of Shuddh Desi Romance. A lot has to be done for the film like the look of the 1940s' hairstyle, body, accent, but all after this film".[21] The costume was designed by the designer Manish Malhotra.[22]

The sets were designed by Vandana Kataria and, accordingly, the set up will showcase the lifestyle of the people who were living during the turbulent times of World War II.[23] To give the look of 1943, the heritage zone of B. B. D. Bagh was transported back to the pre-Independence era with vintage cars and old trams back on the streets.[24] As reports suggest, a lot of VFX will be used to reflect old world charm.[23]

Filming

Shooting for the film began in early 2014,[25] and ended on 12 May 2014.[26] A part of the movie has been shot in Kolkata and Mumbai. Some scenes were shot in an abandoned mill in Mumbai's Byculla region.[12] Shooting locations in Kolkata were finalised in February 2012.[27] Shooting took place in Lalbazar, Presidency University, Coffee House and Bow Barracks.[28] The cast was reportedly seen shooting for the film in Agarpara in January 2014.[24]

Music

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
Soundtrack album by Various
Released 17 March 2015 (2015-03-17)
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length 26:57
Label Yash Raj Music

Early in 2014, Banerjee and his production team set out to find artists whose music would fit into the story, shortlisting about 200 songs from non-Bollywood artists across the country. From the seven tracks on the OST, four tracks are remakes of previously written material – PCRC's "Pariquel" off their 2011 debut album Sinema, now has Hindi lyrics by frontman Suryakant Sawhney, BLEK's 2012 song "Fog + Strobe" includes thumri vocals by playback singer Usri Banerjee, Madboy/Mink's "Taste Your Kiss" includes verses in Hindi from vocalist Saba Azad and Joint Family's "Life's A Bitch," stays true to its original 2007 version from their album Hot Box.

Amongst the artists in the album, Sneha Khanwalkar is the only musician who had composed for a soundtrack before this.[29] The track used in the teaser, titled "Life's a Bitch", is composed by the New Delhi band Joint Family. The full song of "Bach Ke Bakshy" was published in a music video featuring Sushant, dancing in a parking lot, on 16 March 2015 in the official YRF YouTube channel.[30] The next day, YRF uploaded all the songs in an audio jukebox format.[31]

Track listing
No. TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s) Length
1. "Calcutta Kiss"  Madboy/MinkMadboy/MinkImaad Shah, Saba Azad 3:09
2. "Bach Ke Bakshy"  Sneha Khanwalkar, Dibakar BanerjeeSneha Khanwalkar, Dibakar BanerjeeGowri Jayakumar, Big Deal, Thomson Andrews, Trevor Furtado, Rap by: Smokey the Ghost, Craz Professa 5:49
3. "Byomkesh in Love"  Rishi BradooBlekRishi Bradoo, Anil Bradoo, Usri Banerjee 3:18
4. "Jaanam"  Suryakant SawhneyPeter Cat Recording Co. (PCRC)Suryakant Sawhney 3:27
5. "Chase in Chinatown"  Sandeep MadhavanMode AKAVyshnav Balasubramaniam, Sandeep Madhavan, Manas Ullas 3:55
6. "Life's A Bitch"  Akshay DeJoint FamilyAkshay De 3:35
7. "Yang Guang Lives"  IJAIJAIJA 4:29
Total length:
 26:57

Marketing and promotion

Banerjee says he changed the 'i' at the end of the protagonist's surname Bakshi to 'y' for "typographical balance", stating that the 'i' felt "too thin" and that 'y' was a "stronger alphabet".[32]

The teaser was released on 21 October 2014 attached to the film Happy New Year[33] and features the tagline, "Expect the Unexpected".[34] The teaser was released on Vine and marks the first film to do so.[35]

The first motion poster of the film was released on 20 December, in Kolkata.[36] The official trailer of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! released online on 21 January 2015. The production team made a special documentary to celebrate the birthday of Howrah Bridge and did a flash mob on the bridge to the song "Calcutta Kiss" on that day.[37]

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! team promoted the film in Mumbai College, where a fashion show is inspired by it.[38] A second trailer was released on 10 March 2015.[39][40] Sushant Singh Rajput promoted the film in India Poochega Sabse Shaana Kaun? and Comedy Nights with Kapil.[41][42] Rajput also promoted the film in the TV series C.I.D. on 30 March 2015, where he appeared as Byomkesh with Anand Tiwari as Ajit.[43]

Products

A mobile version game named Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!: The Game, has been launched by Games2win (G2W), which is currently available on the Google Play Store. It is a hidden objects game.[44]

The game, launched with Yash Raj Films Licensing (YRFL), the licensing division of Yash Raj Films, is based on the film, which features Sushant Singh Rajput in the lead. On completing all the levels, a 'Detective Certificate' is awarded to the players, who can post it on social media.

An apparel line titled NOIR 43 was launched at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW), New Delhi, on 26 March. Since Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is set against the backdrop of Kolkata during World War II in 1943, elements from the film have influenced the fashion line of contemporary clothing. The collection will be exclusively available on Amazon.in.[45]

Sequel

Before the film's release, Dibakar Banerjee expressed interest to make Byomkesh Bakshy as a franchise, if the first film does well.[39][46][47][48] After its release, Banerjee stated that he had the sequel ready and was hoping to start soon.[49][50] Banerjee said that Byomkesh's adventures will continue with the upcoming instalments of the series exploring his relationship with his sidekick Ajit, his love interest Satyawati and his nemesis.[51][52]

Reception

Critical reception

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! received generally positive response from critics.[53][54]

Hindustan Times Rohit Vats gave it four stars out of five and stated "The action in the film starts taking place from a distance and the director slowly involves the audience into it. Pre-independence Calcutta serves as the backdrop in the opening scenes, but it soon turns into a character. The attention to detail is obvious in almost every frame."[55]

Koimoi Surabhi Redkar, gave it four stars out of five and said: "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is a delicious thriller filled with elements that make you rack your brains too. This mystery is the one even you would want to solve. Watch it for an amazing story and its even better execution. Crime mysteries just got better in Bollywood! I am going for 4/5 here!"[56]

Mid-Day Surabhi Redkar, gave four stars and said: "Don't miss it. Even if just to go back to the magical world of nostalgia created so beautifully and earnestly by Banerjee and cinematographer Nikos Andritsakis."[57] Kusumita Das from Deccan Chronicle rated the movie 3.5 stars out of five and noted "The film follows the core structure of whodunit --- the chase, the red herrings, the slow cooked suspense leading up to a grand reveal. There's a generous spray of blood too, that underlines just how violent those times were."[58]

Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India reviewed and gave 3.5 stars out of five and wrote "Byomkesh Bakshy is an iconic Bengali character brought to life by Sushant Singh Rajput with great elan – Sushant pulls off a role full of wry liveliness (a Sardarji cabbie nervously noting, 'Ye babu ka nut dheela hai,'), fitting the character, from flowery dhoti folds to furrowed-forehead frowns, beautifully. He's matched by dramatic Neeraj Kabi and calm Anand Tiwari who, after a Chinese gang leaves a courtyard strewn with corpses, tells caretaker Putiram (shakily precise Pradipto Kumar Chakrabarty), 'Khoon rehne de...bas chai bana de."[59]

Indian Express, Shubhra Gupta gave it three stars out of five and mentioned "When it switches to explicatory mode, it flattens. The tension, which is on a slow-burn, leaches out, and the film ends as less than it could have been. And that's a disappointment. But by then, you have seen a film, a real, bonafide film, not bits and pieces of nonsense masquerading as one."[60]

IBN Live gave it three stars out of five and mentioned "It's the snail-paced plotting, and the surprising lack of urgency and imminent danger that cripples the film. Story strands and characters are abandoned arbitrarily, only to be revisited later. The big reveal isn't too hard to guess – stick with your gut, don't let the red herrings distract you, and lo, you've figured it out. The climax too is a mess of hammy acting."[61] Deepanjana Pal of Firstpost gave it eight out of ten.[62]

Box office

Revenue could hardly cross its budget on box office. On its first day Detective Byomkesh Bakshym! collected ₹4.2 crore (US$620,000) nett in India.[4] On its second and third day the film collected ₹4.5 crore (US$670,000) and ₹5.36 crore (US$800,000) respectively, and made a total weekend collection of ₹14.1 crore (US$2.1 million) in India.[5] As of 3 May, the film collected ₹27.05 crore (US$4.0 million) in India.[4]

As of 12 April, the film collected ₹8.12 crore (US$1.2 million) from international markets.[3][4]

Awards

Year Occasion Award Awardee Result
2016 Stardust Awards Best actor in a negative role Neeraj Kabi [63] Nominated

References

  1. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshi (2015)". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "DETECTIVE BYOMKESH BAKSHY! (15) - British Board of Film Classification". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 "Box Office: Understanding the economics of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy". Bollywood Hungama. 14 April 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Special Features: Box Office: Worldwide Collections of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!". Bollywood Hungama.
  5. 1 2 "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy: Day 2 (1st Saturday) Box Office Collections". Koimoi. 4 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!". Yash Raj Films. Retrieved 12 October 2014.
  7. ↑ "'Byomkesh Bakshi' gets a new spelling in Bollywood". Daily News & Analysis. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  8. 1 2 "Sabyasachi's assistant to play Sushant's wife in Detective Byomkesh Bakshi?". Bollywood Hungama. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  9. ↑ "Sabyasachi’s assistant designer makes her film debut in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!". Vogue India. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Swastika is mysterious like Mata Hari in Byomkesh Bakshy: Dibakar Banerjee". Hindustan Times. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Dibakar Banerjee ropes in Delhi Band 'Joint Family' for 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'". DNA India. 31 October 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 "On The Sets of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!". Koimoi. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  13. 1 2 "'Detective Byomkesh Bakshi' guarded about Meiyang Chang's role". Mid-Day. 2 March 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015), Full Cast & Crew
  15. ↑ "Aamir Khan was the first choice to play villain in Dibakar Banerjee's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, but chose Dhoom 3 over it". NDTV. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Sushant Singh Rajput to play Detective Byomkesh Bakshi". NDTV. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  17. ↑ "I'm still a huge film fan". Filmfare. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  18. ↑ "YRF & Dibakar Banerjee Reboot "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!"". YRF. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  19. ↑ "Hindi 'Byomkesh' for youth, says Dibakar Banerjee". Zee News. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  20. ↑ "I prefer doing unconventional roles like in 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'; money is not an issue for me, says actor Sushant Singh Rajput". CNN-IBN. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  21. ↑ "Sushant Singh Rajput to prepare intensively for Detective Byomkesh Bakshi!". DNA India. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "Need to create designs reflecting contemporary India: Designer Manish Malhotra". News India Express. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  23. 1 2 "Extensive VFX for Sushant Singh Rajput's Detective Byomkesh Bakshy". The Indian Express. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  24. 1 2 "BBD Bag back to 1943 for Byomkesh shoot". The Times of India. 10 April 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Sushant Singh Rajput in Yash Raj Film's Detective Byomkesh Bakshi". The Indian Express. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Byomkesh Bakshy 12 May status update". Twitter. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "After Shanghai, Dibakar to make Kolkata". Bollywood Hungama. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshi Shooting". The Telegraph. Kolkota. 3 February 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  29. ↑ "Beat Box- Detective Byomkesh Bakshy: The Upper Crust". The Indian EXPRESS. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  30. ↑ "BACH KE BAKSHY! MUSIC VIDEO OUT NOW!". YRF. 16 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  31. ↑ "The Detective Byomkesh Bakshy OST is awesome". GQIndia. 17 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  32. ↑ Joshi, Namrata; Mitra, Dola (19 January 2015). "A Cycle Bell Rings". Outlook Magazine 55 (2): 63. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  33. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshi teaser to be out with SRK's Happy New Year". The Times of India. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  34. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy Teaser : A curiosity generating first look". The Times of India. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "Sushant Singh Rajput's Detective Bomkyesh Bakshy is the first film to launch on Vine". DNA India. 27 October 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  36. ↑ "The fiirst motion poster of 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' features Sushant Singh Rajput and war torn Kolkata". IBN Live. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  37. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! team makes a documentary on Howrah Bridge". The Times of India.
  38. ↑ "Mumbai college inspired by Detective Byomkesh Bakshy". Hindustan Times.
  39. 1 2 "Aamir Khan Not the Villain in Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!: Dibakar Banerjee". NDTVMovies.com.
  40. ↑ "Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!: Watch Sushant Singh Rajput in the new trailer". India Today.
  41. ↑ "What did Shah Rukh Khan tell Sushant Singh Rajput about 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'?". Daily News and Analysis.
  42. ↑ "Comedy Nights With Kapil: Sushant Singh Rajput to promote Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! with Kapil Sharma". India.com.
  43. ↑ "21st Century Byomkesh? Sushant Singh Rajput, Dibakar Banerjee on the Possibilities of Time Travel". NDTVMovies.com.
  44. ↑ "For tech-savvy's: Mobile game for Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! launched". India Today.
  45. ↑ "'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' actor Sushant Singh Rajput launches fashion line 'NOIR 43'-Movies NewsNews – IBNLive Mobile". CNN-IBN. 27 March 2015.
  46. ↑ "Will 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' become franchise?". The Indian Express. 10 March 2015.
  47. ↑ "Will make Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! sequel if the film is a success: Dibakar Banerjee". Hindustan Times.
  48. ↑ "Dibakar Banerjee keen on Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! sequel". India Today.
  49. ↑ "Have the sequel to 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' ready, confirm Dibakar Banerjee and Sushant Singh Rajput". Daily News and Analysis.
  50. ↑ "Dibakar Banerjee: Trying to change the taste of movie watching public". India.com.
  51. ↑ "Of Potato Wedges and Chai". The Indian Express. 13 April 2015.
  52. ↑ http://movies.ndtv.com/bollywood/dibakar-banerjee-is-working-on-a-sequel-to-detective-byomkesh-bakshy-1238620
  53. ↑ "'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' Movie Review Roundup: An Intriguing Thriller". International Business Times. 2 April 2015.
  54. ↑ "B-Town comes out in support of Sushant Singh Rajput's 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy'". Daily News and Analysis.
  55. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! review: Sushant solved this case with ease
  56. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! review
  57. ↑ 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!' – Movie Review
  58. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! movie review: With a stunning build-up, Dibakar keeps you guessing till the very end
  59. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Movie Review
  60. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! review: Its biggest weakness is its leading man Sushant Singh Rajput
  61. ↑ 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' review: A film that deserves to be watched
  62. ↑ Detective Byomkesh Bakshy review: Stylish, beautiful and yet Dibakar's most underwhelming film so far
  63. ↑ http://ibtimes.co.in/stardust-awards-badlapur-bajrangi-bhaijaan-tanu-weds-manu-returns-others-nominated-658169

External links

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