'Feluda', the famous fictional Bengali sleuth, was made famous by prodigy Satyajit Ray, first with his novels, and then, with films. Even though he was able to direct only two Feluda films, his son Sandip Ray carried his legacy forward. And Feluda films gave a new dimension to Bengali movies with the introduction of the whodunnit genre. So, we recommend you watch these Feluda films to get familiar with the sleuth.
Feluda Movies Are An Inherent Part Of Bengali Cinema, And We Tell You Which Ones To Watch
Sonar Kella
Sonar Kella, directed by Satyajit Ray, was the start of Bengalis' obsession with sleuths in the audio visual medium. With one of the best actors of all time (Soumitra Chattopadhyay) portraying the role of Prodosh Chandra Mitter aka Feluda, this 1971 mystery novel written by Satyajit Ray, was translated on to the screen by the writer-director himself in 1974.
Joy Baba Felunath
After Sonar Kella, Joy Baba Felunath is probably the second best Feluda movie of all time. Legendary duo Soumitra Chattopadhyay and Satyajit Ray re-unite for another rendition of a scintillating story. We get to the see the grandeur of actor Utpal Dutt as the menacing Maganlal Meghraj, the antagonist of the film. Siddartha Chatterjee reprises his role of Tapesh Ranjan Mitter, or Topshe, Feluda's sharp cousin and Santosh Dutta as the evergreen Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly).
Baksho Rahashya
Taking the mantle from his father, son Sandip Ray directed his first Feluda film ever in 1996. Interestingly, this was also the first telefilm made for Feluda 30, the TV film series, which aired on DD Bangla. It later got theatrical release in 2001. A sequel to Joy Baba Felunath, Baksho Rahashya features Sabyasachi Chakrabarty in the titular role of Feluda for the first time, who later on, was regarded by many critics as the best Feluda ever.
Kailashey Kelenkari
Kailashey Kelenkari released in 2007 but you can still watch it sitting in 2020 (or even later!). This is one of the best stories that Satyajit Ray penned for his Feluda series, after being fascinated by the beauty of Ellora caves in Aurangabad. The film has the same setting and is based on Feluda's investigation of the illegal trading of ancient sculptures.
Royal Bengal Rahashya
Royal Bengal Rahashya will remain a Feluda film with a somewhat sad background, since this was iconic actor Bibhu Bhattacharya's last reprisal of his character of Jatayu, before his demise. Directed by Sandip Ray, we see Shaheb Bhattacharya as the new age Topshe. Royal Bengal Rahashya is about a treasure hunt and also the mysterious death of a zamindar's assistant.
Double Feluda
After the demise of Bibhu Bhattacharya, Sabyasachi declared his retirement, but it took Sandip Ray some convincing, apart from the fact that Double Feluda was going to be a tribute to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic creation. With Sabyasachi and Shaheb returning to play Feluda and Topshe, Double Feluda was an experiment comprising two short Feluda films separated by the interval. The films were based on the stories 'Samaddarer Chabi' and 'Golokdham Rahasya'.
