Feluda needs a pause to keep his enigma alive

Perhaps sensing that audiences risk fatigue with “too much Feluda,” Sandip Ray, speaking to this correspondent, seems intent on preserving the detective’s mystique—for now.

The occasion was a panel discussion at St. Lawrence School marking 50 years of Sonar Kella—which also coincided with the golden jubilee of the school’s Old Boys Association. Sandip Ray, along with Siddhartha Chatterjee (Topshe) and Kushal Chakraborty (Mukul), revisited memories of the iconic film, sharing anecdotes with a delighted audience.

Feluda, or Pradosh Chandra Mitter, was created in 1965 by India's foremost filmmaker and Oscar awardee late Satyajit Ray in the Bengali children’s magazine Sandesh.

Since then, the cerebral detective has enthralled generations, aided by his cousin Topshe and the inimitable Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu.

The cinematic journey began in 1974 with Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress), where Soumitra Chatterjee brought Feluda alive against Rajasthan’s desert and fort backdrops. Five years later, Ray senior made Joy Baba Felunath (The Elephant God), largely filmed in Varanasi. After the death of Santosh Dutta, who immortalised Jatayu, Ray refrained from making more Feluda films.

From 1996 to 2024, Sandip Ray carried the baton, directing ten Feluda features and several television adaptations.

Asked if fans could expect more of the astute detective who solves crimes with intellect rather than brawn, Sandip only smiled: “Let Feluda rest for some time.”

Pressed further about his next project, he laughed: “Something is there. Let’s see.”

(Text and photos: Pritha Lahiri)