"মুড়ো হয় বুড়ো গাছ
হাত গোন ভাত পাঁচ
দিক পাও ঠিক ঠিক জবাবে।
ফাল্গুন তাল জোড়
দুই মাঝে ভুঁই ফোড়
সন্ধানে ধান্দায় নবাবে।"The above extract is a riddle written by the hands of the mystery maker, the great Satyajit Ray. And this very name brings us to the favourite detective character of our childhood that every person has associated with and has enjoyed reading or watching him in action. Yes, guys, we are talking about various mysteries and adventures of Prodosh C. Mitter aka our beloved Feluda.
Set in the Himalayas or in the busy hustle and bustle of Kolkata or starting from the majestic forts of Jaisalmer to the dense ominous forests, this character has never failed to surprise us with his intellect, sharp mind and his simple trickery in luring the wrongdoer out.
He always brings along his niece Topesh Ronjon Mitra aka Topshe, a witty talented young teenager who is able to keep calm in moments of trouble and despair and is always there to support his uncle whenever needed. And in the midst of all this thrill, excitement, and adrenaline, laughter always finds it way in between due to the hilarious statements and fun-loving comments of their accomplice Lalmohan Ganguly aka Lalmohan babu who is also a gifted mystery writer and writes under the pen name of Jatayu. Ever since his fantastic entry in the great "Sonar Kella" he has followed Feluda and Topshe to their various quests for truth and justice.
Also, we find a number of appearances of a wealthy but chivalric cunning businessman by the name of Maganlal Meghraj as a common adversary of Feluda. They clashed several times in various thrilling circumstances.
SATYAJIT RAY
Satyajit Ray. A name that instills a kaleidoscope of feelings in every filmmaker, actor, professional associated with the industry and the common folk. He was a resounding stalwart in the film industry and unparalleled in the field of literature as well. One could go on and on regarding his plethora of knowledge and skills but as a gullible childbearing adolescent, one cannot simply ignore or forget his most resounding work for readers and film watchers of this age.
Satyajit Ray was born in Calcutta (2nd May 1921) into a Bengali family. He started his career as a commercial artist. Later he was drawn into film making after meeting French filmmaker Jean Renoir and viewing Vittorio De Sica's Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves (1948) during a visit to London.
সত্যজিৎ রায়। ভারতীয় তথা বিশ্ব চলচিত্র জগতের এক অনন্য কিংবদন্তি। তবে তাঁর প্রতিভা কেবলমাত্র এই একটি বিষয়ে সীমিত ছিল না।ছোটদের জন্য সাহিত্য, চিত্রালঙ্কারণ,সব কিছুতেই তিনি ছিলেন অনন্য।ফেলুদা, তোপসে, লালমোহবাবু, মগনলাল মেঘরাজ,প্রফেসর শঙ্কু, গুপি-বাঘা এদের ছাড়া হয়তো শৈশবটা অপূর্ণ থেকে যেত।
Ray has directed over 36 films in his career and gave birth to many famous characters including Feluda, Professor Shonku, and many more.
Ray’s first film was Pather Pachali which based on the novel of the same name By Bibhutibhusan Bandhopadhyay. The film perfectly portrays the life in villages in India and how poverty makes life difficult in rural India. Apu and Durga the two main protagonists of the story bring us back to our childhood nostalgia by their innocence. It is Ray's one of the greatest works. The scenic beauty which leaves in our mind traces worth remembering. Cinematography, Plot, Characterisation everything achieved at its brilliance.
He died on 23rd April 1992.
"চিত্রনাট্য রচনার সবচেয়ে বড় কথা বোধহয় এই যে,চিত্রনাট্যকার তার নিজস্ব সত্তাকে সম্পূর্ণ বিলীন করে,তার চরিত্রের অন্তরে প্রবেশ করে সেই চরিত্রের সত্তাটিকে সংলাপের দ্বারা ফুটিয়ে তুলবেন।"
In this article, I will try to write about how the character Feluda created by Ray still has a deep impact on everyone’s mind.
FELUDA
Feluda. This name instills a sense of warm fuzziness, one of excitement mixed with exhilaration and cunning and sheer intelligence in the readers and watchers alike. Feluda has been the backbone of the Bengali adolescence and the general public since his debut but I take pride to say that his fame has not been limited in national boundaries. Though just a character, we connect with him on a whole different level. His style, suave, technique, methods, cunning, and his general demeanour as a private crime investigator captured the audience ranging from 8-80. It was Satyajit Ray who taught us the art of keeping our cool in the harshest of situations through the portrait of Feluda. We not only looked up to him but considered him as our pride. He was, is, and will be an example for us to follow through time immemorial.
The influence created by Ray through Feluda was immense and captivated people of all age groups and provided entertainment. Even his passion of the character himself made him pursue to not only write but direct few films of Feluda enacted by another great man Soumitra Chatyapadhya, notably "Sonar Kella", " Joy Baba Felunath" and others.
It is ample proof that a fictional character created in the last century still boasts of having cinemas made on him in 2020.
This entire package created by Ray is still immortal and an intrinsic part of thriller detective Bengali novels. Respect to this man of the 20th century.
Maganlal Meghraj – Feluda’s arch enemy
Every hero has an archenemy, every nadir has a zenith, good comes with the bad. True to this, even the great Feluda gets his mettle tested by the villain of villains the notorious Magonlal Meghraj. We find this villain in 3 stories of Feluda each time he outsmarts our Feluda and tried to get away with it. But his nefarious plans are always devastated by the dashing investigator equipped with his wit and smarts. True since his debut in Jai Baba Felunath this villain has strived time and again to put our hero and his companions in mortal peril but true to his merits Feluda has outsmarted him every time. If any villain deserves the throne of "archenemy" of the great Feluda, it's none other than the villainous Magonlal Meghraj.
Topshe
Topesh Ranjan Mitter, popularly known as Topshe is Feluda’s cousin, his assistant, and the narrator of all the stories. The character of Topse is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's conception of John Watson. Just like the former army surgeon, Topshe is the quintessential accomplice and faithfully records each of Prodosh Mitra's exploits accurately. Feluda is extremely fond and protective of him. Feluda used to live with Topshe’s family at 21, Rajani Sen Road, Kolkata-700029.
Lal Mohan Ganguly or Jatayu
Lalmohon Ganguli is a close friend of Prodosh Chandra Mitra and is described as the author of a series of Bengali crime thrillers written under the pseudonym 'Jatayu'. In his crime stories the main character is always the superhero Prakhar Rudra, and in his words, Height:6 ft 3 1/2 inches, waist:36, chest:46, shoulders:22 and wrist:8 1/2. Jatayu makes his first appearance in the novel Sonar Kella joining Feluda and Topshe on the train at Kanpur and then to Jodhpur. A short, stalky, witty, talented, and fun character of Lal Mohan Babu adds entertainment to the stories.
লালমোহনঃ ওই দেখ!!হরিণ!!
তোপসেঃওটা ছাগল।
ফেলুদাঃভাগ্যিস বাঘ বলেন নি।
-(Royal Bengal Rohosyo)
Let’s check out some famous Feluda novels
1. Jay Baba Felunath
Jay baba Felunath is one of the most popular novel of Ray. Ray makes Feluda pit his wits against a shy and wealthy Marwari Businessman named Maganlal Meghraj. He appeared in 2 other stories and was Feluda’s arch-enemy much like James Moriarty was to Sherlock Holmes. The story revolves around a stolen idol from Umanath. When Feluda continued with his search even after getting a chilling warning from Maganlal, he soon finds himself investigating a much more serious crime of murdering an innocent man.
Jay baba Felunath is set in the old ghats of Kashi. Its winding lanes and the beautiful nature captures the very essence of India’s heritage in the middle of the 20th century.
আম্বিকা ঘোষালঃ"আচ্ছা ফেলু বাবু,আপনি বুঝলেন কিকরে বলুন তো যে এটা আসল মূর্তি টা নয়?"
রুকুঃ"আমি জানি।মগজাস্ত্র।"
2. Sonar Kella
The story of Sonar Kella revolves around Mukul Dhar, a seven-year-old boy living in North Kolkata who can remember events and scenes from his past life. According to him, he used to live in Rajasthan hundreds of years ago. He always talks about a fortress made of gold and precious stones. In this novel, Feluda and his cousin Topshe embark on a cross country chase of the two criminals who planned to kidnap Mukul and get their hands on the gold and gems buried there.
The famous character of Lalmohan Ganguly was introduced in this novel. The novel is full of witty and intelligent dialogues and is a treat to people of all age groups.
The film Sonar Kella is perhaps one of the most intelligent and exciting thrillers to have ever been produced by the Bengali film industry.
লালমোহনঃ"কি মিলল?"
ফেলুঃ"না।"
লালমোহনঃ"মিলল না?আপনার ছাতি কত?"
ফেলুঃ"ছাব্বিশ ইঞ্চি।"
লালমোহনঃ"আর কোমর?"
ফেলুঃ"ওই ছাব্বিশ ইঞ্চি"
লালমোহনঃ"ও বাবা,আপনি কি শুয়োর?"
ফেলুদাঃভাগ্যিস আপনি গোয়েএহন নি।
তাহলে আর আমাদের পসার থাকত না।
সিধু জ্যাঠাঃআমি অনেক কিছু করলে অনেকের ই
কোন পসার থাকত না ফেলু।তাই আমি কিছুই করিনি।
3. Joto Kando Kathmandute
Joto Kando Kathmandute is based on the criminals of Kathmandu.
Feluda goes to Nepal to catch a murderer but to his surprise, the case was much more complicated. While investigating Jatayu gets drugged and Feluda came face to face to his old enemy Maganlal.
মোগনলালঃআপ্নি মুখ সামলে কথা বলবেন ফেলুবাবু,Jagdish is my...
ফেলুদাঃজগদীশ না মোগনলাল বাবু,Batra।
Antalal Batra is your right-hand man.
ঠিক বললাম তো Mr. Batra??
The personality of this immensely popular fictitious Feluda will always be an example and an inspiration for the young, a thrill for the middle-aged and nostalgic for the old. And Ray has this immortalized himself with this piece of work which has captured a central position and had been given utmost recognition in the literary works of Bengali language. Helping the needy facing the truth fighting the odds, and searching the justice is the lifelong virtues taught and propagated through a swashbuckling adventurous journey of our Feluda and his companions. In one word all that can be said about this intangible hero- A MASTERPIECE.
# Last, but not least — in fact, this is most important —
you need a happy ending. However, if you can create tragic situations and jerk a few tears before the happy ending, it will work much better.
-Satyajit Ray
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