Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Feluda first made his appearance in a Bengali children’s magazine called Sandesh in 1965. His first adventure was Feludar Goendagiri.
Feluda is always accompanied by his cousin Topshe, and in later stories, by a popular thriller writer Jatayu (Lalmohon Ganguli).
Feluda has had been filmed at different times, with the character been played by Soumitra Chatterjee, Sabyasachi Chakraborty and Shashi Kapoor.
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[edit] Character development
Prodosh Chandra Mitter, popularly known by his nickname Feluda, first appeared in the eponymous short story Feludar Goyendagiri (Feluda's Investigation) in 1965. The story was published in Sandesh, a children's periodical founded by Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray and edited by Ray himself. In the Feluda series that followed, Feluda was portrayed as a man of around 27 with a tall (6'2";feet), athletic figure. Despite being a strongly built man adept in martial arts, Feluda relies mostly upon his superb analytical ability and observation skill (jokingly referred to as the 'Magajastra' or brain-weapon) to solve cases instead of using physical strength or weapons. He is very choosy about taking up cases and prefers cases that require cerebral effort. He possesses a .32 Colt revolver, but the weapon is used very infrequently and mostly for non-violent purposes. However, contemporary (2000's) movies based on Feluda stories feature scenes of violence uncharacteristic of the series, where Feluda demonstrates his martial art prowess. Feluda is known to be a good sleight-of-hand and he put that skill to use for solving couple of cases. He is also good at disguises.
In his personal life, Feluda is a common Bengali youth has been brought up by his father's younger brother(Tapesh/Topshe's father)after his parent's death when he was only 9. His father, the late Jaykrishna Mitter, used to teach Mathematics and Sanskrit at Dhaka Collegiate School. Feluda, too, taught in a school prior to his detective career. He enjoys delivering classroom-like lectures, a carry over from that profession. He finds an avid listener in his cousin Tapesh. Also, he often uses his oratory skill at the climactic scenes to cajole the culprit in confessing his crime. He is an early riser and is often shown starting his day with yoga. Contrary to his otherwise healthy lifestyle, Feluda enjoys smoking cigarettes and chewing betel leaves. His favorite brand of cigarettes is Charminar. He is also a connoisseur of delicious foods, popular music and movies, and books. He has a great appreciation for Sherlock Holmes and, according to the film Tintorettor Jishu (film), Bruce Lee. Like Sherlock Holmes, he has an omnivorous reading habit (reflecting that of Ray's own), which add up to his enormous general knowledge. This know-how often comes handy while socializing with people and unraveling mysteries.He always reads about the place he is visiting. He says it comes in handy sometimes.
[edit] Other characters
Tapesh Ranjan Mitra, Feluda's cousin, who is fondly referred to as Topshe, 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. Though Feluda often teases his young cousin, he is extremely fond and very protective of him. Feluda lives with Topshe's family. Topshe's father is the younger brother of Feluda's father, and therefore his uncle, and they all reside at 21, Rajani Sen Road, Kolkata-700029. Although there really is a 'Rajani Sen Road' in Kolkata, the house number is missing. In films and TV serials the character has been played by Siddahartha Chattopadhyay, Saswata Chattopadhyaya, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay at different times.He is a teenager. The new Topshe is played by Saheb Bhattacharjee, son of footballer Subrato bhattacharjee.
Jatayu, Lalmohon Ganguli or Lalmohon Babu, 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'. His crime stories novels are usually derided as unbelievable, considering that his main character is always the six-and-a-half foot tall superhero Prakhar Rudra. Though all his novels seem to have become bestsellers, he often tends to make extremely silly mistakes such as spelling igloos as 'ilgoos'. In Baksho Rahasya or Mystery of a box, he confuses hippos with walruses - a tendency that Feluda often tries to correct. He sometimes serves as a perfect foil to the group and in Ray's own words provides 'dollops of humour', although he sometimes does some brave acts not expected of him. He owns a 'Madrasi green' Ambassador car. Jatayu makes his first appearance in Sonar Kella joining Feluda and Topshe in the train at Kanpur, on their way to Jodhpur. In the first two films on Feluda, which were directed by Ray himself, the character was played by Santosh Dutta, and after the first one, Ray modified the literary character to some extent, making him look and behave quite like Dutta himself. Jatayu lives at Garpar in Kolkata, and it may be recalled that Satyajit Ray himself passed his childhood at 100, Garpar.
Sidhu Jyatha, whose formal name is Shiddeshwar Basu, is an aged character who has described himself to be like Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft, living on Sardar Sankar Road, Lake Market, Kolkata. He is a bibliophile, and has an extensive base of general knowledge, current and historical affairs. He is a close friend of Feluda's father, being neighbours in their ancestral village at Bangladesh. Feluda's jyatha (that is, uncle) is said to have a 'photographic memory', and is a vast source of information which comes in handy when Feluda is in need of some. His vast knowledge comes from his collection of varied kinds of newspaper clippings which he has accumulated over the years. The role was played by Harindranath Chattopadhyay in Sonar Kella and by Haradhan Banerjee in Kailashe Kelenkari and in "Gorosthaney Sabdhan".
Haripada is the driver of Lalmohon Ganguli's Ambassador car. He is a loyal, intelligent and reliable person and is of great help when needed. He played a crucial role in Gorosthaney Sabhdhan where he saved the lives of Feluda, Lalmohon, and Topshe.In Ambar Sen Ontordhan Rohossho, Haripad is seen carrying the ransom to the kidnapper. He also has a minor role in Boshpukery Khunkharapi, where he takes part in a surveillance mission with the rest of the Feluda gang in disguise.
Maganlal Meghraj is a villainous character that appears in several of Feluda's stories, including Joy Baba Felunath, Jato Kando Kathmandute, and Golapi Mukta Rahasyao. He has been compared to Professor Moriarty of the Sherlock Holmes-series. Utpal Dutta immortalised this character in one Feluda movie Joi Baba Felunath, which Satyajit Ray directed.
Pulak Ghoshal is a Mumbai-based popular Hindi film director hailing from Kolkata. His original home in Kolkata is in the neighbourhood of Lalmohonbabu's in northern Kolkata's Garpar. He has directed two films based on Lalmohonbabu's stories . During the shooting of both these films , dangerous events took place, resulting in arrest of producer in one film (Bombaiyer Bombete) and arrest of hero in another film (Darjeeling Jamjomat).
Srinath is the domestic cook of Feluda and Topshe. He is often seen serving tea for Feluda and his clients. He is also a good cook of Bengali food.
[edit] Books of Feluda Series
The list is chronologically arranged.
ফেলুদার গোয়েন্দাগিরি
বাদশাহী আংটি
কৈলাস চৌধুরীর পাথর
শেয়াল দেবতা রহস্য
গাংতকে গন্ডগোল
সোনার কেল্লা
বাক্স রহস্য
ঘুরঘুটিয়ার ঘটনা
রয়েল বেঙ্গল রহস্য
সমাদ্দারের চাবি
জয়বাবা ফেলুনাথ
বোম্বাইয়ের বোম্বেট
গোরস্থানে সাবধান
ছিন্নমস্তের অভিশাপ
15.Hatyapuri
হত্যাপুরী
গোলকধাম রহস্য
যত কান্ড কাঠমাণ্ডুতে
নেপোলিয়নের চিঠি
টিনটোরেটোর যীশু
20.Ambar Sen Antordhan Rahasya
অম্বর সেন অন্তর্ধান রহস্য
জাহাঙ্গীরের স্বর্ণমুদ্রা
এবার কান্ড কেদারনাথে
বোসপুকুরে খুনখারাপি
দার্জিলিং জমজমাট
অপ্সরা থিয়েটারের মামলা
ভূস্বর্গ ভয়ঙ্কর
শকুন্তলার কন্ঠহার
লন্ডনে ফেলুদা
নয়ন রহস্য
গোলাপী মুক্তা রহস্য
ডাঃ মুন্সীর ডায়েরী
কৈলাসে কেলেংকারী
গোঁসাইপুর সরগরম
রবার্টসনের রুবি
ইন্দ্রজাল রহস্য
[edit] Fictional Details
Satyajit Ray wrote thirty-five Feluda stories, most of which were extremely and nostalgicly popular among Bengali children as well as adults.
Some of the stories were published in hard-cover editions, while some stories were published as a collection with other new stories. Some stories also appeared in the short story collections of Ray, which characteristically used to contain 12 short stories, including a few featuring Feluda.
Every year a new Feluda adventure appeared in the special Autumn edition or Durgapuja edition of the Bengali periodical - Desh, and also in Sandesh.
Lately, a series of Feluda collections have also been published, containing several stories in a single title. Most recently Feluda titles have been accumulated under Feluda Shamagra.
Following is a list of hard cover edition books with some details:
| Name | Name in English | Publication |
|---|---|---|
| Badshahi Angti | The Emperor's Ring | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1969. Sandesh, 1966 |
| Gangtokey Gandagol | Trouble in Gangtok | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1971. Desh, Autumn Special, 1970 |
| Sonar Kella | The Golden Fortress | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1971. Desh, Autumn Special, 1971 |
| Baksho Rahashya | A Mysterious Case/ The Mystery of the Kalka Mail | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1973. Desh, Autumn Special, 1972 |
| Kailashey Kelenkari | A Killer in Kailash | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1974. Desh, Autumn Special, 1973 |
| Royal Bengal Rahashya | The Royal Bengal Mystery | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1975. Desh, Autumn Special, 1974 |
| Joi Baba Felunath | The Mystery of the Elephant God | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1976. Desh, Autumn Special 1975 |
| Feluda and Co. - Collection Containing : Bombaiyer Bombete Gosainpur Sargaram |
Feluda and Co. The Buccaneers of Bombay The Mystery of the Walking Dead |
Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1976. Desh, Autumn Special 1976 |
| Gorosthaney Sabdhan | Trouble in the Graveyard | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1979. Desh, Autumn Special, 1977 |
| Chhinnamastar Abhishap | The Curse of the Goddess | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1981. Desh, Autumn Special 1978 |
| Hatyapuri | The House of Death | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1981. Desh, Autumn Special 1979 |
| Jato Kando Kathmandutey | The Criminals of Kathmandu | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1982. Desh, Autumn Special, 1980 |
| Tintorettor Jishu | Tintoretto's Jesus | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1983 Desh, Autumn Special 1982 |
| Feluda One Feluda Two - Collection Containing : Ebar Kando Kedarnathey Napoleon er Chithhi |
Feluda One Feluda Two Crime in Kedarnath Napoleon's Letter |
Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1985. Sandesh, 1981; Desh, Autumn Special 1984 |
| Darjeeling Jamjamat | Danger in Darjeeling | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1987. Desh, Autumn Special 1986 |
| Double Feluda - Collection Containing : Apsara Theatre er Mamla Bhuswarga Bhayankar |
Double Feluda The Case of the Apsara Theatre Peril in Paradise' |
Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1989. Sandesh, Autumn Special 1987; Desh, Autumn Special 1987 |
| Nayan Rahashya | The Mystery of Nayan | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1991. Desh, Autumn Special 1990 |
| Feluda Plus Feluda - Collection Containing : Golapi Mukta Rahashya London ey Feluda |
Feluda Plus Feluda The Mystery of the Pink Pearl Feluda in London |
Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1992. Sandesh, Autumn Special 1989; Desh, Autumn Special 1989 |
| Robertson er Ruby | Robertson's Ruby | Ananda Publishers, Calcutta 1994, Desh, Autumn Special 1992 |
In later years, Feluda's stories and novels have also been clubbed and published as different volumes like "Kolkatay Feluda", "Pahare Feluda" and "Feluda Omnibus", the comprehensive collection of Feluda's stories.
Feluda's books have also been translated into English and have been published by Penguin Books. There's a collection [by Penguin Books] titled as "The complete Adventures of Feluda" & is compiled as two separate books, Volume 1 & Volume 2. It contains all the 35 Feluda stories in English.
[edit] Feluda Stories
In addition to the above, Ray also wrote some shorter stories on Feluda which have been included in many of his short story collections. These include:
- Feludar Goendagiri (Danger in Darjeeling)
- Bhusarga Bhayankar (Peril in paradise)
- Bombaier Bombete (The Bandits of Bombay)
- Londone Feluda (Feluda in London)
- Napoleoner Chithi (Napoleon's Letter)
- Kailash Choudharyr Pathar (Kailash Chowdhury's Jewel)
- Ghurghutiyar Ghatana (The Locked Chest)
- Golapi Mukta Rahasya (The Mystery of the Purple Stone)
- Samaddarer Chabi (The Key)
- Sheyal Debota Rahasya (The Anubis Mystery)
- Ambar Sen Antardhyan Rahasya (The Disappearance of Ambar Sen)
- Jahangirer Swarnamudra (The Gold Coins of Jehangir)
- Golokdham Rahasya(Mystery at Golok Lodge)
- Bosepukure Khunkharapi (The Acharya Murder Case)
- Shakuntalar Kanthahar (Shakuntala's Necklace)
- Indrajal Rahasya (The Magical Mystery)
- Dr Munshir Diary (Dr Munshi's Diary)
- Apsara Theatre-er Mamla (The case of the Apsara Theatre)
- Tintorettor jishu
- Baksha rahasya
- Badshahi aangti
- Sonar kella
- Joy baba felunath
- Gorosthane sabdhaan
- Hatyapuri
- Ebar kando kedarnath
- Gangtoke gondogol
- Joto kando kathmandute
- Kailashe kelenkari
Apart from these a number of unfinished Feluda stories have also been published in various collection of stories of Satyajit Ray.
"Feluda-r Songe Kashite" is another work of Satyajit Ray. This is not really a Feluda story, but is of great interest to Feluda fans, as it gives a great account of the shooting of "Joy Baba Felunath" in Ray's unimitable prose.
[edit] Feluda in other media
[edit] Films
Satyajit Ray directed Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath into movies in Bengali, starring actor Soumitra Chatterjee as Feluda, Santosh Dutta as Jatayu and Siddhartha Chatterjee as Topshe.
Until 2011, Sandip Ray has directed six Feluda feature length films — Baksho Rahashya (released December 2001,was made for television release only, unlike the next five), Bombaiyer Bombete (released December 2003), Kailashey Kelenkari (released in December 2007) and Tintorettor Jishu (released in December 2008) — which star a new set of actors, Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Feluda, Parambrata Chatterjee as Topshe and Bibhu Bhattacharya as Jatayu (although in Baksho Rahashya, Shashwata Chatterjee and Rabi Ghosh acted as Topshe and Jatayu, respectively). In December, 2010, Sandip Ray made another Feluda movie, Gorosthaney Sabdhan. In it, Bibhu Bhattacharyya and Sabyasachi Chakroborty reprised their roles, but Paramabrata was replaced by Saheb Bhattacharyya as Topshe. The latest film in the series is Royal Bengal Rohosyo , released December 2011. It is the last film portraying Bibhu Bhattacharyya as Jatayu.
- In 2010 an animated film produced by DQE Productions titled "Feluda - The Kathmandu Caper" was produced and the rights were acquired by Disney Channel India. The movie premiered in October and repeat is shown usually on the channel.
[edit] Telefilms
In addition to the Feature Films, many of the Feluda stories have been filmed by Sandip Ray as Telefilms under the names/packages:
- Satyajit Ray Presents (In Hindi)
- Dr Munshir Diary (Dr Munshi's Diary)
- Feluda 30 (Commemorating 30 years of Feluda)
In the Hindi telefilms, Feluda was played by Shashi Kapoor and Jatayu by Mohan Agashe. Feluda was played by Soumitra Chatterjee in a few of the Bengali telefilms made in the 1990s while Sabyasachi Chakraborty played that role in most of the telefilms made later. Jatayu was played sometimes by Rabi Ghosh, sometimes by Anup Kumar and finally by Bibhu Bhattacharya after the death of Santosh Dutta.
[edit] Radio
- The first Radio Adaptation of Feluda was made by Satyajit Ray himself and that was Baksho Rahsaya with his usual cast like Soumitra Chatterjee as Feluda, Santosh Dutta as Jatayu, Siddhartha Chatterjee as Topshe and Harindranath Chattopadhyay as Sidhu Jyatha along with other prominent actors like Haradhan Bandopadhyay, Biplab Chatterjee and Bikash Roy.
- Akashabani had produced Darjeeling Jomjomat casting a set of regular actors in Radio.
- In January, 2007, the BBC World Service announced that it would produce at least two 'episodes' of the popular detective stories. Bollywood star Rahul Bose speaks the leading role, with Anupam Kher voicing Lalmohan. The first episode, "The Golden Fortress", aired on February 10, 2007 with the second episode, "The Mystery of the Elephant God" following on August 11, 2007.
- In 2007 Sandip Ray have rebooted the Radio Series with his own set of actors as Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Feluda, Paramabrata as Topshe and Bibhu Bhattacharya as Jatayu. He made two new dramas, Gosainpur Sorgorom and Dr. Munsi'r Diary. These two dramas along with Baksho Rahasya, directed by Satyajit Ray, aired together on Big FM.
- Radio Mirchi Kolkata station airs thrillers in a radio drama format, under the programme name 'Sunday Suspense' which includes some Feluda stories and other Satyajit Ray's stories. Feluda is voiced by Sabyasachi Chakraborty. Mir voices Topshe.
[edit] Comics
Some of the Feluda stories have been made into comic strips by different artists and authors. These have been published by Ananda Publishers.English versions of comics have appeared in The Telegraph
Penguin Books has also released comic book versions of around 35 Feluda Mysteries. Art has been drawn by Tapas Guha and Script is by Subhadra Sen Gupta[1]
Music
In a collaborative album brought out in 1996 by HMV, Kabir Suman sings a Feludar Gaan (Feluda's song).
- Feludar Gaan
The song written by Kabir Suman was first publicised at Sandesh magazine on the special Feluda 30 issue released on December,1995 on the completation of 30 years of Feluda Stories. Later in a collaborative album by HMV "Choto Boro Miley"(1996) the song was composed and performed by three legend Singer-Song-writer Kabir Suman, Nachiketa Chakraborty and Anjan Dutta.
- Later many of Bengali songs have references and symbols of Feluda Franchise including Calcium by Anjan Dutta from the album Purono Guitar(1995).
[edit] Feluda in Pujabarshiki
Nearly every Feluda story was published annually in the Pujabarshiki Desh (the edition of Desh commemorating the Durgapuja published every year). Thereafter the stories were published as hard-back editions by Ananda Publishers. Some of the stories were published originally in Sandesh, a children's magazine co-edited by Satyajit Ray.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- Divergent Rays - Susan Chacko, a review of three Ray translations - http://www.parabaas.com/translation/database/reviews/brSatyajitRay.html
[edit] External links
- Feluda Films - BBC 18 Jan, 2010 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A59706138
- Feluda.net
- Bibliography of Satyajit Ray
- Feluda Virtual Museum
