Guptodhoner Sondhane

Story: Shah Shuja — the second son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and governor of the east zone of the empire — flew to Arakan to escape brother Aurangzeb’s lethal conspiracy. Before leaving his dear land, he hid his treasures in Bengal. Is there anything left for Abir (Arjun Chakraborty)?

Review: Treasure hunt, it seems, is the flavour of the season. A dependable cast, adroitly crafted stories and young directors constitute the common elements in the two newly released films Guptodhoner Sandhane and Alinagarer Golokdhadha. But the striking similarity between the two films does not end here. Both films involve their characters in place-to-place treasure hunts and riddle-solving. Both share the structure of cryptic events followed by a quest to solve the mystery. Both are replete with literary and historical allusions. With all that charm, Guptodhoner Sandhane is definitely a film that must not be missed.

So the treasure hunt begins when Abir (Arjun Chakraborty) and his Sonada (Subarna Sen, Abir Chatterjee) — a history professor from Oxford — reaches Manikantopur, Abir’s maternal uncle’s house. Harinarayan Singha Roy (Goutam Ghose) — Abir’s maternal uncle who suddenly dies after a cardiac arrest — was in absolute love with riddles. Bonafide Bong investigator that he is, Abir embarks on a treasure hunt as Sonada.

The film is replete with fascinating riddles and impeccable humour. Hilarious wordplay on Panto bhut and panta bhaat, trek-trick-track and many others keep you glued to the screen. There is a lot of scope to enjoy the eeriness of a thriller. The scene of an unknown creature walking down the staircase will not fail to give you goosebumps. With a good background score, the script is really the hero of the film.

However, the biggest takeaway of Guptadhaner Sandhane is Arjun as on-screen Abir. His immaculate comic timing is something to cherish . His character represents that typical Bengali boy who swears by wit, humour and appetite. Meanwhile, the real-life Abir is almost there to become the indispensable Bengali sleuth. He uses his smart, savvy Bangaliana to make for a killer detective on screen — yet again. Ishaa as Jhinuk does justice to the character. Rajatava Dutta as Dasanan Daw and Goutam Ghose as Harinarayan are a treat to watch. In a small role, Ujan Chatterjee as Nilu makes a mark.

The weakest link of the film is also perhaps its script. It is too simple and to some extent, predictable. The villain is obvious and so is the climax. However, the film offers something that we die for — smart storytelling. With its comic timing, thrill and wordplay, Guptodhoner Sandhane should not be missed.