The Eken review: Ekendra Sen unwraps an entertaining journey of cheeky one-liners and murders in the valley

4/5

Story

The eponymous hero, Anirban Chakrabarti aka Eken Babu, sets out for the hills of Darjeeling along with his two trusted companions Promotho Babu (Somak Ghosh) and Bapi babu (Suhotra Mukhopadhyay) for an uneventful holiday trip. Eken Babu crosses the path with Bipasha Mitra (Paayel Sarkar), a lady filled with debonair and elegance. A rather unexpected request comes from her end to investigate an antique idol that goes missing. He couldn’t refuse her proposal. The plot thickens gradually when a murder takes place. Hotelier Debraj Singh (Debasish Mondal) appoints Eken Babu to investigate the murder and the labyrinth gets complicated even further. Eken Babu and the team begin their odyssey to uncover the truth and eventually end up saving the day by putting the villains behind bars.

Review

The Eken has all the usual spices of our own ‘Johnny English’ aka Eken Babu but this time he went beyond elementary and knocked down the villain with a blow. Eken Babu never was an armchair sleuth. Taking it a notch above, he’s not shy of soiling his hands this time. Add Anirban Chakrabarti’s edginess and comic timing to this. It is reflected in his on-screen avatar.

As the movie began, I slowly got absorbed into the Chaplinesque Chakrabarti who somehow made Eken Babu seem as if he really is helplessly incapable of functioning properly in the presence of food.

Chakrabarti reprises his role with confidence - by essaying a bumbling yet lovable detective. The structure is held together by his sheer presence and ability to deliver a nonchalant vibe.

There’s also Paayel Sarkar who appears as the stunning Bipasha Mitra although her character remains hugely unexplored throughout.

Debasish Mondal plays his part well and to be entirely fair, he does as good a job as anyone else in this film. He succeeds in making his presence felt. Eken blurts out all the wrong phrases constantly and his two faithful and intelligent allies engage in amusing clashes which play out spontaneously. This helps the movie from being just another plodding comedy thriller. It is great to see a slab of crime comedy-drama on our big screens, especially during the Bengali new year.

This Poila Boisakh is going to be memorable for everyone as the quick-witted, sharp-tongued quintessential Bangali sleuth Eken Babu is all set to rule our hearts and minds.

The character of Eken Babu was created by Sujan Dasgupta and the first story, Manhattan ey Moonstone was published in Anandamela in 1991. An engineer by profession, he started writing for young readers and years later his literature was adapted into a web series by Hoichoi. This web series, Eken Babu, was first released on March 3, 2018 and instantly became a hit. While the backstory of this character is so interesting, Anirban, as an actor, just adds to the magic of creating Eken Babu.

The Eken is directed by Joydeep Mukherjee and he maintains his graph as a director. Anirban, on the other hand, managed to bag the entire attention with his depiction of the lovable sleuth who deciphers complex puzzles with his savvy prowess and a pleasant smile. Disguised as an ordinary Bengali man, Eken Babu has brought back the smile and thrill all over again.

Aamlaann Chakraabarty has composed the theme song of this series which is sung by Sidhu (Cactus). All Eken Babu fans are sure to get nostalgic on hearing it in theatres.

Verdict

The Eken has numerous genuine fun moments and witty one-liners and beautiful scenic moments from the hills and its lovely people.

The film will definitely appeal to Eken Babu fans and to the families looking for an amusing summer holiday clubbed with Poila Boisakh fun at the movies. It is the much-needed film for people who are ready to go outside after the fiasco of the pandemic.