The Eken – Ruddhaswas Rajasthan review: Anirban Chakrabarti salvages the poorly written Satyajit Ray mash up

2.5/5

Story: Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarti), Bapi (Suhotro Mukhopadhyay) and Promotho (Somak Ghosh) go to Rajasthan for vacation. There, through a professor of archeology, Satadru (Rajatava Dutta), Eken Babu gets the hint of a smuggling racket that illegally sells Indian artifacts to the foreign market.

Review: Eken is not known for its complex whodunit plots or nuanced psychological thrillers. The quintessential Bengali comedy and Anirban Chakrabarti’s powerful performance are the two pillars of the franchise’s success story. If either of these two goes awry, the plot falls flat. Ruddhaswas Rajasthan suffers from a lack of comedy, at least, in the beginning. The punchlines are almost exhausted in the trailer and the first half was about repetitions and bizarre in-film branding.

The pace is one of the key ingredients of a thriller the first half of Ruddhaswas Rajasthan falters there. There was no thrill quotient in the beginning. The script is also a tad predictable. Almost every scene screams that you have seen something similar before. Thus the first half of the film loses charm. The other characters are not well written and hence none of them, apart from Eken, Promotho, and Bapi, is convincing.

Meanwhile, the film explores Rajasthan, especially Jaisalmer, extensively. Ruddhaswas Rajasthan is beautifully shot. Like a travel film, it takes us to the heart of the desert land. The camel ride chase sequence is fascinating to watch. The aerial shot of the night lights is also aesthetically lovely.

Also read: The Eken – Ruddhaswas Rajasthan actor Anirban Chakrabarti: Juggling between Gandhi and Eken is fun 

Finally, it is the tested charisma of Anirban that comes as a rescue mantra for the film. His character sharpens up in the second half and so does the actor. His infectious jokes spread around the theatre which had almost 85% occupancy.

However, the camaraderie between Eken, Bapi and Promotho is also in a way less in the film. Bapi and Promotho have become smarter and better fight experts over the months. But the simple banter and hearty conversation between the detective and the assistant duo are missing. The grandeur of Rajasthan and colourful characters hog Eken Babu’s attention more than friendship and that's a little sad. Suhotra and Somak are nice as usual but have little to do in this film. The same goes for Krishnendu Dewanji. He is a powerful character artiste and he has practically nothing to do in this film.

Sandipta Sen shines bright as Rajyashree Sen. Rajatava exuberates his usual mojo and Rajesh Sharma impresses with his style and effortlessness.

Also read: The Eken – Ruddhaswas Rajasthan actress Sandipta Sen: People are working on more projects in Hoichoi than me. Does nepotism work there too? 

In the middle of all this, the film pays a massive tribute to Satyajit Ray and his evergreen Feluda. Remembering Sonar Kella is almost obvious for a film that is set in Rajasthan. But it is not just that. References from Jai Baba Felunath and Kailashey Kelenkari are aplenty.

Verdict: The best thing about an Eken Babu thriller is it offers a full house show. The latest offering from the franchise is no different, at least on the opening day. However, that is very much due to the fan base it has built over the years. It will be sad to see the makers succumb to condescension and gloat in self-satisfaction.