Tiktiki Review: Anirban Bhattacharya, Kaushik Ganguly’s series is about two egomaniacs raving about their obsessions and confessions

4/5

Story:

Soumendra Krishna Deb(Kaushik Ganguly), the sole heir to a royal palace and fortune, is a detective novel writer whose wife is in an adulterous ally with Milon (Anirban Bhattacharya). Milon falls into a dangerous trap when Soumendra invites him over and allures Milon to commit a burglary in his palace. After crossing a series of twists and turns both verbally and physically, the duel comes to an end. However, it becomes a deadly game of revenge and murder gradually.

Review:

Once you start watching Tiktiki you have to reach the finish line because it’s intense, power-packed with twists and turns and a fair dinkum duologue. Two overtly talented actors and directors Kaushik Ganguly and Anirban Bhattacharya weave the net so smoothly and effortlessly. Dhrubo Banerjee directed this six-episode series adapted from the play Tiktiki, created by the legendary Soumitra Chatterjee.

The main text was written by Anthony Shaffer in 1970 and since then, it has been adapted several times for feature films, stage plays and now as a binge-worthy show. Incidentally, it was made into a film called Sleuth in 1972 which was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Both of the actors were nominated for Academy Awards for their performances.

However, a production based on two people blurting out countless words can turn into verbal diarrhea at any point in time if the performers fail to subjugate the screen with their presence and honesty. That’s exactly where Tiktiki excelled. The two leads grabbed the serpentine thriller by its throat right from the beginning and eventually turned it into gold. If the opening credits catch your eye, one can observe that the two actors’ names are also included under the dialogue writing category. Even if you miss that part while watching you can easily feel the organic reactions, free-flowing lines which I’m sure were created during the rehearsal takes because you can’t possibly predict the body’s motor action or spontaneity. Ganguly and Bhattacharya turned it into a mesmerizing labyrinth of moments. The scores created by Sayan Ganguly were minimal and precise. The entire production design created by Shibaji Pal carried an authentic symbolism for the entire theme and it smoothly established the atmosphere. The game boards, antiques and carpets portrayed the world of Soumendra Krishna Deb quite convincingly. Souvik Basu did a splendid job with the camera and the whole lighting setup helped the mise en scène tremendously. Director Dhrubo Banerjee pulled off a classic with ease.

Verdict:

While my intention is not to reveal anything yet certain plot points elements will be exposed if I dive deep into the narrative any further and I don’t want to snatch your chance of experiencing the journey of Tiktiki. It’s a holiday weekend so catch Tiktiki on Hoichoi and find it yourself.