Tirandaj Shabor review: Arindam Sil brings back Saswata Chatterjee as Goyenda Shabor in a gripping whodunit

3.5/5

Story: Taxi driver Sumit Ghosal, aka Bulu Da (Nigel Akkara) becomes a murder suspect after he takes the dead body of businessman Sitanath Samaddar (Arindam Sil) to a police station. Detective Shabor Dasgupta (Saswata Chatterjee) and his assistant Nandolal Roy (Subhrajit Dutta) come to solve the murder case.

Review: Shabor is back and how! After a lull of four years, Arindam Sil brings back the quintessential Bengali detective on screen in an empathetic human story. Shabor Dasgupta comes back with full swag with his satellite, Nando, who, despite all his idiosyncrasies, has evidently matured over the last few years.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay’s detective character Shabor Dasgupta is a senior officer in Kolkata Police. However, the Shabor series – the novels and films – is less about police procedural and a lot more about human drama. Tirandaj Shabor is no exception. The film portrays two contrasting realities of subaltern slum life and the life that is kept hidden on the 18th floor of a highrise.

The forte of Tirandaj Shabor is its pace. The first half of the film finishes in the wink of an eye. Despite being the prime suspect, Shabor releases Sumit Ghosal and instead decides to probe into the realities of the victim. The deeper the investigation goes, the murkier it becomes as stories of lust, greed, heartbreak and exploitation start pouring in.

The film is dotted with some outstanding performances. Multiple actors are playing Feluda and Byomkesh in Tollywood. So far, there is only one actor for Shabor Dasgupta and that is Saswata and there is no one like him. He has a quirky Bengali swag that makes his appearance fascinating. Subhajit as Nando also delivers a convincing performance. The character has matured over time. He falters less, tries to copy his boss and rightly serves us the much-needed bouts of laughter. Chandan Sen, known for his acting calibre on stage and the big screen, is a hidden gem in the film. However, his depiction of Pareshnath is something that we have never seen before and it lingers long after the film gets over.

Nigel seems to be a seamless fit as Buluda. Meanwhile, Arindam Sil, too, delivers a solid performance as Sitanath Samaddar. Debjani, who has been criminally underutilised in the Bengali film industry, delivers a convincing performance as poised yet snobbish Papiya. Devlina and Rammani as Rumki and Diya, respectively, are also convincing. However, Rumki’s diction seems to be a little more urban for a slum girl.

One defining difference between Tirandaj Shabor from the other films in the franchise is that it lacks insane chase sequences. This helps the film to expand the tender nuances of the story. However, the film could not avoid bountiful mindless drone shots. The shots taken at the dingy alleys of the slum and the ongoing work at Krishna Foundry – the victim’s factory – are very attractive. The music seems to be a good fit for the ambiance. The dance songs to mark the subaltern festivity appear to be a little forced.

Verdict: Tirandaj Shabor fits a Bengali’s love for detective thrillers perfectly. It is engaging and gripping. One has to watch the film to enjoy Saswata and Subhrajit’s entertaining partnership and Chandan and Arindam’s defining performance. This is yet another must-watch among the new Bengali releases.