Joi Baba Felunath
Encyclopedia
Joi Baba Felunath is a 1979 film by Bengali director Satyajit Ray
, featuring the actors Soumitra Chatterjee
, Santosh Dutta, Siddartha Chatterjee, Utpal Dutt among others.
The film is based on the famous Feluda
novel of the same name written by Ray.
), a town on the banks of Ganges. In Benaras they meet a Bengali
family. On coming to know that Feluda is a famous detective the head of this family invites him to his place and tells him about theft of an idol of Ganesha
, the elephant God.
This idol is made of pure gold and is a prized possession of the family and is supposed to bring good luck to the family. "Maganlal Meghraj" (enacted by Utpal Dutt
) a wealthy businessman from Benaras has had his eyes set on the idol. Feluda promises to help the family in finding the idol. Meanwhile, the sculptor who was sculpting the Durga
idol for the Durga Puja
festival is murdered and the mystery deepens. Feluda uses his brilliant detective skills to unravel the mystery and bring the culprits to the book.
The story has two sub plots. On the one hand, it is the story of the acquisitive instinct of a greed Marwari
businessman, who would spare no expenses to get what he desires, even at the cost of murdering some innocents and bribing the willing. On the other, it is also the tale of cautionary foresight exercised by the family head. The sights and sounds and the brilliant cinematography
and photographic imagery takes the nostalgic viewer to a lost world of the innocence, the beauty and the freshness of a north India
n town, that is at once, far from the madding corruptibility of big cities. Subaltern texts like the caste
and the communal divide do make their presence felt, but they exist as subplot
s, that further enrich the viewer's understanding.
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
, featuring the actors Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
, Santosh Dutta, Siddartha Chatterjee, Utpal Dutt among others.
The film is based on the famous Feluda
Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,...
novel of the same name written by Ray.
Story
Feluda played by Soumitra, the sharp and witty detective from Calcutta, his cousin Topshe and friend Lalmohan Ganguly played by Santosh Dutta visit Benaras (VaranasiVaranasi
-Etymology:The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south...
), a town on the banks of Ganges. In Benaras they meet a Bengali
Bengali people
The Bengali people are an ethnic community native to the historic region of Bengal in South Asia. They speak Bengali , which is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from the Magadhi Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. In their native language, they are referred to as বাঙালী...
family. On coming to know that Feluda is a famous detective the head of this family invites him to his place and tells him about theft of an idol of Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, the elephant God.
This idol is made of pure gold and is a prized possession of the family and is supposed to bring good luck to the family. "Maganlal Meghraj" (enacted by Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutt
Utpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali Theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the 'Little Theater Group' in 1947, which enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period...
) a wealthy businessman from Benaras has had his eyes set on the idol. Feluda promises to help the family in finding the idol. Meanwhile, the sculptor who was sculpting the Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
idol for the Durga Puja
Durga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
festival is murdered and the mystery deepens. Feluda uses his brilliant detective skills to unravel the mystery and bring the culprits to the book.
The story has two sub plots. On the one hand, it is the story of the acquisitive instinct of a greed Marwari
Marwaris
Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
businessman, who would spare no expenses to get what he desires, even at the cost of murdering some innocents and bribing the willing. On the other, it is also the tale of cautionary foresight exercised by the family head. The sights and sounds and the brilliant cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
and photographic imagery takes the nostalgic viewer to a lost world of the innocence, the beauty and the freshness of a north India
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n town, that is at once, far from the madding corruptibility of big cities. Subaltern texts like the caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
and the communal divide do make their presence felt, but they exist as subplot
Subplot
A subplot is a secondary plot strand that is a supporting side story for any story or the main plot. Subplots may connect to main plots, in either time and place or in thematic significance...
s, that further enrich the viewer's understanding.
Cast
- Soumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
as FeludaFeludaFeluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,... - Utpal DuttUtpal DuttUtpal Dutt was an Indian actor, director, and writer-playwright. He was primarily an actor in Bengali Theatre, where he became a pioneering figure in Modern Indian theatre, when he founded the 'Little Theater Group' in 1947, which enacted many English, Shakespearean and Brecht plays, in a period...
as Maganlal Meghra - Santosh DuttaSantosh DuttaSantosh Dutta was a Bengali character actor, best known for immortalizing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies viz. Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath. A lawyer by profession, Santosh Dutta will be remembered as one of the greatest comedians Bengali Films ever had. Essentially a...
- Santosh Sinha
- Kamu MukherjeeKamu MukherjeeKamu Mukherjee was a Bengali actor known for his performances in several Satyajit Ray films.His portrayals of Mandar Bose in Sonar Kella, Pritish Sarkar in Nayak, Mantu Dutta in Phera and Juggler Haroon Al Rashid in Fatikchand are considered his best roles.Satyajit Ray's wife recollected an...
- Panineeta Bandhyopadhyay
- Subrata Devi
Sequels and other Feluda Films
- Sonar KellaSonar KellaSonar Kella , also Shonar Kella, released in the United States as The Golden Fortress, is a 1971 mystery novel and a 1974 film by Bengali writer and director Satyajit Ray. The film is an adaptation of the novel with minor plot changes and features the actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta,...
- Director Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... - Baksho Rahashya (TV only) - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...
- Bombaiyer BombeteBombaiyer BombeteBombaiyer Bombete is a thriller film directed by Sandip Ray based on the story of the same name by Satyajit Ray.-Plot:Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu - a sidekick of Feluda - gets invited to Mumbai to watch the shooting of a film based on a novel written by him...
- Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:... - Kailashey Kelenkari - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...
- Tintorettor JishuTintorettor JishuTintorettor Jishu is a mystery novel by Satyajit Ray about an adventure of Feluda. A movie directed by Sandip Ray has been made based on the story . An extensive shoot schedule at Hong Kong during May 2008 takes Feluda movies to a new height...
- Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:... - Gorosthaney Sabdhan - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...