Movie Poster

It's difficult to catch the lie that's close to the truth.

# Review

I'm a huge fan of the Sherlock Holmes character and this Indian rendition is based on the works of Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, who in turn was inspired by Arthur Conan Doyle. The story follows Byomkesh (Sushant Singh Rajput), a private detective for hire who agrees to help Ajit (Anand Tiwari) find his missing father. Meanwhile, greater forces are at play as the Japanese continue their invasion of South Asia.

I really enjoy discovering Indian films that aren't musicals and this film definitely scratches the itch. Despite the inspiration being Sherlock Holmes, the story is wholly original. Unfortunately, like Berlin, the premise of the film is incredibly interesting but the ending is very mediocre and underwhelming. Rajput's Byomkesh really resembles Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock in both his queer mannerisms and ability to be charismatic despite being both aloof and obsessive. The supporting cast which resembles Tiwari's humourous Ajit, Neeraj Kabi's collected Dr. Guha, and Swastika Mukherjee's femme fatale Anguri Devi, all make for an entertaining cast. One of my favourite aspects of the film is the historical backdrop of World War II. What's happening in South Asia is often overshadowed by more well-known theatres so I'm glad this film uses India during WWII as its backdrop.

# Conclusion

I'd watch a sequel.

# Overall rating: 7.6

What does the rating mean?