Documentary on Ray’s Feluda revisiting 50 years hits the theatre

Kolkata, June 8 (IANS) A documentary on Satyajit Ray's sleuth Feluda, revisiting fifty years of the fictional character's journey, was released here on Friday.

The first story of fictional investigator Prodosh Chandra Mitter, fondly called Feluda - Feludar Goendagiri - was printed in the children's magazine Sandesh in 1965.

Ray's character first amazed novel and short story readers and later elated the film-goers.

The popularity and craze surrounding Feluda inspired the maker of "Feluda: 50 Years of Ray's Detective".

"The French, Italian, Japanse, Swedish translations of Feluda was not known to me. I saw them while assisting Sandip Ray and got interested in 2007," documentary director Sagnik Chatterjee told IANS.

He said the presence of Feluda in various translations and platforms shows it's brilliant resonance with the fans.

"The entire film is more like a journey. It is a travelogue. In 50 years it makes a journey from the past," Chatterjee said.

Though Ray's creation has passed the test of time and successfully captivated the audience, the nearly two-hour documentary faced financial problems during the making.

"The producer left due to some problem and I needed nearly Rs 15 lakh to complete the film. Finally, I acquired the money through crowdfunding," he revealed.

Chatterjee did not compromise with the shoot locations. It was shot in London, Jaisalmer, Varanasi, Mumbai, Pune, Shantiniketan and Kolkata.

London was an important location as Feluda draws inspirations from Sherlock Holmes, he said.

The documentary that travelled the festival circuit for a year released on June 7. It was screened at Kolkata's film complex Nandan and Priya Theatre.

"Nandan is housefull and Priya also pulled audience beyond expectation," the elated filmmaker added.