Shekhar Home - Byomkesh Holmes!

Shekhar Home

Hindi /Detective/ Mini Series

6 episodes - 44 min

Jio Cinema

 

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes is a character which has seen so many on screen interpretations. Some very good actors  have essayed the titular role to great success and left their own stamp. Jeremy Brett (especially in the Hound of Baskerville was outstanding!), Robert Downey Jr , was an easy motor mouth and of course Benedict Cumberbatch who was so "rowdy" and  so good!

Closer home, Byomkesh Bakshi by Sharadindu Bandhopadhyay is an Indian interpretation of the character , which has appeared in many versions - most popular probably being  show from the 90's  on Doordarshan starring Rajit Kapoor.  Interestingly Shekhar Home is an adaptation of Sherlock, set in Bengal!!

The principle casting of the show is on point. The stunningly versatile  Kay Kay Menon plays the titular character (the backstory on how he gets his name is quite cool!).  Ranvir Sheorey plays a portly ex army doctor and his "partner" Jayavrat. The alluring Rasika Dugal plays the Irabothy (Irene Adler!). 

London becomes Lonpur, Baskerville becomes Bhaskor Villa.  The name of Home's brother is "Mrinmoy" (Mycroft). The chief villain is ?, you guessed it  "M" (Moriarty). There are two cops who are named "Jadeja" and "Ashwin", it is all fun and games with the pseudo names!😁😀😁

Overall, the show is quite brisk, yet needing less attention.  It is quite easy on the brain,  one can figure out the plots, so it is a little low key that way. The last two episodes are good and provide a logical conclusion, with a promise of a second season. Kay Kay is absolutely superb, flowing between English, Bengali and Hindi. He does not go overboard and keeps the histrionics just right, absolute class!

Ranvir Sheorey is good, though his pronunciation is very inconsistent and appears forced.  Rasika Dugal, deserved a better "Scandal of Belgravia" episode.  In the limited scenes that they get together, the chemistry  between her and Kay Kay simmers. The costumes are lovely - Kay Kay trading the jacket and iconic hat to Batik kurtas/shirts.

The series overall had potential for greatness, with more innovative stories and a better writing. The writers, while having smart dialogue, probably let themselves down, underestimating audiences IQ of this generation. Nevertheless a decent watch, if you like Detective stories.