There is a familiar comfort attached to director Dhrubo Banerjee’s Guptodhon franchise by now. The return of Abir Chatterjee’s Sonada after nearly four years naturally comes with the baggage of expectation and excitement, and Saptadingar Guptodhon understands exactly what its viewers want — dollops of historical riddles, hidden treasure, scenic backdrops and a fast-moving adventure that can be enjoyed with the entire family.
This time, the journey heads deep into the Sundarbans in search of the hidden wealth connected to King Pratapaditya, with some references to Manasamangal Kabya and the folklore of Chand Sadagar.
An Oxford-returned professor (Kaushik Ganguly) seeks the help of Sonada to solve a bunch of clues that might help him retrieve the lost treasure of King Pratapaditya. Even before Sonada can proceed with the case, he is kidnapped and finds himself in Sundarbans. The abduction, it turns out, was orchestrated by Sonada’s arch nemesis Dashanan (Rajatava Dutta), who is also in search of Pratapaditya’s treasure.
The film wastes very little time before pushing Sonada into action. Once the clues begin appearing, the narrative remains firmly focused on the treasure hunt without getting distracted by unnecessary subplots. That works both for and against the film.
On one hand, the screenplay remains engaging and easy to follow. On the other, everything moves a little too conveniently. Clues appear, Sonada solves them with surprising ease. Characters arrive at the right place at the right time, and several developments feel engineered more to keep the story moving than to create believable tension.
Still, this is clearly not a film asking viewers to dissect logic scene by scene. Saptadingar Guptodhon works best when watched in the spirit of an old-school adventure. If viewers are willing to suspend disbelief for a little over two hours, the film offers a fairly enjoyable ride.
Much of that engagement comes from the setting itself. Cinematographer Soumik Haldar captures the Sundarbans beautifully, turning the forests, rivers and hidden ruins into an important part of the storytelling. There is scale and ambition in the visuals that mainstream Bengali cinema does not always manage to achieve convincingly. The production design, cave structures and mythological imagery add richness to the world without looking excessively artificial.
At the heart of the franchise remains Abir Chatterjee as Sonada, and he continues to be the film’s strongest asset. The actor now slips into the role effortlessly, carrying the charm and intelligence that audiences associate with the character.
Arjun Chakrabarty as Abirlal and Isha Saha as Jhinuk return with their familiar dynamic of comedy and romance, though the writing around them feels somewhat thinner this time. Arjun especially could have benefited from sharper dialogue instead of occasional attempts at exaggerated Gen-Z humour.
The film’s biggest hook lies in its puzzle-solving structure. The riddles remain entertaining enough to keep viewers invested. Dhrubo Banerjee’s effort to merge Bengal’s history and folklore into a commercial adventure deserves credit, even if some references may go overboard at times.
The return of Rajatava Dutta as Dashanan also adds familiarity to the franchise. Rajatava Dutta clearly enjoys playing the eccentric antagonist, and his trademark laugh once again becomes one of the film’s more memorable elements. But the character itself feels underwritten. Dashanan remains entertaining without adding much value to the narrative.
Kaushik Ganguly, meanwhile, brings gravitas to the film almost effortlessly. Even when the screenplay becomes predictable, his screen presence keeps certain scenes alive. By the final stretch, he emerges as one of the more impactful performers in the ensemble.
The background score by Indraadip Dasgupta complements the adventure format effectively. The music understands the tone of the film and helps maintain momentum during several suspense-heavy sequences.