The makers of the upcoming thriller The Eken — Benaras e Bibhishika dropped its trailer recently, causing immense excitement among fans of the Eken Babu series of detective films. Anirban Chakrabarti returns in his ever-popular role as police detective Ekendra Sen in this film directed by Joydeep Mukherjee, set in the historical city of Varanasi, on the banks of the river Ganges. The colourful and entertaining trailer is filled with vignettes of Varanasi that offer interesting nuggets of history and a peek into the ancient city’s vibrant culture and heritage, besides introducing viewers to important characters and key plot points. Eken Babu’s familiar, innocuous and somewhat artless brand of humour lights up the screen every time he makes an appearance in the roughly two-minute-long trailer, which is dotted with jokes and puns that reflect his childlike simplicity, sharp wit and exceptional powers of deduction. Anirban Chakrabarti excels in his role as the apparently bumbling Bengali babu and unlikely sleuth, ably supported by Suhotra Mukhopadhyay as Bapi and Somak Ghosh as Promotho, his young assistants, who complete the trio of investigators.
Saswata Chatterjee plays Bilal Malik, the dangerous adversary whom Eken Babu is up against. His character being a master of disguise, Saswata is seen in multiple avatars, each more intriguing and suspenseful than the other. We are also told that he is an explosives expert, which indicates that he may be a terrorist carrying out a covert operation. Saswata impresses as the typical bad guy, overconfident in his powers and displaying an almost Machiavellian ruthlessness as he carries out his unholy activities in the sacred city of Varanasi.
Scenes of action and violence with explosions, gunfights and car chases in the trailer of The Eken — Benaras e Bibhishika create an atmosphere of adventure and thrills and point to the possibility of an intense, cinematic showdown between the powers of good and evil in the climax of the film. The story also weaves into itself the mystery of a stolen heirloom, recalling Satyajit Ray’s classic Feluda film Joy Baba Felunath, also set in the same city. The outdoor shots of Varanasi, with its mighty river and numerous ghats, saffron-clad sannyasis, its narrow alleys, crowded rows of shops, as well as a shot of the famous Ganga aarti being performed, generate an ambience that is sure to sweep the audience in a wave of emotion and nostalgia.
A very contemporary and catchy background score adds more depth to the atmosphere of adventure and entertainment in the trailer. Also starring Ishaa Saha, Gaurav Chakrabarty and Biswanath Basu in pivotal roles, The Eken — Benaras e Bibhishika will release in cinemas on May 16.