The quirky sleuth with a penchant for food has done what many big-budget films have failed to do — draw crowds in droves to theatres across Bengal.

Produced by Hoichoi Studios, The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika released on May 16, and delivered the biggest box office opening for a Bengali film in 2025, according to its makers. It has been running to packed theatres ever since. And, according to director Joydeep Mukherjee, the film has delivered a strong message to the Bengali film industry: if the content clicks, the audience turns up.

“For years, we kept hearing that Bengalis don’t watch movies in theatres anymore. This film proves otherwise,” said Mukherjee. “People are coming out in huge numbers — not just in multiplexes, but in single screens too, from district towns to Kolkata.”

The third instalment in The Eken film franchise, Benaras E Bibhishika takes the endearing detective — played once again by Anirban Chakrabarti — to the lanes of Varanasi. Suhotra Mukhopadhyay and Somak Ghosh return as Bapi and Pramatha, while Saswata Chatterjee, of Kahaani and Kalki 2898 AD fame, plays the antagonist in the film.

“From Mumbai and Delhi to Noida and Bangalore, the craze has been palpable,” said the director. “In many centres, additional shows had to be added to meet audience demand.”

Created as a web series for Hoichoi in 2018, Eken Babu made the leap to the big screen in 2022. With each film, the scope has widened — from Darjeeling in the first, to Jaisalmer in Ruddhaswas Rajasthan (2023), and now to Varanasi. “We are exploring if the next film can be based in a foreign country. We had initially planned to shoot in Russia for an earlier instalment, but the Russia-Ukraine war broke out at that time,” Mukherjee added.

But what remains constant is the charm of Eken — the antithesis of the slick, sharply dressed detective. “He’s like the uncle next door,” said Chakrabarti. “He’s scared of his wife, tells bad jokes, lives for his adda and mishti. Earlier, such characters were sidekicks. Now he’s the hero.”

And this time Eken Babu had to perform a few action stunts in the film, specially in the climactic showdown with the villain, where he emerges from the river with a trident in hand. “I was initially apprehensive about the scene, given my short stature. But the audience reaction has made me overjoyed. People are clapping and whistling during that scene,” Chakrabarti adds.

The box-office success of The Eken franchise at a time when regional cinema is still grappling with post-pandemic footfall issues comes as a shot in the arm for the Bengali film industry.

“It proves that Bengali cinema can pull in crowds — and not just on OTT,” said Mukherjee. “When audiences feel a connection, they come. You just have to give them a reason.”