For generations, Sonar Kella has evoked nostalgia in Bengalis through its desert adventure featuring Feluda, Topshe, and Jatayu. The latest offering from the Jawker Dhan franchise, Sayantan Ghosal’s Sonar Kellay Jawker Dhan, released on May 31, leans into this emotion, albeit falteringly.
Instead of simply recreating the magic, it attempts to blend two literary universes. It takes Hemendra Kumar Roy’s adventurers Bimal and Kumar, played once again by Parambrata Chattopadhyay and Gaurav Chakrabarty, respectively, and drops them into the world of Satyajit Ray’s classic.
But this time, Mukul isn’t the wide-eyed boy drawing forts from memories of a past life. Played by Suprabhat Das, he’s now a quiet, middle-aged man who runs a bookstore on College Street.
One night, while returning home after shutting shop, Mukul is chased by goons and narrowly saved by Bimal and Kumar, who happen to be passing by. They take him to the home of Dr Rubi (Koel Mallick), a friend and ally. Soon, it emerges that a mysterious man named Sunil Bhargav (Shaheb Chattopadhyay) is trying to steal Mukul’s memories from his supposed previous birth. But to what end?
The answer lies once again in Jaisalmer. There, amid sandstone ramparts and shifting dunes, lies a fabled treasure — the philosopher’s stone — possibly hidden in a secret chamber of the golden fort. And it is Mukul’s past-life recollections that may hold the key to finding it.
What follows is a chase involving clues, myths and maps, as Bimal, Kumar, Rubi and Mukul set off on a desert adventure that is equal parts Indiana Jones and Amar Chitra Katha. The first half is crisp and engaging, peppered with snappy dialogue, scenic Rajasthan frames and a sense of mounting intrigue. There are desert dacoits, cryptic symbols and secret passages, enough to keep you engaged..
But it is in the second half that the film’s wheels begin to wobble. Just as the plot gains momentum, a strange twist emerges involving Rubi’s link to Mukul’s past life. This subplot threatens to undo much of the tautness the first half had achieved, and logic begins to give way to convenient justifications.
That said, the performances remain grounded. Parambrata plays Bimal with a seasoned calmness, while Gaurav Chakrabarty is charming as ever as Kumar. Koel Mallick balances empathy with practicality, just like her character demands. But the film belongs to Suprabhat Das, whose portrayal of the grown-up Mukul is layered with melancholy and wonder. There’s a quiet pain in his eyes—a man unsure whether he’s remembering or imagining.
Visually, Sonar Kellay Jawker Dhan delivers. The golden fort is shot with reverence, almost like a pilgrimage site. The arid vastness of Rajasthan is captured in sweeping drone shots. However, some of the AI-generated montages, recounting the history of Jaisalmer and local folklore, were an eyesore.
