The red carpet at Cinepolis, Acropolis Mall, turned into a bustling scene on Friday evening for the special screening of the Bengali detective thriller Saralakkho Holmes. The film’s leading man, Rishav Basu, arrived with his characteristic ease, slipping into the role of the evening’s star as comfortably as he does into his trench-coated detective on screen. He was joined by co-star Shaheb Chatterjee, who greeted fans warmly, while other familiar faces from the Bengali film fraternity added to the evening’s glitter. The special screening drew in industry regulars, well-wishers, and cinephiles, all curious to see how Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic tale had been reshaped with a Bengali twist.
Directed by Sayantan Ghosal, Saralakkho Holmes is a Bengali reimagining of Conan Doyle’s enduring classic The Hound of the Baskervilles. The film introduces us to Saralakkho Holmes (Rishav Basu), a sharp-witted Bengali detective who resides in London. With his violin, his trench coats, and his uncanny ability to deduce the presence of someone merely by the sound of their footsteps on the stairs, Saralakkho is every inch a Holmes — albeit one reframed with a distinctly Bengali sensibility.
The story begins when Sekhar Roy Chowdhury (Gaurav Chakrabarty), a cultured scion of an aristocratic family, approaches Saralakkho to investigate the mysterious death of his uncle, Amarendra. Legend has it that a bloodthirsty hound that protects a statue of Jesus kills passersby. While local police insist it was an animal attack, Saralakkho’s keen eyes and relentless logic point towards cold-blooded murder. From smelling a dead body like a hound himself to action-packed sequences, Saralakkho Holmes is a package.
Saralakkho and his friend and associate Arya Sen (Arna Mukhopadhyay) depart for Baskerville to observe the estate and its eccentric inhabitants. What follows is a web of secrets, greed, and deception, with every character — from the mysterious lover who fears for Sekhar’s life to the scheming relatives lurking in the shadows to the housekeepers — becoming a suspect.
Visually, the film moves between two striking worlds: the damp, foggy streets of London and the sprawling, brooding estate of the Roy Chowdhurys. The film delivers on the promise of scuffles, gunfights, chases on trains and through forests, and an ever-looming sense of dread, balancing the gothic supernatural aura of the hound with the methodical logic of Saralakkho’s deductions.
Performances, too, are worth noting. Rishav Basu brings youthful sharpness to the detective’s role, capturing both eccentricity and intellect. Gaurav Chakrabarty as Sekhar plays the anxious heir with the right mix of sophistication and vulnerability. Supporting turns from Rajnandini Paul, Shataf Figar, Kanchan Mullick, and Shaheb Chatterjee add texture to the intrigue.
While audiences familiar with The Hound of the Baskervilles may know the contours of the plot, Ghosal’s treatment ensures freshness — a retelling that pays homage to Doyle but carries its own Bengali soul. With its blend of suspense, supernatural suggestion, and crisp pacing, Saralakkho Holmes emerges as a thriller that is at once familiar and refreshingly local.
