Shekhar Home Review: Trust Bengal to handle its sleuths with the finesse of a master detective. This is the land where Satyajit Ray’s Feluda and the legendary Byomkesh Bakshi first solved their thrilling cases, and where Kiriti Roy stirred up the mystery pot. So, when it comes to detective drama, you can bet Bengal has a few tricks up its sleeve. Enter Shekhar Home, a refreshing adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes that infuses this rich tradition with a local twist.
Created by Srijit Mukerji and Aniruddha Guha and directed by Rohan Sippy, the series kicks off with a gripping premise: the mysterious deaths of three scientists. Intelligence Bureau officer Mrinmoye Haldar, played by Kaushik Sen, is called upon to solve the case. Although inactive, Haldar is not inept, and he enlists his brother, Snehasish Haldar, a professor of forensics at the Calcutta Medical College, to use his intelligence, brilliance, and wit to crack the case. Enter Shekhar Home, played with delightful quirk by Kay Kay Menon—Bengal’s Sherlock Holmes—who rocks quintessential Bengali punjabis and effortlessly drops “Uribaba” into conversations. Menon’s brilliance is matched by the modest and sensitive Ranvir Shorey as Jayvrat Sahni, his roommate at Lonepur’s Khasha Blanca. Dr. Watson with a dash of regional flair, if you will. Together, the duo tackles a wild mix of mysteries, from a quirky ad seeking a groom willing to rough it out in the forest for a month, to a faceless monster terrorizing a small town for centuries.
In Shekhar Home, the beauty lies in its simplicity. This adaptation doesn’t overcomplicate itself or try too hard to impress. Instead, it lets the quirks of its characters and the charm of its setting do all the talking. For the most part, it’s like flipping through a well-loved detective novel in your library, where the familiar elements are present but presented with a fresh, local twist. The series subtly nods to beloved sleuths from the screen and reams of print without losing its own identity, making it a breezy watch that doesn’t feel the need to reinvent the wheel.
The first two episodes catch you off-guard. From then on, it’s a mix of solving smaller crimes that weave together to circle back to the central mystery. The high points in the series come mostly in bits, but at one moment, Shekhar Home gives way entirely to let the brilliance of Ranvir Shorey take center stage. Watch out for it.
Kay Kay Menon’s performance as Shekhar is brilliant, with his blend of humour, eccentricity, and intensity making the character both endearing and engaging. Ranvir Shorey’s portrayal of Jayvrat adds a charming quirkiness that complements Menon’s role perfectly. From his gait to his dialogue delivery—Ranvir is brilliantly cast. The dialogue writing is sharp in parts, ensuring each episode keeps you entertained to an acceptable degree. Rasika Dugal shines as Iravati, lending an air of effortless sophistication to the character that charms and disarms in equal measure, while Kaushik Sen delivers his usual impressive performance as Mrinmoye Haldar. Kirti Kulhari, one wishes, had more to do because here’s an actress who has the chops to deliver, but the script has little for her to play with. Cinematographer Sirsha Roy, whose works include National Award-winning films like Churni Ganguly’s Nirbashito and R. Madhavan’s Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, paints Kolkata and parts of Santiniketan in broad, sepia strokes that command your undivided attention.
On the downside, a few of the supporting characters come off as one-dimensional and cliché, with their actions and dialogues predictable from the get-go. Besides a couple of plot twists, the mysteries are fairly obvious and fail to keep you hooked at all times. The show’s mix of mystery, drama, and a hint of romance sparingly feels like a patchwork job, lacking the finesse to tie it all together.
But overall, Shekhar Home is a fun and breezy watch that blends classic Bengali detective vibes with a cool, modern twist. Packed with a few standout performances, it’s a fresh take on the genre that’ll keep you entertained.
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