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Feluda (Bengali: ফেলুদা), or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, (Bengali: প্রদোষ চন্দ্র মিত্র), who also uses the Anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at 21 Rajani Sen Road, Ballygunge, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Feluda first made his appearance in a Bengali children's magazine called Sandesh in 1965, under the editorialship of Satyajit Ray and Subhas Mukhopadhyay. His first adventure was Feludar Goendagiri.
Feluda is most of the times accompanied by his cousin Tapesh (affectionately called Topshe by Feluda), who serves as the narratorof the stories. From the sixth story, Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress), the duo are joined by a popular thriller writer Jatayu(Lalmohon Ganguli).
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| Feluda (right in the drawing) and Topshe inFeludar Goendagiri, drawing by Satyajit Ray |
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Character development of Feluda
Inspiration of Sherlock Holmes
Satyajit Ray had deep interests in crime fiction and he read all Sherlock Holmes fictions in his school days. And when Ray himself started writing crime fictions, unsurprisingly, the character Sherlock Holmes inspired his writings. Feluda's character resembles to Sherlock Holmes and Tapesh/Topseh's character resembles to Dr. Watson. In the stories of Feluda, he is displayed as a big admirer of Sherlock Holmes which he mention multiple times. In Kailash Choudharyr Pathar he praises the way Holmes used to draw large conclusions from observations. In Londone Feluda, when Feluda goes to Baker Street, he openly considers Holmes as the "master" (Bengali: guru) of all private detectives.
Personality of Feluda
Prodosh Chandra Mitra, popularly known by his nickname Feluda, first appeared in the eponymous Bengali short story Feludar Goyendagiri(Feluda's Investigation) in 1965. The story, written by Satyajit Ray, was published in Sandesh, a children's periodical founded by Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury and edited by Ray himself. In the Feluda series that followed, he was portrayed as a man of around 27 with a tall (6' 2"), athletic figure. Despite being a strongly built man adept in martial arts, Feluda relies mostly upon his superb analytical ability and observation skill (jokingly referred to as the Magajastra or brain-weapon) to solve cases instead of using physical strength or weapons. He is very choosy about taking up cases and prefers cases that require cerebral effort. He possesses a .32 Colt revolver, but the weapon is used very infrequently and mostly for non-violent purposes. However, contemporary (2000s) movies based on Feluda stories feature scenes of violence uncharacteristic of the series, where Feluda demonstrates his martial art powers. Feluda is known to be a good sleight-of-hand, and he put that skill to use for solving couple of cases. He is also good at disguises. Feluda often calls a meeting while solving the mystery. The most popular stories of Feluda are- Kailashe Kelenkari, Chinnamastar Abhishap, Darjeeling Jomjomat etc.
Feluda' personal life
In his personal life, Feluda is a common Bengali youth who has been brought up by his father's younger brother (Tapesh/Topshe's father) after his parent's death when he was only 9. His father, the late Jaykrishna Mitra, used to teach Mathematics and Sanskrit at Dhaka Collegiate School. Feluda, too, taught in a school before his detective career. Feluda was student of Scottish Church College. He enjoys delivering classroom-like lectures, a carry-over from that profession. He finds an avid listener in his cousin Tapesh. Also, he often uses his oratory skill at the climactic scenes to cajole the culprit in confessing his crime. He is an early riser and is often shown starting his day with yoga.
Contrary to his otherwise healthy lifestyle, Feluda enjoys smoking cigarettes and chewing betel leaves. His favourite brand of cigarettes is Charminar. He is a connoisseur of delicious foods, popular music and movies, and books. He has a great appreciation for Sherlock Holmes and, according to the film Tintorettor Jishu, Bruce Lee. Like Sherlock Holmes, he has an omnivorous reading habit (reflecting that of Ray's own), which add up to his enormous general knowledge. This know-how often comes handy while socialising with people and unravelling mysteries. He always reads about the place he is visiting. He says it comes in handy sometimes.
Other characters
Tapesh Ranjan Mitra
Feluda's cousin, who is fondly referred to as Topshe, is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's conception of John Watson. Just like the former army surgeon, Topshe is the quintessential accomplice and faithfully records each of Prodosh Mitra's exploits accurately. Though Feluda often teases his young cousin, he is extremely fond and very protective of him. Feluda lives with Topshe's family. Topshe's father is the younger brother of Feluda's father, and therefore his uncle, and they all reside at 21, Rajani Sen Road, Kolkata-700029. Although there really is a 'Rajani Sen Road' in Kolkata, the house number is missing. In films and TV serials the character has been played by Siddahartha Chattopadhyay, Saswata Chattopadhyaya, and Parambrata Chattopadhyay at different times. He is a teenager. The new Topshe is played by Saheb Bhattacharjee, son of footballer Subrato Bhattacharjee. But now in the new film of Sandip Ray-- "Badshahi Angti" Actor Sourav Das will play the role.
Lalmohon Ganguli or Jatayu
Main article: Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Lalmohon Ganguli is a close friend of Prodosh Chandra Mitra, and is described as the author of a series of Bengali crime thrillers written under the pseudonym 'Jatayu'. His crime stories novels are usually derided as unbelievable, considering that his main character is always the superhero Prakhar Rudra, and in his words, Height:6 ft 3 1/2 inches, waist:36, chest:46, shoulders:22 and wrist:8 1/2. Though all his novels seem to have become best-sellers, he often tends to make extremely silly mistakes such as spelling igloos as 'ilgoos'. In Baksho Rahasya or Mystery of a Box, he confuses hippos with walruses — a tendency that Feluda often tries to correct. He sometimes serves as a perfect foil to the group and in Ray's own words provides 'dollops of humour', although he sometimes does some brave acts not expected of him. He owns a 'Madrasi green' Ambassador car. Jatayu makes his first appearance in Sonar Kella joining Feluda and Topshe in the train at Kanpur, on their way to Jodhpur. In the first two films on Feluda, which were directed by Ray himself, the character was played by Santosh Dutta, and after the first one, Ray modified the literary character to some extent, making him look and behave quite like Dutta himself. Jatayu lives at Garpar in Kolkata, and it may be recalled that Satyajit Ray himself passed his childhood at 100, Garpar.
Sidhu Jyatha
Sidhu Jyatha's formal name is Shiddeshwar Basu. He is an aged character who has described himself to be like Sherlock Holmes's brother Mycroft, living on Sardar Sankar Road, Lake Market, Kolkata. He is a bibliophile, and has an extensive base of general knowledge, current and historical affairs. He is a close friend of Feluda's father, being neighbours in their ancestral village at Bangladesh. Feluda's jyatha (that is, uncle) is said to have a 'photographic memory', and is a vast source of information which comes in handy when Feluda is in need of some. His vast knowledge comes from his collection of varied kinds of newspaper clippings which he has accumulated over the years. The role was played byHarindranath Chattopadhyay in Sonar Kella and by Haradhan Banerjee in Kailashe Kelenkari and in "Gorosthaney Sabdhan". Following recent Feluda films made by Sandip Ray, Satyajit Ray's son, there have been questions over Sidhu Jyatha's continued relevance in the stories considering technologies such as the internet offer a faster, wider and more effective knowledge base than a well-read person.
Haripada
Haripada is the driver of Lalmohon Ganguli's second-hand green Mark II Ambassador car. He is a loyal, intelligent and reliable person and is of great help when needed. He played a crucial role in Gorosthaney Sabhdhan where he saved the lives of Feluda, Lalmohon, and Topshe. In Ambar Sen Ontordhan Rohossho, Haripad is seen carrying the ransom to the kidnapper. He also has a minor role in Boshpukery Khunkharapi, where he takes part in a surveillance mission with the rest of the Feluda gang in disguise.
Maganlal Meghraj
Meghraj is a villainous character who appears in several of Feluda's stories, including Joy Baba Felunath, Jato Kando Kathmandute, and Golapi Mukta Rahasyao. He has been compared to Professor Moriarty of the Sherlock Holmes-series. Utpal Dutta immortalised this character in one Feluda movie Joi Baba Felunath, which Satyajit Ray directed.
Pulak Ghoshal
Ghoshal is a Mumbai-based popular Hindi film director hailing from Kolkata. His original home in Kolkata is in the neighbourhood of Lalmohonbabu's in northern Kolkata's Garpar. He has directed two films based on Lalmohonbabu's stories . During the shooting of both these films, dangerous events took place, resulting in arrest of a producer in one film (Bombaiyer Bombete) and arrest of an actor in another film (Darjeeling Jamjomat).
Minor characters
- Srinath is the domestic help of Feluda and Topshe. He is often seen serving tea for Feluda and his clients. He is also a good cook of Bengali food.
- Bharadwaj is a minor character who is the household cook at Jatayu's place.
- Baikuntha Mallik was Jatayu's Bengali teacher at Ethenium Institution when he was in the seventh grade. Lalmohan Babu often describes him as a great poet who did not get the adulation he deserved. There is no presence of him in the story but in some stories we can see Jatayu reciting his poems.
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