This review is for the Basu Chatterjee directed DD TV series(1993) & not for the movie.
The series is based on namesake fictional detective from the classic Bengali literature created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. Byomkesh calls himself Satyanweshi - the seeker of truth. Shardindu wrote 32 stories between 1932 and 1970 and all the stories were adapted for the TV series.
With modern TV dramas continue to churn the same routine stuff over 1000’s of episodes, this one little series made its mark in just 32 golden episodes. The series does not have a gloss as it was made on a shoestring budget and given the timeframe of the stories they might be too predictable for modern audience.
And yet it works and casts its charm due to its amazing actors lead from the front by the charismatic Rajat Kapoor as Byomkesh and KK Raina as Ajit babu and amply supported by Sukanya Kulkarni as Satyawati and others. All tied together under the direction of Basuda. The series is available on Youtube and DD keeps playing it often. This series is the prime example that proves pomp and glossy production values are really not needed and strong actors and director can make anything turn gold.
So much so anyone playing Byomkesh has to beat the bar set by Rajat Kapoor, a feat that is almost impossible to achieve. Watch it for his performance alone and see how these simple stories turn into magic and draw you into the world of mystery.