'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!': We love Sushant Singh Rajput, but can't forget Neeraj Kabi
He doesn't play the gun-wielding beefy villain that we have seen multiple times in Bollywood films, who works with the sole purpose to substantiate how macho the male protagonist is. But with his carefully nuanced portrayal of Dr Anukul Guha, actor Neeraj Kabi keeps the spotlight fixated on him. While his last project (Ship of Theseus) proved how he is one of the best actors in Bollywood, his recent performance in Dibakar Banerjee's much talked about film goes on to show he has the makings of a perfect villain.
Read on to why we love to hate Neeraj Kabi in the film.
There are spoilers ahead. In case you haven't watched the film, please come back to the article later.
Read on to why we love to hate Neeraj Kabi in Dibakar Banerjee's 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!'.
With a destructive attitude and wicked plans, Neeraj looks captivating as we see him being pitted against the good guy. As the story progresses and Sushant gets wrong clues while he slogs to piece together the mystery, we realize how powerful Neeraj is than our hero. He comes across as a challenge which the actor has a tough time to defeat. Even though he isn't seen as a physically imposing character, Dr Anukul Guha is a lot better than the hero and compels him to look deeper into the clues and work harder to find the murderer.
Unlike the typical villain, Neeraj doesn't sport just one look in the film. With the varied roles - a patriot, owner of Mahamaya Boarding House and a traitor - his garb changes. He sports a traditional avatar as Dr Guha, wears a monkey cap to conceal his identity when he accompanies Bymokesh to enter the factory, and sports a thick beard, opt for a long coat that goes with his a dishevelled state for the climax (when his identity is revealed), all to prove there is a certain look about him. It is his final look that helps him stand out from the rest of the characters. So while his great acting is obvious, his great costume also does the trick, all to exude the aura of a great villain.
The reason why we never get bored of seeing Neeraj is his ability to turn himself into a complex character that makes the viewers feel there is more to him than what they see on screen. It is the mystery he is shrouded in that hooks the viewers in. And because he is enigmatic, he succeeds in scaring the viewers.
Neeraj succeeds in every trick he plays because of his potential to treat the string of murders as a chess game. Everything goes according to the plan that he has drawn. It's quite creepy when he knows everything and manipulates the hero, subtly though, to his plan.
But the climax which shows how he is defeated and still not, that becomes the defining point of the film. While filmmaker Dibakar build it up, Neeraj makes it all the more powerful. And as he mouths the film's most hard-hitting dialogue 'Meri Dosti Nahi Sambhal Paye Bakshy Babu, Meri Dushami Kaise Sambhalogey', the audience know he will return to pose a greater challenge for our Bakshy!
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