Shubhomoy Mukherjee

When Shabor arrived on the movie scene a couple of years ago, the series brought with it an appeal of somewhat more adult topics than the more usual Feluda and Byomkesh within the Detective Crime fiction genre. Aschhe Abar Shabor tries to take the action forward from where we left Shabor in Eagler Chokh. It is a racy thriller allright with with three murders, a convoluted story that keeps you guessing till the end and a chase sequence too. However to the purist this movie fails on a few fronts: The opening credits creates a James Bond-like excitement but the opening sequence simply loses on the tempo. The portrayal of Rinku as a rebellious teenager, the main interest in the story, whose life and murder is the theme is simply not convincing and the audience does not sympathise with her or feel for her at her death. She simply breezes through the movie, says her lines but is non-descript. So are her friends, who beyond their youth and a 'band' song at her elaborate birthday party are not fleshed out as people. They remain a loose 'group of friends'. Perhaps this worked in Durga Sohay, but not is a detective story where the personality of the detective should take things forward. So too many characters is one problem. The other is of Narratorial voice or viewpoint...which is simply not consistent. Are we seeing it through Shabor's eyes? Definitely not. Unlike a typical Sherlock Holmes or Poirot mystery or even our own Feluda or Byomkesh where the narrator is a close friend or associate of the detective and is part of the action at all times, here there are several instances in the movie where they are simply not there. Action sequences are unimpressive and more importantly contrived and unconvincing. For instance Rinku's murder is discovered, and the mob goes on a rampage. There is not a single step of thought process ... where in people gather, discuss and then choose to attack who they suppose is her muderer. They attack a man who till the previous night was going nowhere without a gun on his person and he does nothing to defend himself. The 'crime' scenes where the serial murder is committed are again visualised rather than left to the imagination. In showing a voodoo doll - and the accompanying process of enchantment the motives of the step-mother are over emphasised but this stream of thought is not followed up in the investigation. The breaking of the window of the grandmother's room need not have been accompanied by a shot of a hooded person who purportedly throws the stone. In trying to make everything explicit the movie dissipates the suspense. Shabor's razor sharp wit is rendered mild in this movie and it instead tends to have 'comic' sequences which detracts from the theme...for example the constable who goes to spend a night with 'Uma' the prostitute and his obvious discomfort with the proceedings is not sufficiently hilarious nor does it take the action forward. The chase sequence in the end is just too long and pointless...It in fact starts during broad daylight and ends in the night. Which human - detective or murderer can run for so long? The murderer confesses in the banks of the Hooghly after a few kicks and punches by the police team and Shabor. In spontaneously explaining his story and motivation he comes across more as a 'misguided youth' rather than a Serial killer...there is nothing at all fascinating about his personality. To be a good and effective crime story you need a your criminal who sends a chill down your spine...a proper personality. Its sorely missed here. Unlike the brilliant two Shabor movies earlier, this one leaves a bit to be desired in its art. Still worth one watch. And hoping for a better Shabor next January.