Nayan Rahasya Movie Review : Good performances save a predictable plot

In Hatyapuri, Sandip Ray had launched a new set of faces for the characters of Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu (Indraneil Sengupta, Ayush Das and Abhijit Guha respectively). This cast returns for a second time in Nayan Rahasya. Like the previous instalment, this film too is set in modern times. The film begins with the introduction of the magician Sunil Tarafdar (Debnath Chatterjee) and his wonder protégé, Jyotishka, or Nayan (Abhinav Barua), who can answer questions that have numbers involved. Feluda and company attend the show, see the boy’s talent and are impressed. However, this attracts many who want the boy for their own purposes. So, the magician asks Feluda to accompany him on his tour to south India to protect Nayan from anyone who tries to cause him harm. Around the same time, Feluda gets another offer from one Ritesh Hingorani (Mohan Agashe), who is afraid that his partner might kill/harm him.

The original story has been mostly kept intact, with a few changes made here and there to ensure that it works in today’s context. The casting has been done well, with Mohan Agashe returning to Feluda after a long hiatus. As Nayan, young Abhinav does a stellar job, his natural acting talents enhanced by a pair of hypnotic eyes that commands attention. Indraneil Sengupta as Feluda has a compelling presence, however, his dialogue delivery feels slightly wooden at times, while Abhijit Guha is quite entertaining as Jatayu, especially in a particular interaction between Jatayu and a detective from Detecknik (a small but extremely interesting character played by Rajesh Sharma). Debnath Chatterjee and Atmadeep Ghosh as the magician Tarafdar and his assistant Shankar are good, but there are certain scenes that perhaps require more explanations and detailing, especially during the second half of the film. This makes the ending extremely predictable. As the shrewd old Hingorani, Mohan Agashe is a great fit.

Just like Hatyapuri, the modernisation of Feluda doesn’t go much beyond cell phone upgrades, it seems, and that is perhaps the weakness of the plot. But the film is well-shot and the narrative is fast, especially in the first half. Despite the weaknesses in the script as well as sub-par editing (especially in the second half), Nayan Rahasya is a nice, family-friendly adventure, thanks to good performances.