View source for Feluda

{{short description|Bengali fictional detective created by the Indian film director, Satyajit Ray (1921–1992)}}
{{About|the character|book series|Feluda (series)|the 2017 Indian documentary|Feluda: 50 Years of Ray's Detective}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox character
| name = Feluda
| series = [[Feluda (series)|Feluda]]
| image = Feluda and Topshe.jpg
| caption = Topshe and Feluda in ''Feludar Goyendagiri''<br>Illustrated by [[Satyajit Ray|Ray]] himself.
| first = ''[[Feludar Goyendagiri]]''(1965)
| last = ''[[Robertsoner Ruby]]'' (1991)
| creator = [[Satyajit Ray]]
| portrayer = {{ubl|[[Soumitra Chatterjee]]<br>(Original)|[[Shashi Kapoor]]|[[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]]|[[Abir Chatterjee]]|[[Ahmed Rubel]]|[[Parambrata Chatterjee]]|[[Tota Roy Chowdhury]]|[[Indraneil Sengupta]]|[[Rahul Bose]]|[[Santu Mukherjee]]}}
| voice = {{ubl|[[Soumitra Chatterjee]]|[[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]]|[[Rahul Bose]]|[[Santu Mukherjee]]}}
| motion_actor = {{ubl|[[Soumitra Chatterjee]]|[[Shashi Kapoor]]|[[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]]|[[Abir Chatterjee]]|[[Ahmed Rubel]]|[[Parambrata Chatterjee]]|[[Tota Roy Chowdhury]]|[[Indraneil Sengupta]]}}
| full_name = Pradosh Chandra Mitter
| alias = Feluda
| occupation = [[Private Investigator]]
| home = 21, Rajani Sen Road, Kolkata-700029
| family = Jaykrishna Mitra (Father)
| relatives = Tapesh Ranjan Mitra ([[Topshe]]) (Cousin)
| religion = [[Hinduism]]
| nationality = Indian
| lbl21 = Height
| data21 = {{height|feet=6||inches=2}}{{efn|Although in Sonar Kella, his height is mentioned as nearly six feet, in the next novel Baksho Rahashya, it is told that Jatayu's head reaches Feluda's shoulder. Jatayu is 5 feet 3.5 inches tall. Also, in an interview, Sabyasachi Chakraborty told he matches Feluda's physicality, 6'2" tall.}}
| lbl22 = Friend
| data22 = [[Lalmohan Ganguly]]
}}

'''Feluda''' is a [[fictional detective]] and [[private investigator]] created by Indian director,writer and Oscar winner [[Satyajit Ray]]. Feluda resides at 21 Rajani Sen Road,<ref name="Feluda's Home">{{cite news|author=Susnato Chowdhury|title=Feluda's Home|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfYYetKqnGs |access-date=27 May 2014|newspaper=[[Kolkata TV]]|year=2007}}</ref> [[Ballygunge]], [[Calcutta]], [[West Bengal]], India. He first made his appearance in a [[Bengali language|Bengali]] children's magazine called ''[[Sandesh (magazine)|Sandesh]]'' in 1965, under the editorialship of [[Satyajit Ray|Ray]] and [[Subhash Mukhopadhyay (poet)|Subhas Mukhopadhyay]]. His first adventure was "[[Feludar Goendagiri]]".<ref name="Ray2005">{{cite book|author=Satyajit Ray|title=Complete Adventures of Feluda |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x79t4D8Rh5UC&pg=PR10|year=2005|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-303278-6|page=10}}</ref> Feluda is one of the most impactful and renowned Bengali characters of all time.

Feluda is often accompanied by his cousin, who is also his assistant, Tapesh Ranjan Mitter (affectionately called Topshe by Feluda), who serves as the [[narrator]] of the stories. From the sixth story, the novel ''[[Sonar Kella]]'' (''The Golden Fortress''), the duo are joined by a popular thriller writer, [[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]] (Lalmohan Ganguli).

Feluda has had been filmed at times, with the character been played by [[Soumitra Chatterjee]], [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]], [[Ahmed Rubel]], [[Shashi Kapoor]], [[Abir Chatterjee]], [[Parambrata Chatterjee]], [[Tota Roy Chowdhury]] and [[Indraneil Sengupta]]. Satyajit Ray directed two Feluda movies — ''[[Sonar Kella]]'' (1974) and ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]'' (1978). [[Sandip Ray]] made a [[Feluda in film|new Feluda film series (a continuation of the original series)]] on Feluda's adventures which started from ''[[Baksho Rahashya (film)|Baksho Rahashya]]'' (1996). In this series he made ten TV films and six theatrical films in [[Bengali language|Bengali]] on the character.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} Sandip Ray also made a stand-alone Feluda film ''[[Badshahi Angti (film)|Badshahi Angti]]'' (2014) which was intended to be the first film of a reboot series featuring [[Abir Chatterjee]], but the projects were ultimately shelved and [[Sandip Ray]] revived his original film series starring [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]].

== Character development ==

=== Inspiration from Sherlock Holmes ===
[[File:Sherlock Holmes Portrait Paget.jpg|thumb|180px|Feluda is a big admirer of [[Sherlock Holmes]]. In ''Kailash Choudharyr Pathar,'' he praises the way Holmes used to draw significant conclusions from subtle observations. In ''Londone Feluda'', during a visit to Baker Street, he refers to Holmes as the "master" (Bengali: ''guru'') of all private detectives.]]

Satyajit Ray had deep interests in crime fiction and he read all of [[Sherlock Holmes]] fictions in his school days. And when Ray himself started writing on crime fictions, unsurprisingly, the character Sherlock Holmes inspired his writings. Feluda's character resembles Sherlock Holmes and Tapesh/Topshe's character resembles [[Dr Watson]].<ref name="RayGupta2011">{{cite book|author1=Ray|author2=Satyajit & Sen Gupta|author3=Subhadra (text)|title=Feluda Mysteries : The Criminals Of|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ei0bfvG_tvIC&pg=PT2|year=2011|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-333154-4|page=2}}</ref> In the stories of Feluda, he is displayed as a big admirer of Sherlock Holmes which he mentions multiple times. In ''Kailash Choudhury'r Pathar'' he praises the way Holmes used to draw large conclusions from observations. In ''Londone Feluda'', when Feluda goes to [[Baker Street]], he openly addresses Holmes as the "master" (Bengali: ''guru'') of all private detectives.

=== Personality ===
Pradosh Chandra Mitter, popularly known by his nickname Feluda, first appeared in the eponymous Bengali short story ''[[Feludar Goendagiri|Feludar Goyendagiri]]'' (''Danger in [[Darjeeling]]'') 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 (born around 1938) with a tall (almost 6'0"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Mahdi |date=4 Aug 2020 |title=Tall Man Out |url=https://popula.com/2020/08/04/tall-man-out/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122163105/https://popula.com/2020/08/04/tall-man-out/ |archive-date=22 Jan 2025 |website=Popula}}</ref>), 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 guns|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 in the literature, where Feluda demonstrates his martial art prowess. A master of disguises, Feluda is known to be an adept sleight-of-hand, and he puts these skills to use to solve multiple cases. Feluda often calls a meeting after solving the mystery, where he cajoles the culprit into admitting their crime.

=== Personal life ===
In his personal life, Feluda is a common [[Bengali people|Bengali]] youth who has been brought up by his father's younger brother (Tapesh/Topshe's father) after being orphaned when he was only 9. His father, the late Joykrishna Mitra, used to teach [[Mathematics]] and [[Sanskrit]] at [[Dhaka Collegiate School]]. According to the story 'Royal Bengal Rahasya', The ancestral Home of Feluda was in Sona Dighi Village of [[Bikrampur]] Region of Dhaka (Now [[Munshiganj District]]). His elder Uncle was a manager of a zamindari Estate in [[Mymensingh]] and a hunter. After the [[Partition of India|Partition of 1947]], his family moved from Dhaka to Calcutta, living in a rented house in Tara Road. Later, they moved in 21, Rajani Sen Road. Feluda had a job in the bank before his detective career.  He finds an avid listener in his cousin Tapesh. He often uses his oratory skill at the climactic scenes to cajole the culprit into confessing his crime. He is an early riser and is frequently shown starting his day with [[exercises]] and [[yoga]].

Contrary to his otherwise healthy lifestyle, Feluda enjoys smoking cigarettes and chewing betel leaves after lunch. His favourite brand of cigarettes is [[Charminar Cigarette|Charminar]]. He is a connoisseur of delicious food, popular music, movies, and books. He has a great appreciation for [[Sherlock Holmes]] and, according to the film ''[[Tintorettor Jishu (film)|Tintorettor Jishu]]'', [[Bruce Lee]]. Similar to Sherlock Holmes, he has a voracious 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 up about a place before visiting. He says it comes in handy sometimes. He is shown to be fond of [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]], and specially his cousin, Topshe, is a fan of [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]]. Some of the Feluda stories and films have many references of [[The Adventures of Tintin]]. He is also a huge fan of the books by [[Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]], [[Jim Corbett]] and [[Kenneth Anderson (writer)|Kenneth Anderson]]. His favourite book was "[[Aranyak]]" written by [[Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay]]. He is also shown to be fond of [[non-fiction books]] like ''[[Aku-Aku]], [[Chariots of the Gods?]]'' and ''[[Martin Gardner|The Numerology of Dr. Matrix]]''.

Feluda has love and respect for [[Lalmohan Ganguly|Lalmohan Ganguly (Jatayu)]] and his fictional creation Prakhar Rudra is liked by Feluda. He also frequently points out errors and inaccuracies in Jatayu's adventure series, and even helps him write a script for a [[Bollywood]] film. Feluda is protective and caring about his cousin, yet he always keeps picking mistakes or humor of or from Topshe. Topshe, the narrator, greatly admires his brother and loves to be a part of his adventures. Feluda has never shown interest in any woman, and there are very few female characters in the stories or films (except some minor characters like Topshe's mother).

== Other characters ==

=== Topshe ===
Feluda's paternal (maternal in the first two stories) cousin Tapesh Ranjan Mitter, who is fondly referred to as ''Topshe'',<ref name="Pandey2008">{{cite book|author=Ravi N. Pandey |title=Encyclopaedia of Great Indian Novels And Novelists (Set of 3 Vols.)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WD0qAQAAIAAJ|year=2008|publisher=Anmol Publications Pvt. Ltd|isbn=978-81-261-3700-8|page=228}}</ref> is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's conception of Dr. [[Dr. Watson|John Watson]]. In the first couple of stories, his surname was ''Bose'', but later it changed to ''Mitra''. Just like the former [[British Army|army]] surgeon, Topshe is the quintessential accomplice and faithfully records each of Pradosh Mitter's exploits accurately. Topshe is a smart teenager. In the first story of Feluda series (i.e. ''Feludar Goyendagiri''), Topshe was thirteen and a half where Feluda's age was twenty-seven, just the double of Topshe. 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, Binay Mitter is the younger brother of Feluda's father, and therefore his uncle, and they all reside at 21, Rajani Sen Road, Kolkata-700029.<ref name="Feluda's Home"/> Although there really is a 'Rajani Sen Road'<ref name="Feluda's Home"/> in [[Kolkata]], the house number is missing. Formerly, they all used to live in Tara road, Kolkata. Though not mentioned explicitly, Topshe is good-looking, fair, tall and handsome, as per different illustrations made by Satyajit Ray himself. During Sonar Kella, he was 5'5.5" tall (he was two inches taller than Jatayu, who was 5'3.5"). But during Golokdham Rahasya, he become taller and reached the height of 5'7".

Detailed knowledge regarding Topshe's high school education is not available, but he used to go to school during the adventure of ''[[Sonar Kella]]'' (the sixth book of Feluda series). In the film adaptation of ''Sonar Kella'', Topshe's mother shows her concern regarding his career and study as he spends much time solving cases with Feluda. By the time of [[Kailashey Kelenkari (novel)|''Kailashe Kelenkari'']] (the ninth book of the series) he have had his secondary examination ('[[Madhyamik Pariksha]]'). Just like Feluda, Topshe also used to read lot of books to enhance his knowledge. Topshe often gets his lessons from Feluda himself. In many cases, Feluda tests his deductive knowledge and he usually passes the test satisfactorily. In the movie '' Sonar Kella'' Topshe's father aptly said that Topshe is a lucky boy who got Feluda as his mentor. Topshe is fond of '[[Adventures of Tintin]]' comic series. In the book '' [[Kailashey Kelenkari (novel)|Kailashe Kelenkari]]'', he is found reading '[[Tintin in Tibet]]'.

Topshe always takes an active part in Feluda's adventure. Though in most cases, he follows Feluda's instructions or indications, there are instances where he himself gets involved into some action/investigation. To mention a few, he and Jatayu (a.k.a. Lalmohan Ganguly) sneaks into a warehouse in '[[Patan, Nepal|Patan]]' (Nepal) to discover vast collection of smuggled narcotics (book ''Jato Kando Kathmandute''); finds out the [[stabbed]] [[Human body|body]] of a missing man in the woods (book ''Darjeeling Jomjomat''); replaces the pink [[pearl]] with a fake for safe-keeping (book ''[[Golapi Mukta Rahasya]]''). The last incident impressed Feluda as well. However, all these activities mainly comes in the latter part of the series. He also interrogated the suspects in ''Apsara Theaterer Mamla'' when Feluda was sick and [[bedridden.]] Feluda solved the case just from the report of that interrogation.

In movies and TV films the character of Feluda has been played by [[Soumitra Chatterjee]], [[Shashi Kapoor]], [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] and recently [[Abir Chatterjee]], while Topshe has been played by [[Siddartha Chatterjee]], Alankar Joshi,  [[Saswata Chatterjee]], [[Parambrata Chatterjee|Parambrata Chattopadhyay]] and [[Saheb Bhattacharya]] over the years. In Sandip Ray's 2014 film ''[[Badshahi Angti (film)|Badshahi Angti]]'', actor Sourav Das played the role.

In Srijit Mukherjee's Webseries, Topshe was played by Kalpan Mitra and Feluda was played by [[Tota Roy Chowdhury]]. In Arindam Sil's Webseries, Feluda was played by [[Parambrata Chatterjee|Parambrata Chattopadhyay]] and Topshe by [[Rwitobroto Mukherjee]].

=== Lalmohan Ganguli or Jatayu<!--DON'T ADD BENGALI NAME--> ===
{{Main|Lalmohan Ganguly}}

Lalmohan Ganguli is a close friend of Pradosh Chandra Mitter, and is described as the author of a series of Bengali crime thrillers written under the pseudonym '[[Jatayu]]'. His crime stories and novels are usually derided as unbelievable, considering that his main character is always the superhero Prakhar Rudra. Though all his novels seem to have become best-sellers, he often tends to make extremely silly mistakes such as spelling [[igloo]]s as 'ilgoos'. In ''Baksho Rahasya'' or ''Incident on the Kalka [[Mail]]'', he confuses [[hippo]]s with [[walrus]]es&nbsp;— 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. To mention a few, he knocked out goons in ''Baksho Rahasya'' (using his [[boomerang]]), ''Joto Kando [[Kathmandu]]te'' (using a [[prayer wheel]]), ''[[Tintoretto]]r Jishu'' (using a packing box) and ''Ebar Kando [[Kedarnath]]e'' (using a stick), which impressed Feluda as well. He owns a 'Madrasi green' [[Hindustan Ambassador|Ambassador]] car. Jatayu makes his first appearance in ''Sonar Kella'' joining Feluda and Topshe in the train at [[Agra]], 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. In the next films directed by Ray's son, Sandip Ray, this character was played by [[Mohan Agashe]], [[Rabi Ghosh]], [[Anup Kumar (actor)|Anup Kumar]] and [[Bibhu Bhattacharya]] respectively. Jatayu also has a fantasy of collecting weapons. In various books he carried weapons like '[[kukri]]' (Nepali [[knife]]), and [[smoke bomb]]. Jatayu lives at Garpar in Kolkata, and it may be recalled that Satyajit Ray himself passed his childhood at 100, Garpar.

=== Sidhu Jetha<!--DON'T ADD BENGALI NAME--> ===
Sidhu Jetha's formal name is Siddheshwar Bose. He is an aged character who has described himself to be like [[Sherlock Holmes]]'s brother [[Mycroft Holmes|Mycroft]], living in Sardar Sankar Road, Lake Market, [[Kalighat]], [[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 former neighbours in their ancestral village in [[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 by [[Harindranath Chattopadhyay]] in ''[[Sonar Kella]]'', [[Ajit Bandyopadhyay (actor)|Ajit Bandopadhyay]] in ''[[Baksho Rahashya (film)|Baksho Rahashya]]'', Dibya Bhattacharya in Golapi Mukto Rahashya, [[Haradhan Banerjee]] in ''[[Kailashey Kelenkari (film)|Kailashe Kelenkari]]'' and in ''[[Gorosthaney Sabdhan (film)|Gorosthaney Sabdhan]]'' and by [[Paran Bandyopadhyay]] in ''[[Double Feluda]]''. 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 Datta<!--DON'T ADD BENGALI NAME--> ===
Haripada Datta is the driver of Lalmohon Ganguli's [[second-hand]] green Mark II ''[[Hindustan Ambassador|Ambasador]]'' 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, Jatayu, and Topshe. He also has a minor role in ''Boshpukery Khunkharapi'', where he takes part in a surveillance mission with the rest of Feluda's gang in [[disguise]] playing 29 cardgame.

=== Maganlal Meghraj<!--DON'T ADD BENGALI NAME--> ===
[[File:Maganlal_Meghraj.png|thumb|right|Maganlal Meghraj, as drawn by Satyajit Ray]]
Meghraj is a villainous character who appears in three Feluda stories, including ''Joi Baba Felunath'', ''Joto Kando Kathmandute'', and ''Golapi Mukta Rahasya''. He has been compared to [[Professor Moriarty]] of the [[Sherlock Holmes]] series. [[Utpal Dutta]] immortalised this character in one Feluda movie ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]'' and a Hindi Feluda Telefilm [[Kissa Kathmandu Mein]], which [[Satyajit Ray]] and [[Sandip Ray]] directed respectively. After him [[Mohan Agashe]] played this character twice in telefilms.

Maganlal lives in Benaras. He has a house in Joka, Kolkata also. His son's name is Surajlal Meghraj. He is officially a money-lender but is involved in smuggling artifacts, [[narcotics]] (through Indo-Nepal border) and jewellery. His Kolkata house had been raided once but he escaped any charges until Feluda caught him red-handed in smuggling an invaluable Ganesh Murti (an idol of the elephant god) during the case of ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]''. However, he was not behind bars for a long time. In the nineteenth book, ''Jato Kando Kathmandute'', Feluda said that he was not at all surprised seeing Meghraj out of jail as that was nothing for such an influential person. Once again he was arrested in charge of [[murder]] and smuggling, yet he averted any long term punishment and we saw him once again in the thirty-first story, ''Golapi Mukta Rahasya.''

Maganlal is a good judge of human character. He lured ''Bikash Singh'', secretary of ''Umanath Ghoshal'', to steal the invaluable 'Ganesh Murti' from the Ghoshal-house. He also has a special interest in humiliating ''Jatayu''. In ''Joi Baba Felunath'' he made Jatayu the subject of a knife-throwing play. In ''Jato Kando Kathmandute'', he purposefully slips an [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]]-laced [[sugar cube]] in Jatayu's tea. In his third appearance, he made Jatayu to sing a Tagore song (which Jatayu said his first time experience of singing a song). Surprisingly, he shows a queer fondness to Jatayu and usually calls him 'Uncle'.

During these three stories, we see many accomplices of Maganlal. Some of them are Machhli-Baba, Bikash Sinha, Arjun the [[knife]] thrower, Anantalaal Batra, Dr. Dibakar and Manohar. Maganlaal has his own ''Bajra'' by which he travels in Ganga near Benaras. The door of his house in Benaras is painted with figures of two swordsmen. During the making of the movie, ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|''Joi Baba Felunath'']]'', this swordsmen were painted by Satyajit Ray himself.

=== Pulak Ghoshal<!--DON'T ADD BENGALI NAME--> ===
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 (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 and snacks for Feluda and his clients.
* '''Jagannath''' is the household cook at Feluda's place. 
* '''Bharadwaj''' is the household cook at Lalmohan Babu's place.
* '''Baikuntha Nath Mallik''' was a poet, tourist and Bangla teacher at Ethenium Institution where Lalmohan Babu used to study. When he was in the seventh grade, he won prize for reciting Baikuntha's poem on sea. 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.

==Stories==
{{main|Feluda (series)#Stories}}

== In other media ==
{{main|Feluda in film}}

=== Films ===

Satyajit Ray directed ''[[Sonar Kella]]'' (1974) and ''[[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]]'' (1979) into movies in Bengali, starring actor [[Soumitra Chatterjee]] as Feluda, [[Santosh Dutta]] as [[Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]] and [[Siddartha Chatterjee]] as [[Topshe]]. This two films created a cult following in [[Cinema of West Bengal|Bengali cinema]] later years.

Sandip Ray directed five Feluda theatrical feature-length films, starring actor [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] as Feluda, [[Parambrata Chatterjee]] as Topshe in the first three films (Later he was replaced by Saheb Bhattacharyya) and [[Bibhu Bhattacharya]] as Jatayu. 
But the first theatrically released Feluda film directed by Sandip Ray was ''[[Baksho Rahashya (film)|Baksho Rahashya]]'' (1996) which was the first film of the Feluda TV film series and
was made for television release only.
It was released in theaters in December 2001. In this TV film [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] was Feluda, [[Saswata Chatterjee]] was Topshe and [[Rabi Ghosh]] was Jatayu.

*''[[Bombaiyer Bombete (film)|Bombaiyer Bombete]]'' was released in December 2003. 
*''[[Kailashey Kelenkari (film)|Kailashey Kelenkari]]'' was released in December 2007.
*''[[Tintorettor Jishu (film)|Tintorettor Jishu]]'' was released in December 2008.
*''[[Gorosthaney Sabdhan (film)|Gorosthaney Sabdhan]]'' was released in December 2010. 
* ''[[Royal Bengal Rahasya (film)|Royal Bengal Rahashya]]'', released in December 2011

Then Sandip Ray directed ''[[Badshahi Angti (film)|Badshahi Angti]]'' which was released in November 2014, in which [[Abir Chatterjee]] is playing Feluda for first time. This was going to be a [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] to previous the Feluda film series after ''[[Royal Bengal Rahashya (film)|Royal Bengal Rahashya]].<ref>Ruman Ganguly (14 May 2013) [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news-interviews/Feludas-comeback-with-Badshahi-Angti/articleshow/20045758.cms "Feluda's comeback with Badshahi Angti"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302075430/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movies/news-interviews/Feludas-comeback-with-Badshahi-Angti/articleshow/20045758.cms |date=2 March 2018 }}. ''The Times of India''.</ref>'' However, in 2016 Sandip Ray cancelled the reboot series because [[Abir Chatterjee]] started a new version of film series based on the [[Byomkesh Bakshi]] franchise under [[Shree Venkatesh Films]] and [[Surinder Films]].<ref>[http://abpananda.abplive.in/entertainment/who-will-be-next-feluda-181191] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504185459/http://abpananda.abplive.in/entertainment/who-will-be-next-feluda-181191|date=4 May 2016}}. ''ABP Ananda''</ref> The other reason was the new Feluda movie Sandip Ray intended to make under a Mumbai-based production house [[Eros International]], but Abir has a strict contract with [[Shree Venkatesh Films]] and [[Surinder Films]]. For the cancellation of the reboot series ''Badshahi Angti'' is now considered as a stand-alone reboot film.

On 23 December 2022, [[Hatyapuri (film)|Hatyapuri]] was released under the banner of Shadow Films. This was the reboot to the previous Feluda film series. The film was directed by [[Sandip Ray]] and starred [[Indraneil Sengupta]] as Feluda alongside Ayush Das and [[Abhijit Guha (director)|Abhijit Guha]] as Topshe and Jatayu respectively.<ref>{{Cite news |title=HatyapuriU |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movie-details/hatyapuri/movieshow/89939495.cms |access-date=2023-06-06 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hatyapuri review: Indraneil Sengupta brings Feluda back on screen with distincti |url=https://www.ottplay.com/review/hatyapuri-review-indraneil-sengupta-brings-feluda-back-on-screen-with-distinction/c0fd30a78d318 |access-date=2023-06-06 |website=OTTPlay |language=en}}</ref> Within a year and a half, [[Nayan Rahasya]] was released in May 2024, produced by [[Surinder Films]]. [[Indraneil Sengupta]], Ayush Das and [[Abhijit Guha (director)|Abhijit Guha]] reprise 
the role of Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu respectively.
*As a tribute to the 50-year anniversary of Feluda,a special film ''[[Double Feluda]]'' was released in December 2016. It was a continuation of the original Feluda movie series where [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] and [[Saheb Bhattacharya]] reprised their roles as Feluda and Topshe respectively. The movie consisted of two stories, Samaddar-er-Chabi and Golokdham Rahashya, shown on either half of the movie.

=== Television ===

* ''[[Kissa Kathmandu Mein]]'' (in Hindi, based on Joto Kando Kathmandute for [[DD National]]) (1986).Feluda was played by [[Shashi Kapoor]], Jatayu by [[Mohan Agashe]], Topshe by Alankar Joshi and Magan Lal Meghraj once again by [[Utpal Dutt]].
* ''Ghurghutiyar Ghatona'' (1992) and ''Golokdham Rahasya'' (1992) were directed by Bibhash Chakraborty.Feluda was played by [[Soumitra Chatterjee]] in these two Bengali Feluda telefilms.

In addition to the feature films, 10 Feluda stories have been filmed by Sandip Ray.[[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] played that role in these Feluda telefilms.[[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]] was played by [[Rabi Ghosh]] in the first two TV films, after his death [[Anup Kumar (actor)|Anup Kumar]] played [[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]] and finally by [[Bibhu Bhattacharya]].In all these Feluda TV films Topshe was played by [[Saswata Chatterjee]].These television films under the names/packages:

* ''Feluda 30'' (1996–1998) (for [[DD Bangla]], Later Repeated in [[Tara Muzik]])
(The Episodes were - <br>
Baksho Rahashya,<br>
Gosaipur Sargaram, <br>
Sheyal Devta Rahashya, <br>
Bosepukure Khunkharapi, <br>
Joto Kando Kathmandu)
* ''Satyajiter Goppo'' (1999) (made for [[DD Bangla]])
(The Episodes were - <br>
Jahangirer Swarnamudra,<br>
Ghurghutiyar Ghotona,<br>
Golapi Mukto Rahashya,<br>
Ambar Sen Antardhan Rahashya)
* ''Satyajiter Priyo Golpo'' (2000) (for [[Colors Bangla|ETV Bangla]])
(The Episode was - Dr Munshir Diary)<br>
From 1999 to 2001 [[Bangladesh Television]] (BTV) aired nine Feluda TV films. The series gained a huge popularity in [[Bangladesh]].

Sandip Ray has sold the rights of Feluda stories to Bangladeshi production company Kandy Productions, who are producing a TV series inspired by the original Feluda series. It premiered on [[Channel i]]<ref name="star detailed">{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/tv/bangladeshi-feluda-tv-series-detailed-1453045|title=Bangladeshi Feluda TV series detailed|date=24 August 2017|website=The Daily Star}}</ref><ref name="times series">{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bangladesh-tvs-first-ever-feluda-series-starring-parambrata-courts-controversy/articleshow/59908201.cms|title=Feluda series: Bangladesh TV's first-ever Feluda series starring Parambrata courts controversy &#124; Kolkata News - Times of India|website=The Times of India|date=4 August 2017 }}</ref> as well as digitally on [[Bioscopelive]] from September, 2017. The series is available in India on the digital platform Addatimes Digital.<ref name="indiatoday">{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/celebrities/story/feluda-parambrata-chatterjee-satyajit-ray-detective-webseries-1029906-2017-08-16|title=Feluda is back: Parambrata brings to life Satyajit Ray's master sleuth|date=16 August 2017|website=India Today}}</ref> [[Dhaka]] based Kandy Production is producing the series jointly with Top of Mind Creations, another Bangladeshi TV and film production house. This series depicted Feluda as a modern time detective. It has three episodes titled as 'Sheyal Devta Rahashya','Ghurghutiyar Ghotona' and 'Golokdham Rahashya.[[Parambrata Chatterjee]] plays Feluda and [[Riddhi Sen]] plays Topshe. The series is directed by Parambrata Chatterjee.'.<ref name="indiatoday"/>

The first Bangladeshi adaptation of Feluda was released in 2019.Feluda is played by versatile actor, [[Ahmed Rubel]], it also stars legendary actor, [[Abul Hayat]]. It is directed by actor-director [[Tauquir Ahmed]].It was titled
''Noyon Rohossho-Feluda''.It's still available on [[Bioscopelive]].{{fact|date=June 2025}}

===Web series===
* '''Feluda''' (Directed by [[Parambrata Chatterjee]])

A [[Bangladeshi]] streaming TV series ''Feluda'' from the streaming platform [[Bioscopelive]] was directed by [[Parambrata Chatterjee]], who also played the title character along with [[Riddhi Sen]] playing Topshe, was released in 2017–2018 in three seasons. This streaming TV series is not a part of the Feluda film canon directed by Satyajit Ray and Sandip Ray. Stories adapted were Sheyal Debota Rahasyo, Ghurghutiyar Ghotona, and Golokdham Rahasya and aired on [[Bioscopelive]] from September 2017. The series became available in India on the digital platform [[Addatimes]].

* '''[[Feludar Goyendagiri|Feluda Pherot]]''' (Directed by [[Srijit Mukherji]])

In 2020 a streaming television series was made, named ''Feluda Pherot'', based on the iconic Bengali detective and there will be two popular stories, the novels ''[[Chhinnamastar Abhishap]]'' and ''Joto Kando Kathmandute''. Bengali actor [[Tota Roy Chowdhury]] is playing the main character "Feluda", and Kalpan Mitra as "Topesh" seemed to be his young assistant, and the iconic character [[Lalmohan Ganguly]], alias "Jatayu", is playing by [[Anirban Chakraborty]], who played the main character in the detective series [[Ekenbabu]] before.

It is available to stream on the web platform '''addatimes'''. Season 1 released on 26 December 2020. The Season 2 is slated to release on October 2025.

* '''[[Feludar Goyendagiri]]''' (Directed by [[Srijit Mukherji]])

The second series named ''[[Feludar Goyendagiri]]'' is from Hoichoi streaming service with the same cast and crew of Feluda Pherot. Darjeeling Jawmjawmat, the first season released on 17 June 2022. Hoichoi has announced the release date for ''Feludar Goyendagiri 2: Bhuswargo Bhoyonkawr''. This Feluda series released on 20 December 2023. A third season, based on Royal Bengal Rahashya is in development, but will be directed by [[Kamaleswar Mukherjee]].

* '''[[Shabash Feluda]]''' (Directed by [[Arindam Sil]])

The series is based on Gangtoke Gondogol, is centered on Feluda ([[Parambrata Chatterjee|Parambrata Chattopadhyay]]) and Topshe ([[Rwitobroto Mukherjee]]) who are on a family vacation in [[Gangtok]]. Shabash Feluda released on 5 May 2023 on ZEE5.

=== Animation ===

In 2010 an animated TV film produced by DQE Productions titled ''[[Feluda: The Kathmandu Caper]]'' was produced and the rights were acquired by [[Disney Channel (India)]]. The movie premiered on 1 January 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.exchange4media.com/industrybriefing/disney-brings-satyajit-ray's-detective-feluda-to-the-small-screen_40497.html|title=Disney brings Satyajit Ray's detective Feluda to the small screen|date=30 December 2010|access-date=19 May 2017}}</ref> DQE Productions also made a 13-episode animation series named ''Mysteries and Feluda'' after the animated TV film for [[Disney XD (India)|Disney XD]]. The series including the TV film was set into a new universe, where Feluda, Topshe and Jatayu have many gadgets.

=== Radio ===

* The first radio adaptation of Feluda was made by Satyajit Ray in the early 80s, ''[[Baksho Rahashya (film)|Baksho Rahsaya]]'' with his usual cast like [[Soumitra Chatterjee]] as Feluda, [[Santosh Dutta]] as [[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]], [[Siddartha Chatterjee]] as [[Topshe]] and [[Sushil Majumdar]] as [[Sidhu Jyatha]] along with other prominent actors like [[Haradhan Bandopadhyay]], [[Biplab Chatterjee]] and Bikash Roy.
* Akashabani had produced Darjeeling Jomjomat casting a set of regular actors in radio.
* In January 2007, the [[BBC World Service]] announced that it would produce at least two 'episodes' of the popular detective stories. [[Bollywood|Hindi film]] star [[Rahul Bose]] speaks the leading role, with [[Anupam Kher]] voicing Lalmohan. The first episode, "The Golden Fortress", aired on 10 February 2007 with the second episode, "The Mystery of the Elephant God", following on 11 August 2007.
* In 2007 Sandip Ray rebooted the radio series with his own set of actors as [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]] as Feluda, [[Parambrata Chatterjee]] as Topshe and [[Bibhu Bhattacharya]] as Jatayu. He made two new dramas based on, ''[[Gosainpur Sargaram]]'' and ''Dr. Munshir Diary''. They with ''[[Baksho Rahashya (novel)|Baksho Rahashya]]'', directed by Satyajit Ray, aired together on Big FM.
* [[Radio Mirchi]] Kolkata station airs thrillers in a radio drama format, under the programme name 'Sunday Suspense' which includes some Feluda stories. Feluda is voiced by [[Sabyasachi Chakrabarty]]. Dip and Somak voices Topshe and [[Mir Afsar Ali]] voices the other characters. Bibhu Bhattacharya voiced Jatayu in only one episode. After Bhattacharya's death [[Jagannath Basu]] voices Jatayu.
* [[Radio Today]] airs thrillers in a radio format, under the programme name ''[[Thursday Nightsaga]]'', which includes some Feluda stories. However, it stopped before finishing the Feluda novel ''Baksho Rahasya''.

=== Comics ===

Some of the Feluda stories have been made into comic strips by artists and authors. Abhijit Chattopadhyay creates a comic strip based on Feluda stories in every Pujabarshiki Anondomela. The comics are published by [[Ananda Publishers]]. English versions of comics have appeared in ''[[The Telegraph (Kolkata)|The Telegraph]]''.

[[Penguin Books]] has released comic book versions of around 6 Feluda mysteries. The art is drawn by [[Tapas Guha]] and the script is by [[Subhadra Sen Gupta]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://penguin.co.in/?ID=01&search=feluda|title=Penguin India|website=penguin.co.in}}</ref>

===Music===

In a collaborative album brought out in 1996 by [[Saregama|His Master's Voice]], Kabir Suman sings a 'Feludar Gaan' (Feluda's song). The song written by [[Kabir Suman]] was first publicised at ''[[Sandesh (magazine)|Sandesh]]'' magazine on the special Feluda 30 issue released in December 1995 on the completion of 30 years of Feluda stories. Later, in a collaborative album by His Master's Voice, ''Choto Boro Miley'' (1996), the song was composed and performed by three-legend singer-songwriter [[Kabir Suman]], [[Nachiketa Chakraborty]] and [[Anjan Dutt]].

Later many of Bengali songs have references and symbols of Feluda franchise including "[[Calcium]]" by [[Anjan Dutt]] from the album ''[[Purono Guitar]]'' (1995).

===Documentary===

A Bengali documentary film ''[[Feluda: 50 Years of Ray's Detective]]'' in 2019 was directed by Sagnik Chatterjee. This is the first biopic of India based on a fictional character. This film was released on 7 June 2019.<ref>{{Citation|title=Feluda: 50 Years Of Rays Detective Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos {{!}} eTimes|newspaper=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bengali/movie-details/feluda-50-years-of-rays-detective/movieshow/69691104.cms|access-date=2019-07-13}}</ref>

== In ''Pujabarshiki'' ==
Nearly every Feluda story was published annually in the ''Pujabarshiki Sandesh and Desh''(the edition of ''desh and sandesh'' commemorating the [[Durgapuja]] published every year). Thereafter the stories were published as hard-back editions by [[Ananda Publishers]].In 2015 Feluda celebrates his 50 th years after appearance. This is printed as 'Feluda 50' in anandamela.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}

== See also ==
* [[Satyajit Ray]]
* [[Sandip Ray]]
* [[Feluda in film]]
* [[Literary creations of Satyajit Ray|Literary works of Satyajit Ray]]
* [[Professor Shonku]]
* [[Tarini khuro]]
* [[Tarini Khuro in other media]]
* [[Parashor Barma]]
* [[Kakababu]]
* [[Kakababu in other media]]
* [[Byomkesh Bakshi]]
* [[Byomkesh Bakshi in other media]]
* [[Kolkata culture]]
* [[Culture of Bengal]]
* [[Culture of West Bengal]]
* [[Bengali literature]]
* [[History of Bengali literature]]
* [[List of Bengali-language authors (chronological)]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* ''[https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A59706138 Feluda Films]'' – BBC, 18 Jan 2010.
* Roy, Pinaki. "''The Postcolonial Sleuth for Adoloscents'': Rereading Satyajit Ray's Feluda-narratives". ''Clues: A Journal of Detection'' (McFarland). 36.1 (Spring 2018): 78–89.

<references responsive="0" />

{{Feluda}}
{{Satyajit Ray}}
{{Bengali detective characters}}
{{Kolkata topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Book series introduced in 1965]]
[[Category:Literary characters introduced in 1965]]
[[Category:Culture of Kolkata]]
[[Category:Male characters in literature]]
[[Category:Fictional private investigators]]
[[Category:Indian crime novels]]
[[Category:Fictional Indian detectives]]
[[Category:Fictional Indian people in literature]]
[[Category:Characters created by Satyajit Ray]]
[[Category:Fictional Bengali people]]
[[Category:Feluda| ]]
[[Category:Novel series by featured character]]
[[Category:Novels set in India]]
[[Category:Fictional amateur detectives]]
[[Category:Sherlock Holmes pastiches]]