Eken Babu Ebar Kolkatay review: Anirban Chakrabarti’s simple portrayal of a Bangali sleuth wins hearts

3.5/5

Story: This time, it is a story of a serial killer on the loose. Ekendra Sen, aka Eken Babu (Anirban Chakrabarty), gets a case to solve a murder. As the detective starts his investigation taking his friends, Bapi (Suhotra Mukhopadhyay), and Pramatha (Shomak Ghosh) by his side, a couple more murders baffle the cops. Rakhal – the investigating officer – also seeks help from Eken Babu and soon he starts connecting the dots. 

Review: You don’t watch Eken Babu for a world-class mystery. If you know, you know that the Eken Babu has his charm in simplicity and Bangaliana. The sixth season is no different. Anirban as Eken Babu has elevated the character to a level that has now become way more relatable than Sujan Dasgupta's literary work. Anirban will comfort you with the familiarity – as if, you know him for years. Along with him, Suhotra and Somak have also settled down in their characters – Bapi and Pramatha.  

This time, Eken Babu’s mystery thickens in Kolkata – perhaps for the first time in its on-screen history. Plot-wise, it is a tad predictable. You will probably identify the culprit before Eken Babu draws the curtain. But who cares? The show succeeds because of the acting and script. Joydeep Mukherjee has made it a smart show.  

In the acting department, almost everyone excels with Anirban leading from the fore. He is natural as Ekenbabu and he maintains the legacy. This is the first time Suhotra and Somak are seen as Bapi and Pramatho on OTT. Both of them have a very convincing chemistry with Anirban. 

Subhrajit Dutta’s character, Rakhal, reminds us if Inspector Japp of Agatha Christies Poirot. He may have a permanent place in the other adoption too. Subhrajit, who plays the character of funny assistant of Goeyenda Shabor, plays the character ably. Here, his character is not exactly a dimwit like he is sometimes in the Shabor series. Rather he is smart and knows when to seek help from whom. No matter how many minutes Lokenath Dey stays on screen, he leaves a mark and this is no different.

Some certain characters and sequences seem waste of time. The character of Bishwajit Chakraborty, Eken’s mama, is loud. While his presence is still justified (though far-fetched) in the script, Mallika’s husband’s character makes little sense in the plot. 

Besides acting, it is the dialogue and script that act as the backbone of the show. Eken’s wrong proverbs are genuinely funny. In fact, humour is perhaps one of the main reasons behind the success of the show.   

Among other things, the show misses the chance of showing the city that could have become a character. Ditching the promise it has made in the trailer, the series barely focuses on the dingy alleys of the city. Also, there is little imagination in terms of the background score. This is not a Nordic noir, or even a British thriller, where the background score would create an ambiance. It is what it is and we all love it.   

Verdict: Eken Babu is not a complex, or even heavily nuanced, show. It offers what it promises – simplicity. Joydeep Mukherjee’s sixth season is thoroughly likeable. Watch it if you are a fan of whodunit. It will comfort you at Christmas and beyond. Eken Babu is here to stay.