SVF

Gold rush: What’s with all these Bengalis hunting for treasure in the movies?

The May 24 release Durgeshgorer Guptodhon represents the umpteenth effort by a group of Bengalis to seek lost treasure. The hero of Dhrubo Banerjee’s Bengali movie is Subarna Sen (Abir Chatterjee), a history professor at University of Oxford who turns Indiana Jones during summer vacations.

Unlike other Bengali detective-adventure films, treasure hunter Subarna Sen or Sona-da is not a literary creation. He is a composite of Indiana Jones and fictional sleuths Feluda, Kakababu and Arjun. The adventures of Sona-da, first introduced in Guptodhoner Sandhane (2018), share elements with his inspirations. He has two teenage assistants who are spunky and erudite (but never more than Sona-da).

In the first film, Sona-da has to locate three centuries-old Mughal-era treasure before a sinister political leader grabs it. The only clue to the location is in the diary of a man who dies suspiciously. The 2019 sequel promises more murder, more treasure, more secrets, and more moustache-twirling villains….Click here to read the full story