When Philip Cox chose Rajesh Ji as the subject of his sophomore doc, The Bengali Detective, he couldn’t have anticipated the breadth of experiences and events that the shoot had in store for both of them. Cox’s subject Rajesh, a counterfeit detective living and working in the impoverished city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), embodies the non-chalant and sprightly persona of a Bollywood character. This simile becomes even more apt when it’s revealed that his off-hours hobby is taking dancing lessons. Between triple homicide investigations and rehearsals for a reality TV dance show, The Bengali Detective runs audiences through a full gamut of cinematic genres, with accompanying pathos en tow.
While a majority of the film is fixated on Rajesh’s detective work, what Cox puts on the screen hardly resembles a Law & Order episode. For the most part, the procedural work is left off screen, opting rather for the more personal interactions between Rajesh and his clients. In one particular case, he is approached by a woman who suspects that her husband is having an affair, and wants for details of his extramarital activity to finally come to light. The next time we hear anything about this case, Rajesh is meeting with the woman to tell her what he and his team has uncovered. It is not important how information or data was acquired, but rather feeling out the human implications – for both detective and client – that result from such a case.
Lisa Cazzato Vierya’s shape-shifting camera-work is its own character at times. Her lens’ movements and rhythms fluctuate from erratic crime policier styles into Bollywood cheese and back again, all pretty seamlessly. This juggling of tones does waver a bit with the, granted, unavoidable incorporation of a third arc: that of Rajesh’s sick wife. The often devastating time spent observing their relationship is so heavy, it ends up destabilizing the film’s balance. Once things get rough, it’s difficult to focus on any of the detective duties or dancing details. The effect does fine if the film’s function is as a character study (not to be mistaken, it is quite a character study), but it does detract from the other notable streams, to the point where the film’s raison d’être becomes forgettable. As an in-depth look at Bengali detectives’ day-to-day details, or the national dependence on Bollywood culture, the film sits a bit flat-footed; however, the emotional and free-spirited charms remain very prominent, and aren’t easily shaken.
Reviewed at the 2011 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival. World Showcase Section.
95 Mins. April 30, 2011
