After nine seasons on OTT and three big-screen instalments, one would expect the Eken Babu franchise to give way to fatigue. But Eken Babu, the eccentric Bengali detective still has a few surprises up his sleeve. In The Eken: Kerala-e Kurukshetra, director Joydeep Mukherjee takes his beloved sleuth far from familiar territory and gives us an engaging festive-season entertainer.
The film picks up after the events of Eken Babu: Purulia-e Pakrao, which ended with the kidnapping of Eken Babu. Here the story begins with the disappearance of nuclear scientist Mihir Sen (Kamaleswar Mukherjee). Meanwhile, Bapi (Suhotra Mukhopadhyay) and Pramatha (Somak Ghosh) end up in Kerala after a mysterious phone call about the whereabouts of Eken Babu.
Turns out our eccentric sleuth was brought to God’s Own Country by the anti-terrorist squad to locate Mihir Sen, who is in possession of a nuclear code sought by a terrorist organisation headed by Irfan Fazil (Ritwick Chakraborty). Thus begins a game of cat-and-mouse chase, with numerous twists, and an unexpected surprise.
The screenplay, developed by Joydeep Mukherjee and Padmanabha Dasgupta, draws loosely from the stories and characters created by the late Sujan Dasgupta but takes the material in a more action-oriented direction. The narrative unfolds through multiple perspectives, allowing the audience to piece together the puzzle rather than simply wait for the detective to explain everything.
Kerala-e Kurukshetra does not feel like a formulaic mystery repackaged against a different backdrop. It gives the franchise a broader canvas. At the centre of it all is Anirban Chakrabarti, who has made Eken Babu his own. The detective’s peculiar mannerisms, unconventional reasoning and delightfully mangled proverbs remain intact. And it all feels organic.
Chakrabarti’s performance is carefully calibrated, finding fresh comic possibilities in a character whose eccentricities are already well established. His exchanges with Bapi and Pramatha provide much of the film's lighter moments, with Suhotra Mukhopadhyay and Somak Ghosh bringing an easy chemistry to the trio.
The humour works best when it emerges organically from the characters rather than being inserted merely to relieve the tension. Eken’s verbal gymnastics and his tendency to approach serious situations with disarming absurdity give the film its charm. Even when the investigation grows increasingly dangerous, the comedy rarely feels out of place.
As the antagonist, Ritwick delivers an impressive performance, although it borders on carricaturish at times. And the Bengali accent in his Hindi-Urdu deliveries is hard to ignore.
There is an ensemble supporting cast, although not every character receives the attention the story demands. Ambarish Bhattacharya, Arna Mukhopadhyay and Subrat Dutta contribute effectively to a narrative populated by people with secrets and competing interests.
Raima Sen’s Deepa, however, is a missed opportunity. Introduced as an enigmatic figure, she never develops into the consequential presence the narrative initially suggests she might become.
Tuban’s cinematography captures Kerala’s natural beauty. Subhajit Singha’s editing keeps the film moving at a brisk pace, fitting the mystery, action and comic interludes into a runtime of around two hours.
A brief glimpse of Eken’s wife, Khuku, also offers devoted fans something to speculate about, potentially hinting at a larger role in a future instalment.