Kolkata, March 31 (IANS) Filmmaker Sandip Ray says children are going back to reading books such as the detective series “Feluda” created by his father Satyajit Ray.
“They are reading. They are going back to books, fortunately so,” Ray told IANS.
Penned by Satyajit Ray in Bengali, the “Feluda” series explores the adventures of ace private detective Feluda, or Pradosh Chandra Mitter.
Feluda is accompanied by his cousin Topshe and Jatayu, a writer of detective novels who provides the much-loved comic relief. First published in “Sandesh” magazine in 1965, the series went on to become a cult among teenagers and adults alike.
English translations by Gopa Majumdar made the “Feluda” books popular among readers across India.
“Gopa has done a magnificent job. Translations are very good but one should read the original to get the proper essence. They have to be transcreated. It is very difficult to translate Feluda,” Ray junior told IANS.
In 1974, Ray senior brought “Feluda” alive on screen with the film adaptation of “Sonar Kella”, or “Golden Fortress”, starring veteran actor Soumitra Chatterjee in the title role.
Since then six books have been recreated into films, of which the last four were directed by Sandip Ray, starring famous Bengali actor Sabyasachi Chakraborty as Feluda.
