Hatyapuri (2022) Movie Script

Based on a novel by Satyajit Ray.
Oh Christ! What's going on?
Please stop the car!
What's up, boy? What happened?
Oh? Let's go, guys!
Lead the way!
Pokhra. Nepal. October 2018.
The House of Death.
National Highway 16. May 2019.
Oh! What a fix I was in!
Haripada couldn't have asked
for a holiday at a worse time!
It was a family crisis, so I didn't
have the heart to deny him either.
If you hadn't stepped forward
when you did...
our trip would've been ruined!
I wasn't sure whether you'd
entrust your car to anyone else!
What do you mean, Felu?
I'd rather entrust it to you
than anyone else!
I've been saying it since day one:
my car is your car too!
You've helped me out
innumerable times in the past.
This is the least I can do
for you in return!
You think so?
- Of course!
A saying I've been
hearing since childhood:
travel broadens the mind.
I only understood the true
meaning of it after I met you...
and not before!
Tapesh!
How many places have we been to,
thanks to your cousin?
Wait, let me think.
Delhi... Mumbai...
Varanasi... Shimla...
Rajasthan... Sikkim...
Nepal.
And this time?
Puri!
- Right! Puri!
All hail Lord Jagannath!
Bhubaneswar!
We should reach Puri by 3pm.
Very good progress, I must say!
That maybe so.
I've heard Puri is very
crowded at this time...
so are you sure we'll get
rooms at Neelachal Hotel?
The twin-bed room is confirmed.
The single-bed room should
also be free by now.
Good!
Hey! Are you hungry?
That I am!
Same here, to be honest!
It's almost 1pm.
And besides...
you need to take a break too!
I've been meaning to ask...
is there a history of authors
among your ancestors?
Hmm... At least not in
the last 2-3 generations.
Why this question in particular?
I was thinking about
your latest novel,
which is also
your first attempt at horror.
The Demon of Pithapuram?
- Hmm.
You've read it already??
Yes! Before even I did!
Now, it's my turn!
Incredible!
The fact that a novel like that
gave you food for thought...
is completely new to me!
Not really.
Then?
No matter how ridiculous
your stories are...
I'll be reaching there soon!
they don't succeed just due to
all the action and story twists!
There is something about...
- I've just stopped
to grab a bite to eat.
From here, I'll be coming
straight to your place.
No, no! Don't worry about that!
It's just half an hour from here!
That's not much!
Excuse me?
- Huh?
I think this belongs to you.
I'll just call you back.
Thanks! Thank you so much!
Actually, this ring has become
slightly loose over time.
So it tends to fall off quite often!
But anyway, thanks so much, Mr....?
Pradosh Mitter.
Mahesh Hingorani.
Excuse me.
Thanks!
Cigarette holder, case,
and lighter... all golden.
Even his glasses look like gold.
He also has a gold bracelet,
gold necklace, and 3 gold rings.
Wow!
So what is this gold-wrapped
gentleman's name?
Mahesh Hingorani.
Ah!
The sea!
Go and complete the
check-in formalities.
I'll join you after parking the car.
- Okay.
Good Afternoon, Sir!
- Afternoon!
L. Ganguly and party, from Kolkata!
Just a minute, Sir!
All hail Lord Jagannath!
Puri welcomes you!
I hope you have rooms for us!
What do you mean, Sir?
As per your instructions...
I've booked you 2 adjacent
rooms on the 2nd floor!
Very good!
Give me the key for Room 23
and the duplicate key for 22.
- Yes, Sir!
Duplicate?
- Yes.
I hope you don't mind...
but you'll have to share your room
with another guest for 2 days.
Actually, we've been having
an influx of guests...
No problem at all!
I hope he's Bengali?
- Purebred!
He's a garment store owner
in Gariahat. - Oh!
This is Shyamlal Barik.
- I'm the manager of this hotel.
He's my landlord
Sudhakanto's classmate.
Pradosh Mitter.
And this is my cousin...
- Tapesh Ranjan Mitter.
I see! So you're Feluda
and he's Topshay, right?
Send the bags to Rooms 22 and 23.
- Yes, Sir.
What about the check-in formalities?
We'll deal with that later.
Come with me.
Felu, is this your
first time in Puri?
No. I went to Rourkela about
a year ago to help solve a case.
I came to Puri after that.
- Oh!
And I was 5 the last time
I visited here! - Really?
But it's his first time here!
- What?? Are you serious??
I haven't even fully discovered
my hometown Kolkata yet!
Puri will have to wait!
There is a Jain temple not
3 miles from my place.
I've heard about it from birth,
but I still haven't seen it yet!
What is it?
- Nothing!
This is your roommate.
Srinibas Shome.
- Lalmohan Ganguly.
Come in, come in!
- Your luggage is the on the way!
Come in, Felu!
Nice! The room looks great!
Like it?
How new is this hotel?
We started about 1.5 years ago.
Bathroom is okay!
There's a lovely balcony too, I see!
Have you delivered the luggage
to Room 23? - Yes Sir!
Okay, wait here.
I'll let you gentlemen get
some rest now.
Could I offer you
some tea or coffee?
I wouldn't mind some tea.
- Alright.
But no teabags, please!
Did you hear?
- Yes Sir!
Tell them downstairs
to serve the good tea here.
Can I take my leave now?
- Of course!
Lord Jagannath willing,
I'll try and drop by at night.
Sure!
I'm going out with Srinibas.
I'll see you later.
Going out where?
If I tell you,
you'll just make fun of me!
Let's hear it anyway.
He knows about an incredible
astrologer living nearby.
Mr. Laxman Bhattacharya.
With a finger on the forehead,
he can predict your future!
Whose forehead?
The forehead of whose future
he is predicting, naturally!
You're saying he can read
forehead fate lines?
That's what it sounds like!
So, where does he live?
About 10 minutes from here on foot.
Have you started reading it?
Let's go. Our appointment's at 8pm!
- See you later!
Let us walk you till there.
Let's go, Topshay!
Do you know that Baikuntha Mullick
wrote a poem about Puri?
Baikuntha Mullick?
- Hmm!
Your Bengali teacher
from the Athenaeum Institution?
Exactly!
When I was in Class 7,
I recited that poem...
in an Elocution Contest
and won a prize for it!
The last 2 lines
are particularly lovely!
If you pay attention to them,
you'll truly appreciate
their beauty.
The murmur of roaring waves
I hear from the abyss...
Alone I stand, on one leg,
feeling the sand's gentle kiss!
Bravo! What a rendition! Beautiful!
Here, the poet must be
identifying himself with a stork...
because this wind
is going to make...
standing one-legged on this
sandy beach impossible for a human!
Anyway.
Tell me,
do you find anything unique
about these prints on the sand?
Someone's strolling around
with a walking stick for sure!
You're right!
But unique? I don't see
anything unique about it...
What about you? Any ideas?
People normally hold walking sticks
in their right hands.
But here, the walking stick
imprints are on the left.
I wouldn't be surprised
if the gentleman is left-handed.
What's that place?
That's an abandoned house.
Totally uninhabited.
'Sagarika'.
And D. G. Sen owns the place.
He lives on the 1st floor.
And that door on the ground floor?
That's where Laxman lives.
The gentleman's talent seems to
be in good demand.
Let's go!
- Of course!
I'll see you back at the hotel.
All hail Lord Jagannath!
Let's go.
Why D. G. Sen, all of a sudden?
When dropping off Lalmohan
at Sagarika,
to visit Laxman Bhattacharya...
the name on the door
caught my eye.
Forgive me,
but even I don't know his full name.
Everyone here either calls him
D. G. Sen or D. G. Sir.
Is he a loner?
He moved here about 3 years ago.
He's a widower and lives alone.
Initially,
he could be seen out and about.
Last year, he went to
either Sikkim or Bhutan.
He returned a few months ago
and has been a recluse ever since.
Do you know why?
No.
Oh.
Did he have this house built?
- His father did.
I heard that
he was a successful businessman.
3 houses in Kolkata,
1 in Madhupur, and 1 in Puri.
After the father died,
the business died soon after.
He split his inheritance between
his 2 sons through his will.
D. G. Sen, the younger son,
got this house.
Neither of the 2 sons...
decided to pursue
the family business? - No.
But I've heard that D. G. Sen
used to work a job at one time.
Now he's obsessed with art.
Art?
Is he the one
with a collection of punthis
(ancient palm leaf manuscripts)?
Unbelievable! Supernatural!
Without compare!
Whooping cough at
seven and a half years.
Knee dislocation at 18,
after tripping over and falling.
My first novel:
stupendously successful!
He even predicted the number of
editions my next novel would have!
So, there's no need
to visit Bhabesh Bhattacharya
at Mecheda anymore?
You can joke all you want,
dear sir...
I'm definitely going to take you
to him one day!
One more thing: he said that
my luck with friends was good.
And he also described
one of them to me.
What about the friend's occupation?
He said that my friend is...
intelligent... skilled...
inquisitive...
with an immense power
of observation...
So? Does that sound familiar?
What more proof do you need?
Lovely.
Anyway, as I was saying.
The gentleman's life revolves
around his manuscript collection.
People come from far and wide
just to see his collection!
Whose manuscript collection
are you talking about?
D. G. Sen, whose house
you just visited.
I guess you didn't manage
to find out his full name?
I totally forgot about that!
I hope it's not Dolgobindo?
That's the half-mad character
from your latest novel!
Correct!
Dolgobindo Dutta Ray!
I was just trying your number!
Whatever else you may be,
at least you're true to your word!
Does D. G. Sen have any children?
A son, that I know of. He and his
wife come to visit him sometimes.
Do you want to meet with him?
He's a very peculiar person.
And he doesn't socialise at all.
Unless, of course, you happen to be
interested in ancient manuscripts?
I definitely am!
Along with that, one needs to have
some background knowledge too.
No point meeting someone like this
without having done my homework.
Homework?
Don't you worry about homework!
Jyotish Kanungo's house is
but a 5 minute walk from my hotel.
He was a professor
at Ravenshaw College.
He's retired now.
There's barely a topic
he doesn't know something about!
Prof. J. Kanungo.
Feluda's missing this!
The weather's perfect
for a bath in the sea!
Pleasure before business?
Didn't you swim regularly
during your childhood days?
Of course I did!
I was applauded for my expertise
at performing the butterfly stroke!
Then why aren't you getting
into the water here?
A Hedua swimming pool
and the Bay of Bengal
are 2 very different things!
And I've also heard that
Puri's waves
can be quite treacherous.
Maybe Mumbai's waves won't be as...
Huh?
Doesn't that feel a bit...
I don't know...?
D-d-dead??
Thank you, Inspector Mahapatra!
Yes, I'll be seeing you soon.
The police are on their way.
Whew! That's a relief!
Mahapatra is very efficient.
Born in Kolkata,
speaks Bengali fluently too.
Is he the one who helped you
during that Rourkela case?
Did you see any weapon lying
near the corpse?
But I'm certain he's not Bengali.
Why do you say so?
He had a monobrow,
which Bengalis don't have.
And that jawline?
We don't have such
a pronounced jawline either.
That jawline is due to habitual
eating of bajra bread and mutton!
He's most certainly from
the Bundelkhand region.
Let's have a cup of tea
downstairs and leave.
Where to?
- An appointment. With D. G. Sen.
He said to meet him at 10:30AM,
but not for more than 15 minutes.
Good Morning!
- Morning!
This is my cousin, Tapesh.
And this is my friend...
- Lalmohan Ganguly.
Mrityunjoy Mahapatra.
Who's the victim?
Not a local, for sure.
His name is Rupchand Singh.
Where'd you get his name from?
His driving license and passport.
Oh? Where are they of?
- Nepal.
I've seen the man before.
He was having tea at a shop in
Swargyadwar yesterday evening.
I was buying betel leaf
from the adjacent shop.
How'd he die?
Bullet wound,
but we haven't found a weapon yet.
But you can take a look at this.
It was in his passport.
Mr. Mitter?
- Yes?
Namaskar!
- Namaskar!
Please come with me.
And you are?
- My name is Nisith Bose.
I was the one you talked
to over the phone.
Oh!
- I'm Durga Sir's secretary.
Durga? That means his name is...
Durgagati Sen.
But everyone here calls him
D. G. Sen.
This is my room.
That's just paper!
- Huh?
I thought it was...
- A snake?
Let's go upstairs. Come with me.
This way.
Sir?
- Namaskar!
We are truly grateful to you
for giving us time for this meeting.
When I heard that
you collect ancient manuscripts...
I couldn't prevent myself from
coming here to see them!
Yes, that is a long-time
obsession of mine.
Please have a seat.
I have an uncle.
His name is Siddheswar Bose.
He has 3 of these manuscripts too.
You've probably visited
him to see them.
What are they about?
All 3 are Bengali.
2 of them are Annada Mangal,
and the third is Gorokkho Bijay.
I've probably seen them.
I hunted for these manuscripts far
and wide throughout my life!
Does your collection comprise
only Bengali manuscripts?
No. I have other languages too.
The best, by far,
are the ones in Sanskrit.
What period are they from?
12th century.
Lokenath!
Lokenath has gone out, Sir.
Can I get you anything?
Open it.
There are some in that one as well.
But the main ones...
Open the drawer and take it out.
Sir.
Astadasasahasrika Prajnaparamita.
The fruits of immense labour!
And the other precious one
is the Kalpasutra.
If you don't mind me asking,
where did you get this from?
Dharamsala.
Does that mean this came from Tibet
with the Dalai Lama?
Has your uncle sent you to check
the legitimacy of these manuscripts?
No, he hasn't.
I don't trade in these.
If anyone wants to come
and see them, I can oblige.
But that's it.
My uncle won't ever be able
to afford such a thing.
Of course, I personally have no idea
how much this would be worth.
Priceless.
But even these are being
smuggled abroad to sell.
Scum.
Those who are smuggling
them abroad are filthy scum!
I've heard you have a son.
Doesn't he have an interest
in these manuscripts?
I don't know him.
Sir, this gentleman is
a famous detective!
So what??
What have I to fear??
Have I murdered anyone??
A detective doesn't have
the ability to find what I've lost.
He who has the ability...
is still trying...
The closed doors are opening up
one by one.
A detective can't do
anything to help me.
Let's go.
You have our gratitude.
May we take our leave...?
Come with me.
What's wrong with his foot?
He has gout.
In 3 months,
it has really broken him.
But what personality!
With a capital 'P'!
What say you?
The medicines I saw in his room...
are they for treating gout?
Yes, except for one:
a sleeping pill,
prescribed by Laxman.
Are you talking about
the astrologer Laxman Bhattacharya?
Yes.
He knows both ayurveda
and allopathy quite well.
Is that so?
What a multi-talented individual!
Want to go visit him once?
That plan's down the drain!
His room is locked.
Wow!
Looks like the guests of the
old Railway Hotel are having fun!
That they are!
Didn't you stay there
the first time you came to Puri?
Mr. Mitter!
It is truly an honour!
I've heard a lot about you!
Are you here on a case?
What makes you say that?
I heard there was a murder here.
So I thought you might've gotten
involved with the case.
It's true that a murder case
makes me want to solve it...
but how can I, unless someone
explicitly asks for my help?
Ah!
This must be your cousin, Tapesh!
And I am... - You have no need
for introductions!
Everyone knows about you!
Famous adventure-thriller author
Lalmohan Ganguly, AKA Jatayu!
Am I right?
I follow your exploits closely!
So, where are you staying?
- At Neelachal.
Oh! Are you returning there now?
- Yes we are.
Oh! I see you're looking after
Mr. Hingorani's rings!
Don't get started on him!
We're both staying
at the Railway Hotel.
We met yesterday.
He wanted to bathe in the sea,
but his rings have become loose
and tend to fall off!
A bizarre resposibility for me!
Good Morning!
Morning!
- Hey, go get me my towel.
I can say one thing
with absolute certainty:
I've been to many beaches
around the globe...
Goa... Miami... Nice...
Waikiki... Acapulco...
but Puri has a beach
like no other. Incredible!
Thank you!
Here you go.
- Oh! Thank you!
Wait! Don't forget your phone.
I'll head back to the hotel now.
- Sure!
Have a good day! See you later.
Uh, I was wondering...
can I tag along with you?
- Of course!
Thanks! After you!
Let's go.
I still don't know your name.
Bilas Majumdar.
Are you involved
with mountaineering?
Wow! The scope of your knowledge
is truly enormous!
Nothing like that!
I just think
I've seen your name somewhere.
Either in a newspaper or a magazine.
I remember there being a reference
to mountaineering
or something along those lines.
You're not wrong.
I learnt mountaineering
from the institute in Darjeeling.
But my actual profession is
wildlife photography.
See if you recognise
the gentleman on the left.
We visited him just a while ago.
It took a while to recognise him
since he has grown a beard now.
That's what I needed to know.
I saw the name 'D. G. Sen'
on the house gate...
but I couldn't be sure if it's the
same 'D. G. Sen' as in this photo.
That creature is pangolin,
if I'm not mistaken.
It is a pangolin.
They're quite common in Nepal.
This photo was taken outside
a hotel in Kathmandu.
D. G. Sen was staying
at that hotel then.
So was I.
And we had adjacent rooms.
When was this taken?
- October, last year.
I was supposed to join
a Japanese team
to photograph snow leopards.
But that plan never materialised.
- Why so?
Fate didn't want me to!
I had a bad accident
and lay recovering in the hospital
for 3 months!
Were you at Veer Hospital?
It was the news of your accident
that I read in the papers.
Now I remember.
Your left foot
hasn't healed completely, has it?
Why so?
I mean, my shin bone
got shattered for sure...
but is it that obvious from my gait?
No, it isn't obvious at all.
I saw footprints
in the sand yesterday.
They were shoe-clad prints,
accompanied by walking stick marks
on the left.
Either the owner
of the prints was a leftie,
or had an injured left leg.
But you don't use a walking stick,
it seems.
I rolled and slid quite a distance
down the side of the mountain.
But a tree arrested my fall
and reduced the severity
of my injuries by a bit.
Fortunately for me,
a farmer's son discovered me...
and alerted some passing
foreign tourists about my plight.
They're the ones who
took me to the hospital.
And then?
Shin bone aside, 7 of my ribs and
my collar bone were also shattered.
My chin was flattened.
Is the beard
for covering your scars?
I regained consciousness
2 days later.
Like my bones,
my memory too was in pieces.
The hospital sent word to
my family in Kolkata...
after finding the contact
information from my passport.
One of my nephews came over...
but I couldn't recognise him then.
Some memories returned
while I was in the hospital.
And further treatment helped me
regain more of them.
Do you remember what happened
just before the accident?
I haven't been able to
recall that memory.
My notebook confirms that I met
with a gentleman named D. G. Sen...
but I remembered his appearance
only 2 days ago.
Okay.
Did D. G. Sen go to Kathmandu...
for any palm manuscript-related
reasons? - No, thanks!
You mean he went to Kathmandu
to buy books?
No, no!
What I'm referring
to are palm leaf manuscripts.
They are ancient books,
hand-written centuries ago.
He has quite a marvellous collection
of such texts.
Tell me,
what do these manuscripts look like?
Thin, long, and flat...
almost akin to the size
of a cigarette carton.
It could sometimes be
bigger or smaller, though.
Normally,
they are wrapped with a cloth.
Listen to this.
In Kathmandu,
the hotel I stayed in...
Vikram Hotel...
had a strange problem:
there were some room keys
that worked on other room doors..
something that should never,
ever happen in a hotel!
One day, I mistakenly used
my room key on the wrong door...
walked into the room
adjacent to mine, and saw...
Oh! I'm so sorry!
I'm really sorry! Please carry on.
As far as I remember,
the packet was red.
But I don't remember whether
the outer layer was paper or cloth.
And then?
Completely blank.
I tried hard,
but I couldn't recall anything else.
The next thing I remember was
waking up in the hospital.
My dear sir, there is an amazing
astrologer right here in Puri!
Why don't you go and visit him once?
He'll make you remember everything
you've forgotten!
Who is this?
Laxman Bhattacharya! The Great!
He's a tenant on the ground floor
of D. G. Sen's house.
If you'd like,
I can make an appointment for you
and take you with me.
Give it a shot.
You won't regret it, I promise you!
You think so?
- I do!
He'll place a finger on
that wart on your forehead...
and fill in all the missing blanks
in your memory!
Does he allow visitors?
Have fun exploring.
I'll pick you up from here
in half an hour.
Of course!
Let us proceed then!
We managed to trace
that phone number.
The name of the owner is
Animesh Kumar Sarkar.
His address is at
14 Meher Ali Road, Kolkata.
Did you try and get in touch?
Number 14 is an apartment building.
There are 8 apartments in total.
Sarkar stays in Apartment 3.
But his room has been
padlocked for a week now.
Apparently, he goes out of town
quite frequently.
Did you find out where
he went this time?
Puri.
Is that so?
Who told you this?
- The occupant of Apartment 4.
Before leaving, he told them that
he needed a change of scenery.
Did you get a description of him?
Tall, medium skin tone,
clean-shaven...
aged between 35 and 40.
But as you can see, this description
is as good as useless!
What about the murder victim?
Rupchand Singh arrived here
yesterday, in the morning.
He put up at a hotel
near the busstand.
The hotel security said that
he left the hotel at 8pm
and never returned.
We searched his room
with a fine-toothed comb,
but found nothing of value.
Feluda, I had a thought.
Can I say it?
- Sure.
Don't you think Nepal
has been coming up a lot
in conversation lately?
The person who got murdered
was from Nepal...
Bilas was in Kathmandu...
and Durgagati was in Kathmandu
at the same time!
Did you find anything
of significance
between these scenarios?
Uh, no, but...
Do you know what happenstance means?
Happenstance...?
Coincidence.
Correct.
Until we find further evidence
to prove a connection,
we have to assume Kathmandu
to be a coincidence.
Good Evening!
- Good Evening!
Come on! Let's see
what fate has in store for me!
Welcome! A very warm welcome to you!
Come in, come in!
Please, have a seat.
You 3 can sit here.
And you! Yes, you! Sit there.
- Oh!
This is the friend of mine
you were talking about...
and this is Bilas Majumdar,
famous wildlife photog...!
I hope you won't mind the intrusion
of my cousin and I?
Absolutely not!
What irritates me is being asked
to give on-stage demonstrations
of my abilities.
And many have made
such requests of me.
Many don't believe that
I'm not a magician or hypnotist!
For instance, I...
How astonishing!
There's a flesh growth
on your forehead,
just below your Third Eye!
Do you know what occupies the
empty space just behind the skin?
Are you talking about
the pineal gland?
Correct.
The pineal gland.
Still considered to be
the most mysterious portion
of the human brain.
At least,
that's what Western scientists say.
There is a reptile in New Guinea
called the Taratua...
Tara-tua...
in which we can still see
the presence of a Third Eye.
Is trying to form a connection
with the pineal gland...
the reason why you place your finger
on someone's forehead?
You could say that.
But when I first started,
I hadn't even heard
of the pineal gland.
I was a student in Class 7
at the Jagabandhu Institution.
On a Sunday,
my uncle called me and said...
'Laxman,
will you massage my forehead?'
'I'll give you ice-cream money
if you do.'
His forehead was
pulsing with pain...
so, in the middle of his forehead...
I placed my thumb and index finger,
and started massaging.
I kept massaging for a while...
until something bizarre happened!
I started seeing visions in front
of my eyes, playing like a movie!
Uncle's childhood...
his sacred thread ceremony...
his wedding...
his wife's passing...
and even his own!
How he died...
the bed he died on...
who all were around
his bed when died...
I saw it all!
Of course, I didn't tell anyone
about this back then.
But when his death occurred
exactly as I had foreseen it...
I've heard that you practice
medicine as well...
and I see hints of that
throughout the room.
So, what do you call yourself?
Doctor? Or astrologer?
I didn't really study astrology.
But I have studied ayurveda.
And I have a sufficient grasp
over allopathy as well.
So, if you ask me
what my profession is,
I'll say I'm a doctor.
No, no! It's okay!
You don't have
to take your shoes off!
Please be comfortable!
- Oh!
Sit! Relax!
Let's see if this black spot on
my forehead yields anything useful!
83...
83...
1983...
Libra ascendant...
Born under Leo...
First son to his father and mother.
Tonsil/adenoid infection
at 8 and a half years...
scholarship examinations...
won a gold medal...
wanted to learn science...
science... Physics!
Studied physics...
graduated at 19...
started earning at 23
at an office...
No! Not an office job!
Freelance...
photographer...
skilled at mountain-climbing...
has a love
for wild animals and birds...
always on the move...
unmarried...
struggle...
I see struggle!
Enthusiasm... focus...
diligence...
18...
18... 2018...
Trees... I see a forest...
the Himalayas...
the accident! Oh...!
a-a... accident? No!
Not an accident!
Not... an... accident...
You shouldn't be alive!
But who can kill you,
if God protects you?
What are you saying?
It wasn't an accident??
From what I saw...
you were pushed off
the edge of the mountain.
In other words...
a deliberate attempt at murder!
You were lucky to have lived.
But... who... pushed him then?
I'm sorry.
I can't comment on things
outside what I see.
Doing so would be lying.
And that would make God angry.
Give me your hand.
Has visiting Laxman been
beneficial to you in anyway?
To be honest, Mr. Mitter,
yes it has.
In what way?
As I was telling you
earlier today...
the incident in the room
with Mr. D. G. Sen...
didn't really strike me
as anything out of the ordinary.
He was travelling
to Pokhra the next day.
He invited me to go along with him.
The team from Japan was
still 3 days out,
so I agreed to tag along.
Pokhra is about 200 kilometres
from Kathmandu.
Stop here, driver.
What's up?
Do you want to get down?
There are lovely orchids
to be found here.
Why not? If nothing else,
maybe I can spot
some interesting birds here!
Let's go.
Wait for half an hour.
- Yes sir.
I don't remember when it happened.
I had my eyes on the treeline
as I moved ahead...
when suddenly...
Did you see who hit you?
- No way I could.
But one thing I can say for sure:
I don't remember seeing any other
humans anywhere in that forest.
So the theory
that Mr. Sen is the one
who attempted to murder you...
has no hard evidence to back it up
in a court of law?
No. That it doesn't.
Why don't you do something?
Go straight to his house
and present yourself to Mr. Sen.
If he is the real culprit...
then it'll almost be like
seeing a ghost for him!
Doesn't sound too bad
as an idea, right?
The thought had crossed my mind,
but...
there's a problem.
What problem?
There's a chance
he won't recognise me...
since I didn't have
a beard back then.
You're forgetting that you have
a distinguishing feature...
that isn't so easily forgotten:
the Third Eye on your forehead!
After you!
- Thank you!
That was a lovely dinner!
- Yes indeed!
Brilliant stuff!
- Please don't mention it!
It's the least I could do,
after how much you've helped me!
May we take our leave?
- Of course!
Good night!
- Good night!
Namaskar!
Please!
Now tell me: what did you think
of Laxman Bhattacharya?
Isn't he incredible?
Maybe he is...
but even after seeing all,
he won't be stealing
a detective's job any time soon!
To find out whether Durgagati Sen
tried to kill Bilas Majumdar...
you'll get nowhere
without Felu Mitter's help!
Does that mean you're
taking the case...?
Good Evening!
Very stubborn!
You Bengalis are very stubborn!
What happened?
Why the sudden anger?
Do you know how much I offered him?
2.5 crores!
He still didn't sell!
In fact, he refused to sell!
So there are people in this world
who can resist
the temptation of 2.5 crores!
It seems so!
I did my research
before coming here:
I knew he's a collector of ancient,
palm leaf manuscripts.
So I went to him and asked:
what's the jewel of your collection?
The best of the best?
And he showed me a marvel of
12th century artistry!
It was a Sanskrit manuscript:
Prajnaparamita!
Exquisite piece!
Now, I don't know
if it's a smuggled piece.
There were 3 such manuscripts stolen
from the Bhatgaon Palace Museum.
While 2 of them were recovered,
the third is still out
there somewhere.
Uh, excuse me? Where is Bhatgaon?
It's an ancient city,
about 10 kilometres from Kathmandu.
It was previously known as Bhaktpur.
But I don't think
anyone would be willing to
show off smuggled goods so easily.
And as far as I know,
there are many manuscripts relating
to the Prajnaparamita.
I know. I know this.
But do you know what he's saying?
He's saying that
this manuscript apparently
came here with the Dalai Lama.
And do you know how
much he bought it for?
A meager 500 rupees!
In place of that,
I was offering him 2.5 crore rupees!
Are you saying then that
your Puri trip was a waste of time?
I don't give up so easily!
When Mahesh Hingorani
wants something...
he doesn't stop until he gets it.
And besides,
he has another manuscript:
the Kalpasutra.
Let's see how long
he can resist temptation!
I still have 3 days left here.
Anyway! Good Night!
Don't you find this
a bit suspicious?
Without knowing who or what
you're talking about...
that's impossible to answer.
I mean,
not willing to sell for 2.5 crores
what he bought for 500 rupees!
Why? Do you think it's impossible
for someone to not be greedy?
Uncle Sidhu refused
to sell his manuscripts to Mr. Sen.
Did you know that?
But Mr. Sen didn't mention
that at all!
That is what I find
most suspicious...
considering this happened
just a year ago.
Come on! After dinner, walk a mile!
Walk a...?
- Mile. To aid in digestion.
Say what you will, I don't
just find Durgagati peculiar...
I find him quite suspicious too.
And if what Bilas says is true...
Suspicion isn't lying on
just a single individual, Topshay.
Like nuclear fallout,
it's spreading all over the place.
Who will you exclude?
The Third Eye-bearing reptile your
astrologer was talking about?
It's not called Taratua;
the correct name is Tuatara.
And it's not from New Guinea;
it's a native of New Zealand.
This kind of mistake is
not impossible for Jatayu to make...
but if Laxman Bhattacharya wants to
impress people with his knowledge...
he needs to be much more
accurate with his facts.
And? Who else?
Nisith.
He has a habit of eavesdropping.
That is not a good habit to have.
And he said that Durgagati is
suffering from gout.
But the medicines on his table
didn't look like they were for gout.
Then what were they for?
One of the medicines
came out just last year.
I remember reading about it
in the Time magazine.
I don't remember exactly
what it was for...
but it definitely wasn't for gout,
I'm sure of it.
Let's see if I find
anything about it online.
If not, we have Uncle Sidhu
to save the day!
Why does the gentleman seem
so distracted all the time?
And besides that, he also said that
he doesn't know his own son!
I couldn't understand
the reason for...
Yes, Nisith?
What a morning we've had,
Mr. Mitter!
People just randomly show up
without an appointment!
And then they try desperately
to meet him!
Who showed up now?
Tail, fair-skinned,
and with a stubbly beard.
Can I help you?
Tell your boss that I have news
of some great old manuscripts.
Your name?
He won't recognise my name.
Just go and tell him
what I told you.
I went and told the boss about it.
He told me to go fetch him.
Sir!
- Hmm?
Namaskar.
- Namaskar...
My name is...
Who is this??
Who brought him here??
Away!! Take him away!!
Go!! Go away!! Go now!!
Go... away...!!
Away... with you...!!
'The incident terrified me!'
'The boss' face was deathly pale!'
I feared he might die!
How is he now?
He's much better now.
Laxman came and gave him a sedative.
He's resting now.
I see.
I'll come visit later in the day.
I'll see you then.
Alright.
In other words,
what you had forecasted...
came true, word for word.
What a mess!
Why didn't Srinibas join us?
He's supposed to leave today,
so maybe he's packing.
Why don't you go
visit some place nearby?
And what about you?
I have a feeling...
that I should stay here.
While I don't think anything
untoward will happen...
the air here is thick with intrigue.
And besides, I have some work to do.
What work?
I have to make some calls
to Kathmandu.
Before all the information
gets muddled...
I need to organise them a bit.
So, Tapesh,
off to Bhubaneswar we go!
Sounds like a plan!
Good!
Take Jatayu's car with you.
I'll talk to Shyamlal
and get a driver for you.
But what if you need the car...?
- No, that won't be necessary.
All relevant locations are
within walking distance from here.
I'll manage.
It happened
exactly as you said it might!
It was like he'd seen a ghost!
I was completely
taken aback by that!
But the strangest thing was that...
seeing him in that condition
made me feel bad for him.
It's almost like he aged 10 years
in the past 7-8 months.
But meeting him was a good idea.
Now I can more easily forget
this whole incident and move on.
This is good news indeed.
You wouldn't have been able to
proceed very far based on a hunch.
That's true.
So what are you plans for now?
These 2 are going on a trip
to Bhubaneswar.
They'll return at night.
I'll remain here.
I think I'll head out tomorrow.
I haven't visited the forests
in these parts yet.
If I can,
I'll come and wish you all farewell
before I leave.
Namaskar!
Unknown hundreds
like Michaelangelo...
Did once upon a
time in India wallow...
Silently, they announced
their wondrous marvels...
In Bhubaneswar! The city of temples!
Baikuntha Mullick?
Yes!
He wrote this about Bhubaneswar.
These 4 lines have haunted me
throughout my life, you know?
I understand that...
but using 'wallow' to rhyme
with 'angelo' is too much!
Since when have you started
critiquing a poet's verse...
without first knowing
about his background?
Baikuntha Mullick
is from Chuchura...
The rhyme makes perfect sense there.
So there's no mistake!
What's up?
What??
Alright.
Okay.
What is it?
That priceless manuscript of
Mr. Sen's was stolen!
Huh! The Prajna-thing... stolen??
Feluda got a call
from the police station.
He's headed to Sagarika now.
He told us to return to the hotel
and stay there.
What's up?
It keeps getting better.
Nisith has vanished!
What?? Since when??
We'll talk when I return.
I'll be back in 15 minutes or so.
How was your trip to Bhubaneswar?
It was great! Hey, listen...!
Nisith has vanished!
- Huh??
That means Nisith is the culprit.
That's what it looks like.
But how can we discount Hingorani?
He really seemed to want
that manuscript!
Yes. And what about Bilas Majumdar?
He could've done it too,
for money and revenge.
That he could have.
So, that leaves us with...
Laxm...!
- No! No!
Don't tarnish that man's name!
Please!
What a miraculously talented
being he is!
Then who do you think it is?
I think you've glossed over
the actual culprit.
Meaning?
Mr. Sen himself!
What??
Why would he want to steal
what is already his?
No! Not steal! Smuggle!
He finally smuggled off
his stolen goods to someone else!
Hingorani offered more money,
he secretly sold it to him...
and claimed publicly
that it was stolen!
The nerve of him!
We've been waiting
for almost an hour.
What is your cousin doing?
Did he go off somewhere else?
Come on. Let's go.
If he's returning from Sagarika,
Feluda will take the shortcut
by the sea.
Grab your torch.
Darn it!
Hey! What happened??
I feel another pair
of legs under mine!
Huh?? Felu??
Feluda?
Felu!
- Feluda!
Feluda!
- Felu!
Feluda!
Felu!
Take it easy.
Easy there!
Give me your hand!
Gently there!
B-b-blood...?
Open wound?
What does this mean?
What does what mean?
You'll need stitches for this...!
- No, no...
It's just concussion.
The skin didn't break.
Then what about the blood?
Let's go.
Do you know how long
you were lying there?
At least half an hour for sure.
Will you be able to go
downstairs for dinner?
Or I could call room service...?
- No, it's fine.
I'll go downstairs.
The pain has lessened a lot...
I'll go downstairs...
Namaskar! Mahim Sen.
Does that mean...?
Durgagati Sen is my father.
Come in. Please.
Come in.
He came by earlier today.
- Thank you!
You weren't here then.
Please have a seat.
You all sit and relax
while I go downstairs...
and send up some tea for you?
- Sure!
May I take my leave?
- Of course! Thank you so much!
Please have a seat.
- Sure.
Let's sit.
I've heard about you.
In fact, having read
about your many exploits...
I recognise these
2 gentlemen as well!
I arrived here this morning for some
business relating to my company.
It was only a day's work,
and it's already done.
After that,
I thought I'd spend some days
with my father before leaving...
but...
I called him as soon as arrived.
Not being able to reach his mobile,
I tried his landline too.
His secretary picked up.
He's a new guy.
Said his name was Nisith Bose.
He joined last September.
He took my request,
talked to Father and told me that...
Father didn't want to talk!
Any reason for that?
I have no idea.
We met your father for the
first time yesterday.
And after talking to him,
I got the impression that...
he isn't very happy with you.
Do you have any idea why that is?
Look, Mr. Mitter...
I was never very attached to Father.
But there was never
any enmity either.
I've never really shown any interest
in Father's hobby.
I don't really have an eye for art.
I stay in Kolkata...
but company work has me...
But company work has me travel
abroad at least twice a year.
But haven't you come and stayed
at Sagarika with your family?
Yes, twice now.
For about 2 weeks each.
I have an 8 year old son,
whom Father loves dearly.
But what happened today was...
That was... Oh! Thanks!
That is a complete mystery to me.
Senility doesn't befit
a tough man like Father.
It's truly hard to believe!
And besides, Mr. Mitter...
we don't even know whether a
third party is responsible for this!
So when I heard that
you're in Puri right now...
I thought it wise
to pay you a visit once.
In that case,
allow me to update you:
the most valuable manuscript
in your father's collection
was stolen today...
and along with that,
the secretary has vanished too.
What??
Did you go to him?
Yes, I did.
How did Father look?
Quite broken up, naturally.
He takes sleeping pills in the
afternoon and takes a nap nowadays.
I don't know
if this is a recent habit or not.
An American gentleman came
to visit him at 9:30pm tonight.
Nisith had set up the appointment.
But since
he wasn't there at the time,
Lokenath took him upstairs.
Your father normally wakes up
by 6:30pm...
but tonight he woke
up a bit after 9pm.
The American wanted
to see the manuscripts.
In the end,
it was he who called the police.
Does that mean
Nisith is the one who...?
That's what I think.
And funnily enough, he had a talk
with Felu in the morning today!
The police searched his room and
found none of his belongings there.
Meanwhile, they have informed
the airports, railways stations,
and bus terminuses about this.
There is still no information
as of now.
Are you aware that your father
travelled to Nepal last year?
If he went there after August,
I wouldn't have known...
since I was out of the country for
around 7 months after that.
But I'm aware Father travelled a lot
in his hunt for ancient manuscripts.
But why are you telling me this?
What happened in Nepal?
Is it news to you that
your father suffers from gout?
Gout?
Father is suffering from gout?
Why?
Is it difficult to believe?
- Very!
When I previously saw him in May,
last year...
he was effortlessly walking
across the beach, day and night!
He moderated his diet strictly.
He didn't drink at all.
He had no other bad habits.
He has always been proud
of his physical fitness.
So if Father is actually suffering
from gout,
I'll be very surprised indeed!
This will be a very tragic thing
to happen to him, Mr. Mitter.
Tell me, can this be the
reason for his depression?
It can very well be.
To consider himself crippled...
will be very difficult for Father.
I'm here for a few more days...
so I'll see if I can help in anyway.
There are many things
that continue to...
confound me.
I'll take my leave now.
- Of course.
I thought I'd come
and discuss some details
of our old business with Father.
But that doesn't
seem very likely now...
I'll stay here
until we can discuss it.
Where are you staying?
At our company
guesthouse here in Puri. - I see.
Good Night!
- Good Night!
By the by, did you make
any calls to Kathmandu?
I did.
And?
I had a talk with Dr. Bhargav
at Veer Hospital.
I asked him whether a Bilas Majumdar
was admitted there last October...
suffering from severe injuries.
What did he say?
He said yes.
Shin bone,
collar bone, ribs, chin...
he mentioned all of it.
Oh! So you didn't believe
Bilas Majumdar's story at first?
Doubt is an essential aspect
of detective work, Lalmohan.
Why?
Is your own literary creation,
the detective Prakhar Rudra...
free from that burden?
No, no! Why would you think that?
Of course he's not free from it!
Doubts...
Dyabid...
Snake...
What will return?
Why doesn't he know his son?
Blackmail...
but who?
And why?
Which of them uses a walking stick?
Doubts...
Unending doubts...
This one.
This one too.
Good Morning!
Morning!
- Good Morning!
Are you going out somewhere?
Yes, we're just going
to pay Sagarika a visit.
Any updates on the robbery?
No, not yet.
Are there any good
allopathy doctors around here?
Why? Are any of you un...
- No, no! We're all okay!
But old-timey
practitioners won't do!
I'm looking for someone young
and into more modern treatments.
Of course! There's Dr. Senapati.
He has a chamber at Utkal Chemists,
on Grand Road.
You can find him there
anytime after 10AM.
Hey! Yes you! Come over here!
What's your name?
- Ramai, Sir.
Ramai?
Here. Go have fun!
Wow! You know this language too?
Such an open
and beautiful atmosphere...
tarnished by bloodshed!
It's hard to imagine.
Hmm... Blunt instrument...
Feluda!
Shoe and walking stick prints!
I've seen.
They look like fresh prints.
But didn't Bilas say that...?
Do you think it's Bilas?
Have a good look.
Isn't that...?
- Durgagati Sen!
But what about the gout?
There's the trickery.
Maybe it's thanks
to the medicines prescribed
by Laxman Bhattacharya the Great?
It is now time
to clear up my thoughts.
It's a good practice
when you're going up
against something massive.
Staring into the early morning
sea is like a soothing tonic
for the mind.
You're spot on!
Blessings of the Lord!
May the Lord bless all of you!
Where were you last night?
I was looking for you.
I went to a devotional recital.
There is a group who performs at
Mangala Ghat Road.
I go there from time to time.
When did you go?
I'm technically
on the clock till 9PM.
So I went there after that.
Since you're a tenant in that house,
I was wondering if you could...
shed any light on the recent robbery
that happened there.
Nisith's room is adjacent to yours,
isn't it?
I saw him leave,
with his baggage in tow.
His return to Kolkata
was pre-planned.
Is that so?
His mother's on the verge of dying.
He received a call
in the morning yesterday.
I see.
Everyone knew he'd be going.
Strange.
Mr. Sen didn't mention that to us.
You know what kind of person he is.
He has suffering in his future.
If it's his fate,
no one can prevent it.
You've seen
Mr. Sen's future as well??
There are few here whose future
I haven't seen.
But even if I have...
I can't tell everyone everything!
You will murder someone!
You will go to jail!
You'll die in an accident!
Do you think I can say all that?
No one's ever going
to come to me again!
At most, I tell them about any
impending diseases or conditions.
People always want
to hear the good parts...
so I have to cover up the
bad parts before telling them.
I have to go now.
I don't want to keep
my clients waiting.
See you around.
[Laxman sings a devotional song]
House of Death!
What?
There haven't even been
any deaths in that house!
At most,
you can call it House of Robbery!
I'm not talking about Sagarika!
That one.
Bhujanga Nibas
Doesn't look completely abandoned.
Footprints.
Betel juice?
Or is it b... bl...
blood...?
Looks like we need to proceed
inside the House of Death.
You want to... enter...?
It's almost breakfast time...!
Where are you, Lalmohan?
Come on in!
All clear inside?
Clear enough for now.
But it'll all be much clearer...
soon enough.
These were in Nisith's room!
Very good, Topshay.
The police wasted their efforts...
because Nisith never left.
Then where did he...?
Interesting!
Tell me, what do you make of this?
They look like the wood covers
of those manuscripts!
And what are those?
Cut pieces of pap...
It looks like Nisith had set up
shop here to make dummy manuscripts!
If you cut the paper accordingly,
sandwich them between...
wood planks,
wrap them in cloth and...
They'll look exactly like
palm manuscripts from the outside!
Exactly!
And I believe...
that if you go through Mr. Sen's
collection and open them up...
you'll find that most of them
just have blank, white paper...
while the real ones have been
sold to people like Hingorani.
Oh!! The snake!
I saw a narrow strip of paper
that day in Sagarika.
So this is the same
paper as that one?
Without a doubt.
Take care of him.
Looks like
a blunt instrument did this too.
Thank you so much for coming,
Doctor!
You're most welcome!
Mr. Mitter! Good Morning!
Looks like there's good news!
That there is!
Father called me
at midnight last night and said...
that I should pack everything
and come to Sagarika immediately!
That is very good news indeed!
Let me introduce you:
this is Dr. Senapati.
Father called him last night too!
Coincidence!
Pradosh Mitter.
- Namaskar!
Dyabid seems to have
come through then!
Indeed it has!
But... how did you...?
I started having doubts
as soon as I saw that
medicine in Mr. Sen's room.
After some research,
I found out that...
to heal the mind and
restore lost memories...
it was the newest and
most effective medicine.
You're right.
After diagnosing Mr. Sen, I ordered
that medicine for him from America.
He even forgot that
I was his doctor!
Mr. Sen, I have some bad news:
Nisith has been murdered.
What??
What are you saying??
The dead...
is in the House of Death...
I've informed the police.
They'll be here soon.
How am I to tell Father about this?
Don't worry. I'll tell him.
Thank you once again.
I'll be back after
completing a small task.
I need to know a lot of things
from your father.
You 2 head back to the hotel.
Where are you...?
See that? He didn't even respond!
The police doctor's
report states that...
Nisith's time of death was
between 8PM and 10PM last night...
and the murder weapon was
a blunt instrument of some sort.
The weapon hasn't been found yet.
He was probably killed
in the verandah of Bhujanga Nibas.
After that, his body was dragged
to that room and dumped there.
Under the sand in the verandah,
there were...
Those blood stains!
Correct.
You unknowingly gave that house
a very befitting name!
I didn't even refer
to the physical house
that was there!
I was talking about
the city in general.
In the last 3 days,
we've already had 2 murders.
Puri literally became
a House of Death!
Is it possible that...
the person who murdered Nisith...
also hit you last night?
And with the same weapon?
Maybe that's why you had blood
on the side of your head?
Say what you want, a ghost can
never compare to an actual corpse!
I'm still shivering
at the mere thought of it!
Don't exhaust your
shivering just yet;
save some of it for tonight.
Tonight?
Even if not on one leg, we'll have
to wait out tonight outside.
Where?
- You'll soon see.
And what's the reason...?
- You'll soon know.
But I'll say this:
no kurtas, pajamas, or dhotis.
No white or light-coloured clothes.
Hopefully I don't need to
tell you what to wear...
if you want to hide in the dark?
Oh, okay, I get it now.
You're talking about our
graveyard stake-out uniform, right?
Can I ask why we're here
at this particular place...
and at this time of night?
No.
What're you doing??
I won't switch it on!
It's a blunt instrument.
Might come in handy!
Feluda!
You get him!
Felu?!
Did it hit??
Bring him here!
You didn't always have
a scar on your chin...
but now you will,
from today onwards.
What does your Third
Eye see now, Laxman?
Is this what fate
had in store for you?
Welcome, Inspector Mahapatra.
I'm handing these 2 over to you.
But there's still much left to do.
We'll sit and have a chat in
the living room of Bhujanga Nibas.
These 2 will also be there.
Mahim, are you there?
Yes I am!
Oh! So it was your silhouette
I saw in the adjacent shade?
That's right.
You go and settle down.
I'll go and get Father.
Here is your Kalpasutra.
And the other one?
- I'm coming to that.
Be patient a while longer.
I hope you didn't take
your sleeping pills today?
Are you mad?
Those pills almost ruined my life!
With a great allopath
like Senapati around...
why did you let this fraudulent
fellow play you like a fiddle?
What was I to do?
I was in no state to judge
character at that point in time.
So many people
recommended him to me.
He came to me...
and said that he'll fix me right up.
And he also said that...
he has information about some
great, old manuscripts.
Manuscripts about astrology.
I got excited and showed him
my collection after that.
Then he started
his treatments on me.
That's the problem, you see?
As soon as someone mentions old
manuscripts, your heart just melts.
Anyway, the fact that Dyabid seems
to be working its magic...
is good news indeed!
What a miraculous drug, Mr. Mitter!
The first thing
I remembered was that
I was a collector
of these manuscripts!
Then, doors to different memories
started opening up as well.
Since they're opening...
tell me something:
do you recognise this gentleman?
I recognised him yesterday itself...
from his voice and his eyes.
Do you remember his name?
Now I do.
Is it Sarkar?
Sarkar.
Animesh Kumar Sarkar.
Liar!
Do you want to see
my passport? Do you?
No, I don't.
What value does the passport of
a deceptive fellow like you hold?
What's written on your passport?
Name: Bilas Majumdar?
Starting with
his physical appearance...
you studied Bilas Majumdar in
quite a lot of detail.
Falling off a mountain
while attempting
to photograph a snow leopard.
Which hospital he was admitted to.
Which of his bones were broken.
That he was still in
the hospital till last month.
You knew it all.
I remember noticing the article
about his accident in the papers.
But I didn't pay much
attention to it then.
But what I did end up remembering...
was the name of the hospital,
2 days ago.
Veer Hospital.
I visited their website,
got a phone number,
and made a call.
I had a talk with Dr. Bhargav.
Bilas Majumdar was treated by him.
The news that Dr. Bhargav gave me...
has probably not
reached your ears yet.
Bilas Majumdar suffered his
most critical injuries to the brain.
2 weeks ago, he died.
This man's actual
profession is smuggling.
While he usually doesn't
do the stealing himself...
he's an expert at
trafficking stolen goods.
One of the manuscripts stolen from
the Bhatgaon Palace Museum...
made its way to him in Kathmandu.
And what happened after that?
Let's hear it from Mr. Sen himself.
What Mr. Sarkar told us...
was the exact opposite
of what actually happened.
Sarkar and I were staying at
the same hotel in Kathmandu.
We even had adjacent rooms.
One day...
by mistake...
I used my room key on his door,
went in, and saw...
I recognised it as
a manuscript right away.
I found it suspicious.
I apologised for intruding
and left the room.
The next incident happened
later on at night.
I went out for a walk after dinner,
as I usually do.
As I was walking through
a deserted stretch...
suddenly, someone hit me
on the back of my neck!
All black after that.
I woke up in the hospital...
with absolutely
no memory of anything.
All my memories prior to that
were just wiped out of my mind.
I'll tell you about
the parts you don't know.
I hope Mr.
Sarkar corrects me if I'm wrong.
After knocking you out that night...
And to help him
in this heinous deed,
he had his trusted associate:
a Lumbini Travels and Treks'
car driver, Rupchand Singh.
Since you've regained
your lost memories...
do you remember
what happened after that?
When I regained consciousness...
it was already dawn by then.
And I found myself stuck in a tree.
Looking back, if that tree
hadn't been there...
I would've certainly been...
Anyway.
I looked up and estimated that...
if I can somehow climb up
a hundred feet or so...
I'll definitely reach flat ground.
I was injured and bleeding.
The pain was such that I
wanted to give in.
Yet, I willed myself to go on.
But soon after...
I woke up in the hospital.
Fortunately...
in my pocket...
I had a business card of
the hotel I stayed at.
So, the hospital staff...
called up the hotel,
took my relevant information...
and sent it here.
Nisith is the one who
brought me back here.
I didn't recognise him, of course.
After that...
I was in a hospital in Bhubaneswar
for almost 3 and a half months.
On the other hand, Mr. Sarkar
was certain that you had died.
8 months later, to fence some
stolen goods, he decided...
to come to Puri,
where seeing the name D. G. Sen
sparked a bit of doubt in him.
And I believe that
your ground floor tenant...
astrologer Laxman Bhattacharya,
gave all the information about...
your present condition
to Mr. Sarkar.
Isn't that so?
You're speaking nonsense!
The first time he came to my house
was with you all!
Really?
- Yes!
Then tell me, Mr. Astrologer...
why did you seat us separately
even before introductions were made?
How did you know Bilas Majumdar
was him and not I?
I believe that once you found out
Durgagati had lost his memories...
and with the promise of
Laxman Bhattacharya's help...
Mr. Sarkar had the idea of
stealing those manuscripts.
There's a client ready
to pay big money too
Mr. Mahesh Hingorani.
But there were 3 problems
with this plan.
The first was the arrival of
an unwanted individual,
who had been tracking Mr. Sarkar:
his trusted associate-in-crime
from Nepal, Rupchand Singh.
That must've been quite a headache,
right Mr. Sarkar?
You'd probably given him
enough money back then
to keep his mouth shut...
But what if he becomes
greedier and...
blackmails and threatens you
to give him more money?
Quite problematic, eh?
Wouldn't that leave you with
no option but to finish him off?
False! False! Lies!
All bloody lies!
But if it's proven that
the bullet which killed him...
came from this gun of yours,
what then?
So, Rupchand Singh
was murder number 1.
Now, let's come to the 2nd problem:
arrival of the detective
at Sree Kshetra.
Without tricking Felu Mitter,
it was impossible for Mr. Sarkar
to complete his mission.
I have to say that...
establishing himself
in the role of Bilas Majumdar
and placing the blame
of his own crimes
onto an amnesiac, old man...
made him quite successful
in that endeavour.
But this success made him
a bit wreckless too.
The plan was simple:
if he could get the manuscripts,
Hingorani would buy them.
When the owner isn't willing
to sell them for any amount...
the only other option
is to steal them.
And that has to be done fast...
since Hingorani's stay at Puri
is coming to an end.
But now, we need to talk
about a certain person:
the secretary, Nisith Bose.
Didn't you mention a
devotional recital at Mangala Road?
Did I lie??
The recital does happen between 7PM
and 10PM every Monday, that is true.
But you said that
you go there as well?
That is not true.
You've never been there.
I've done my research.
But a person from that house did go:
Nisith Bose.
Durgagati woke up
from his nap at 6:30PM.
And Nisith left at that time,
every Monday,
to go listen to the recitals.
When will the robbery happen then?
So now, Mr. Sarkar decides
to take a big gamble:
he goes to Sagarika in the morning
and presents himself to Durgagati.
Thanks to the effects of Dyabid,
bits of his memory have
started returning to him...
but not whole memories.
The extreme reaction Durgagati
has upon seeing him...
makes Mr. Sarkar's plan
much easier to implement.
And Laxman too manages to take
full advantage of the situation.
Upon hearing the commotion
from upstairs,
you went up there yourself.
And then,
after examining Durgagati,
you bump up
his sleeping pill dosage.
What? Am I wrong?
Once you saw Nisith leave
in the evening...
you waited a while,
before going upstairs.
In your hands, there was a package
wrapped in red cloth.
The servant Lokenath
is good-for-nothing.
Bribing him was easy.
And after that...
This manuscript has
to be delivered to Mr. Sarkar.
The meeting location was
the verandah of Bhujanga Nibas.
You were waiting there for him.
Your footprints, beedi stubs,
matchsticks, and betel juice bear
witness to that.
The amount of wood and
paper I saw in this room...
makes me believe that
you were planning to start
a business with stolen manuscripts.
And you might've
been successful too...
if an unprecedented event
didn't occur at that time.
An American gentleman will come at
9:30PM to see Mr. Sen's manuscripts.
So, by 9PM...
Sir?!
Lokenath?
Lokenath!
You then removed Nisith's corpse
from the verandah...
and dumped it in that room.
I can guess of the time
of the incident, Laxman...
and that guess tells me...
when you returned to Sagarika
to remove Nisith's belongings...
Durgagati had woken up
a while before that...
the foreigner had arrived,
the fake manuscript
had been discovered...
and, finally,
the police had been informed too.
But even that didn't faze you
in the slightest.
You snuck into Nisith's room,
stuffed his belongings
into his luggage...
brought everything here
and dumped it in this very room.
But in your hurry,
you forgot to take one vital thing
which I later found:
Hence, the story you made up about
his mother's ailing health...
went completely to waste!
Coming back to yesterday's events:
after dumping
Nisith's belongings here,
you suddenly realised that...
a sizeable portion of your
murder weapon is covered in blood.
And you thought 'No worries.
The sea is right there.
I can just toss it in the water!'
And after that,
you finally tossed the blood-stained
weapon into the sea.
Isn't that so?
But did that help
complete your task, Mr. Astrologer?!
No. It did not.
The manuscript you stole didn't get
to Mr. Hingorani, or Mr. Sarkar...
I've solved many mysteries
in my time.
But the present mystery is
so strange and profound...
that it fooled me completely.
I was talking about
a blunt instrument...
but how was I to know that
the blunt instrument in question...
was the Prajnaparamita
manuscript itself?
Even after being hit
on the head with it,
I didn't realise that!
Now, how are you going to hand that
blood-drenched manuscript
over to Sarkar?
And how would Sarkar give it
to Hingorani in that state?
So the other precious manuscript,
the Kalpasutra,
needed to be removed tonight.
Oh! Oh no!
My beloved, precious manuscripts...!
In the end, they...!
Let me tell you something, Mr. Sen.
Do you know that
the sea doesn't always take away...
it returns them too?
Sometimes, almost immediatey?
Here is your
Astadasasahasrika Prajnaparamita.
You can consider this
your good luck charm!
The cloth is intact,
as it was before.
The wood has faded a little...
but the text within is more
or less undamaged.
Not much water could get in through
the cloth and wood covers.
But... where did you find this??
You too saw the red cloth
in the morning today.
The Nuliya child Ramai had it
wrapped around his head
while playing.
I had a suspicion
as soon as I saw it,
so I went straight
to the Nuliya Bustee after that.
And I met Ramai there too.
Upon finding the manuscript,
he handed it to his mother...
but kept the red cloth for himself.
So, Mr. Sarkar...
Did you get a good sampling of
the Puri wildlife?
Arrest them!
What's this? Why are you...?
What a mess!
Since last night,
Lokenath has vanished!
No problem!
Give me a day.
I'll talk to Shyamlal...
and arrange for a trustworthy
domestic help for you.
Wow! That'd be great! Here you go!
Do you know, Mr. Sen...
that the biggest mystery
to me was your gout?
What's there to be confused about?
Can't an old man
be afflcted by gout?
But even with the gout,
you're quite effortlessly walking...
around the beach,
in the morning and the night.
I noticed the footprints
when I first arrived here...
and, like an idiot, thought
they belonged to Bilas Majumdar.
But I saw you in the flesh
yesterday, in the morning.
What does that prove?
Gout pains aren't prevalent
all the time.
But your footprints tell
a different story, Mr. Sen.
And what story is that?
I didn't mention
the story last night...
because I believe it's something
you want to keep a secret.
But the problem is, you can't keep
anything hidden from a detective.
The walking stick in your left hand
isn't the only unique thing here;
each of your shoes leave
a dissimilar print too.
When I had a talk with Dr. Bhargav
of Veer Hospital,
Kathmandu a couple of days ago...
I got to know about the injuries of
the real Bilas Majumdar.
I rang him up yesterday as well...
and asked him whether he knew
of any other person...
who had suffered similar injuries
after falling down the side
of a mountain.
Thankfully,
Dr. Bhargav is associated
with quite a few hospitals.
He made some enquiries
and informed me that...
in the city of Patan,
near Kathmandu,
the Shanta Bhavan hospital had...
a patient by the name of D. G. Sen
from October to early January.
And I also received a description of
your injuries from him.
Nisith knew...
that I didn't want
to make this public.
I didn't want anyone
to know about this.
He bandaged my foot beforehand,
if I was expecting guests.
If anyone asked,
he told them it was gout.
Today, of course,
Mahim tied the bandages.
You see, Mr. Mitter...
like losing a
priceless manuscript...
this is also a very tragic part
of my life.
But since you already
know everything...
there's no point hiding this
from you any longer.
Here you go.
What's going on?
This is a manuscript showcasing
Odisha's ancient art forms.
We insist!
I can't possibly accept
something this precious!
That I was able to solve
this mystery is my biggest reward.
I can't ask for...
- Just take it, for God's sake!
In these situations,
I find your childish hesitation
absolutely disgusting!
At least take it as a gift
for your uncle?
Thank you!
Thank the Lord!
If you didn't accept it,
this blunt instrument would
once again impact your head!
And I'd be the one swinging it!