The Bengali Detective at NYIFF

An overweight private detective trying to solve a murder case while attempting to become a reality television dancer --- you can't make this stuff up, which perhaps explains why Fox Searchlight immediately snatched up this documentary at Sundance to remake as a fictional film. We saw it on Saturday night, as part of the New York Indian Film Festival.

The movie tracks Rajesh Ji through the bustling streets of Kolkata as he and his team raid shops selling counterfit shampoo, follow a man who might be having an affair, and, most intensely, investigate the aforementioned murder. In addition to watching them train, debate, and work as detectives, we also see Rajesh movingly wrestle with his wife's terminal illness while keeping his team's spirits up for their audition on the popular Dance Bangla Dance television show. In the Q&A, director Philip Cox talked about his desire to borrow elements from Bollywood even as he set out to capture a serious phenomenon. The result captures the ambition, heartbreak, comedy, frustration, and vibrancy of a nation on the make.

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