Kakababur Protyaborton

Little can go wrong when you are being served the visual treat that’s the African savanna — the vast expanse dotted with majestic beasts of the wild. Kakababur Protyaborton takes you on a virtual safari that’s brimming with that sense of danger lurking around every turn. But that’s about all when it comes to the film’s first half. Even the abundance of beauty on screen starts to get boring after a point.

While the first half is overloaded with pointless savanna and in-your-face in-film branding, the second half offers nail-biting encounters between human beings and Mother Nature.

The thumb rule of Kakababu films is that danger follows him and Santu wherever they go. So when the duo land in Nairobi, danger is there to greet them. As the duo checks into Hotel Little Viceroy (the film is based on Sunil Gagopadhyay’s Kakababu adventure, Jongoler Modhye Ek Hotel), clouds of danger start gathering over the Maasai community and cast a shadow over Kakababu and Santu’s plans.

This film is best watched on a big screen because of Soumik Halder’s grand cinematography. The culminating moments of the adventure are presented with the great migration of wildebeests from Maasai Mara to Serengeti, Tanzania, and that is undisputedly one of the finest sequences in Bengali cinema in recent times. The dangers Kakababu and Santu face offer a good amount of thrill on the go.

Anirban Chakrabarti is a treat to watch. He is quick, casual and effortless in his timing and delivery. He follows Lalmohan Ganguly as much as is needed and takes no time to get back to his own character. However, the overwhelming references of Feluda with the pretentious humour on Ray’s character and film representation, is an annoyance. Anyway, Anirban, works it out well. More than acting prowess, Prosenjit’s job was to bring the glamour of the character of Kakababu on screen and he looks every bit dashing. The chemistry between Kakababu and Santu has grown visibly stronger in this third instalment of the series.

After the disappointment of Yeti Obhijaan, Srijit Mukherji has made a satisfying comeback with Kakababu. It was shot well and he explored opportunities to present the strength of the film, the African wilderness, in the best possible way. The human-nature relationship, the greed of poachers and the calmness and resilience of Kakababu leave a lasting impact. Kakababur Protyaborton is a grand visual treat that should be watched on the big screen.