Lists
Best Bengali Detective & Thriller Movies: Feluda, Byomkesh and More
From Satyajit Ray's Feluda films to Byomkesh Bakshi and Baishe Srabon: the best Bengali detective and crime thrillers, in the order we'd watch them.
DailyMovieHub TeamEditorial team3 min read
Bengalis love a good detective story. Feluda and Byomkesh Bakshi are household names, and Kolkata filmmakers keep returning to the city's lanes, old mansions and secrets for their thrillers.
This list starts with the classics and moves to modern crime films. You can watch them in any order, but the Feluda films are the best place to begin.
1. Sonar Kella (1974)
★ 7.82h 15mMysteryBangla
Directed by Satyajit Ray · Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta
Feluda's first big-screen adventure, directed by Satyajit Ray himself. A boy claims to remember a past life in a golden fortress, and the chase leads to Rajasthan. Soumitra Chatterjee is the definitive Feluda, and Santosh Dutta's Jatayu is pure joy.
Perfect for the whole family.
2. Joi Baba Felunath (1979)
★ 7.32h 0mCrime · Mystery · ThrillerBangla
Directed by Satyajit Ray · Starring Soumitra Chatterjee, Siddhartha Chatterjee
The second Feluda film takes the detective, Topshe and Jatayu to Benares, where a priceless golden Ganesh idol is stolen. Utpal Dutt's villain, Maganlal Meghraj, is one of the most memorable in Bengali cinema.
Darker and more grown-up than Sonar Kella, and just as good.
3. Byomkesh Bakshi (2010)
★ 7.81h 49mDrama · Mystery · ThrillerBangla
Directed by Anjan Dutt · Starring Abir Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee
Anjan Dutt's take on Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay's detective, set against the backdrop of Partition. Abir Chatterjee plays Byomkesh with quiet confidence, and Saswata Chatterjee is a warm Ajit.
Watch it if you like period mysteries. It started a whole series of films.
4. Abar Byomkesh (2012)
★ 7.21h 42mMysteryBangla
Directed by Anjan Dutt · Starring Abir Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee
Byomkesh, recovering from an illness, gets pulled into a strange robbery where the only thing stolen is a group photograph. A clever, compact mystery with the same lead pair.
5. Byomkesh Phire Elo (2014)
★ 7.41h 47mMystery · ThrillerBangla
Directed by Anjan Dutt · Starring Abir Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee
A wealthy old man and his servant are murdered, and every family member has something to hide. Classic whodunit territory, done with care.
6. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015)
★ 6.82h 19mCrime · Mystery · ThrillerHindi
Directed by Dibakar Banerjee · Starring Sushant Singh Rajput, Anand Tiwari
Dibakar Banerjee's Hindi film imagines a young Byomkesh, fresh out of college, in 1940s Calcutta. Sushant Singh Rajput leads, and the film looks stunning, with a stylish, almost noir feel.
Watch it if you want the Byomkesh world on a bigger budget.
7. Baishe Srabon (2011)
★ 7.42h 18mThriller · Crime · MysteryBangla
Directed by Srijit Mukherji · Starring Prosenjit Chatterjee, Parambrata Chatterjee
A serial killer terrorises Kolkata and leaves lines of Bengali poetry at each crime scene. The police bring back a retired, foul-mouthed officer to help. Srijit Mukherji's thriller, with Prosenjit Chatterjee and Parambrata Chatterjee, changed how modern Bengali thrillers are made.
Not for young viewers.
8. Dwitiyo Purush (2020)
★ 5.02h 9mDrama · Mystery · ThrillerBangla
Directed by Srijit Mukherji · Starring Parambrata Chatterjee, Raima Sen
The sequel to Baishe Srabon, with Parambrata Chatterjee's officer now leading the investigation. Watch Baishe Srabon first: the connection is the point.
9. Vinci Da (2019)
★ 7.01h 57mThriller · Mystery · CrimeBangla
Directed by Srijit Mukherji · Starring Rudranil Ghosh, Ritwick Chakraborty
A prosthetic make-up artist is hired by a mysterious man, and slowly realises his work is being used for murder. Rudranil Ghosh and Ritwick Chakraborty make it gripping.
10. Kahaani (2012)
★ 7.22h 2mMystery · ThrillerHindi
Directed by Sujoy Ghosh · Starring Vidya Balan, Parambrata Chatterjee
A Hindi film, but it belongs on any Kolkata thriller list. A pregnant woman searches for her missing husband during Durga Puja, and the city itself becomes part of the mystery. Vidya Balan leads, with Parambrata and Saswata Chatterjee in key roles.
How we picked
We mixed the classic Feluda and Byomkesh films with modern crime thrillers that people still recommend years later. For more Bengali cinema, see our best Kolkata Bangla movies list.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best Feluda? For most fans it is Soumitra Chatterjee in Satyajit Ray's own films.
Which Byomkesh film should I watch first? Start with Byomkesh Bakshi (2010), then Abar Byomkesh.
Are these movies on streaming? Many are on Bengali platforms like Hoichoi. Availability changes, so check each card.
Ratings, runtimes and streaming availability come from TMDB and JustWatch and update automatically. Availability differs by country.