Sonar Kella
Encyclopedia
Sonar Kella also Shonar Kella, released in the United States
as The Golden Fortress, is a 1971 mystery novel and a 1974 film by Bengali writer
and director Satyajit Ray
. The film is an adaptation of the novel with minor plot changes and features the actors Soumitra Chatterjee
, Santosh Dutta
, Siddartha Chatterjee and Kusal Chakravarty among others. It is one of the most enduringly popular Bengali films
and is still shown very regularly by various TV channels.
The film is best known for Santosh Dutta's performance as the childishly innocent but supremely confident thriller writer Jatayu. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and iconic performances in the history of Bengali cinema. Many of his dialogues have achieved proverbial status. His interpretation of the character in this and the other Feluda
film Joi Baba Felunath
were so powerful that Ray modeled the character of Jatayu in later books on him. After Santosh Dutta died, Ray remarked that it was impossible to ever make a Feluda film again without Dutta. True to his prediction, later attempts to portray Jatayu in the telefilms and films of his son Sandip Ray
have met with derision.
) is a young boy who is said to be able to remember events of his previous life. He stays up late into the night and draws sketches that he claims are of battles he had seen. His father decides to take him to Dr. Hajra (Sailen Mukherjee), a parapsychologist, for treatment. After listening to his descriptions of deserts and peacocks, Dr. Hajra guesses that the place Mukul describes might be in the deserts of Rajasthan
, a state in western India. Mukul also mentions that he lived in the Golden Fortress (Sonar kella), though he can't explain what this means, and that their house had lots of gems. Dr. Hajra decides to take Mukul on a trip to Rajasthan hoping this may shed deeper light into such parapsychological phenomenon, as well as help cure the young boy.
A newspaper report on Mukul and an interview with Dr. Hajra alerts two men by the names of Amiyanath Burman (Ajoy Banerjee) and Mandar Bose (Kamu Mukherjee
), the villains in the story. Burman and Bose had earlier had encounters with Dr. Hajra, when he had exposed fraudulent activities of the pair. They interpret his mention of gems as a hidden treasure and plan to kidnap Mukul in hope of getting their hands on it. Their first attempt at the kidnapping fails when they pick up another boy, also named Mukul (Santanu Bagchi), from the same neighborhood. Mukul had already left for Rajasthan.
Alarmed by the failed kidnapping of his son, Mukul's father engages the service of Feluda
(Soumitra Chatterjee
), a private investigator, to help protect his son. Feluda
accepts the assignment and leaves for Rajasthan along with Topshe (Siddartha Chatterjee). On the way to Rajasthan Feluda
and Topshe meet Lalmohan Ganguly, a.k.a. Jatayu
(Santosh Dutta
), a popular thriller-writer, for the first time.
Meanwhile, Burman and Bose befriend Dr. Hajra, who is travelling on the same train but fails to recognise them. Dr. Hajra finds out that Mukul's father was a gemcutter, so the gems mentioned by Mukul have nothing to do with treasure. But Burman and Mandar Bose don't know this. They push off Dr. Hajra from a cliff and kidnap Mukul, with Burman impersonating as Dr. Hajra and Mandar Bose as a globe-trotter. Unknown to them, Dr. Hajra survives the fall, though he is forced to rest for a few days to recover from his griveous injuries. Feluda meets Burman, thinking him to be Dr. Hajra. Burman tries to kill him secretly using a poisonous scorpion, but fails. Jatayu joins them and they move around Rajasthan showing various forts (Rajasthan is full of Rajput
forts) to Mukul, but none of them are the Golden Fortress. Meanwhile Feluda starts to suspect Mandar Bose after he boasts to Jatayu of having killed a wolf in Africa.
One night, Burman uses his parapsychological background to hypnotise Mukul, when he says that the fort was in Jaisalmer
. The next morning, Feluda reaches the same conclusion after remembering that the fort of Jaisalmer
was made of golden yellow limestone. However, when he returns to the guest house he finds that Burman has already left. Mandar Bose tells him that Mukul remembered the name of the place to be Barmer
. Feluda suspects foul play, and is confirmed when he finds that Burman has misspelled the word Hajra in the attendance register of the guest house. He leaves for Jaisalmer
by car, but Mandar Bose leaves first and scatters broken glass on the highway, puncturing the tires of their car.
Feluda takes a camel caravan to the nearest train station, after failing to stop the train carrying Burman and Mukul midway. They take the next train to Jaisalmer
. In the night, Mandar Bose tries to stab Feluda, but Feluda was only pretending to be asleep and has him at gunpoint. But suddenly Jatayu tries to recover Mandar Bose's knife, which was stolen from Jatayu. Using Jatayu as a shield he jumps out and hangs onto the side of the train, returning to his compartment. By chance, that compartment is occupied by the real Dr. Hajra, who frightens the drunk Mandar Bose. A swinging door pushes him out to his death.
The next morning, the three reach Jaisalmer
and talk with Dr. Hajra. Then they go to the fort, to find Burman and Mukul searching the ruins. Burman has a phobia of peacocks and tries to shoot one, which angers Mukul into running off. At this point, Feluda confronts and captures him. He also tells him that there never was any treasure, whether rebirth exists or not. They find that Mukul is cured, and return to Kolkata.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as The Golden Fortress, is a 1971 mystery novel and a 1974 film by Bengali writer
Bengali literature
Bengali literature is literary works written in Bengali language particularly from Bangladesh and the Indian provinces of West Bengal and Tripura. The history of Bengali literature traces back hundreds of years while it is impossible to separate the literary trends of the two Bengals during the...
and director Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
. The film is an adaptation of the novel with minor plot changes and features the actors Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
, Santosh Dutta
Santosh Dutta
Santosh Dutta was a Bengali character actor, best known for immortalizing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies viz. Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath. A lawyer by profession, Santosh Dutta will be remembered as one of the greatest comedians Bengali Films ever had. Essentially a...
, Siddartha Chatterjee and Kusal Chakravarty among others. It is one of the most enduringly popular Bengali films
Bengali cinema
Bengali cinema refers to the Bengali language filmmaking industries in the Bengal region of South Asia. There are two major film-making hubs in the region: one in Kolkata, West Bengal, India and the other in Dhaka, Bangladesh .The history of cinema in Bengal dates back to the 1890s, when the first...
and is still shown very regularly by various TV channels.
The film is best known for Santosh Dutta's performance as the childishly innocent but supremely confident thriller writer Jatayu. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and iconic performances in the history of Bengali cinema. Many of his dialogues have achieved proverbial status. His interpretation of the character in this and the other Feluda
Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,...
film Joi Baba Felunath
Joi Baba Felunath
Joi Baba Felunath is a 1979 film by Bengali director Satyajit Ray, featuring the actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta, Siddartha Chatterjee, Utpal Dutt among others.The film is based on the famous Feluda novel of the same name written by Ray....
were so powerful that Ray modeled the character of Jatayu in later books on him. After Santosh Dutta died, Ray remarked that it was impossible to ever make a Feluda film again without Dutta. True to his prediction, later attempts to portray Jatayu in the telefilms and films of his son Sandip Ray
Sandip Ray
Sandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...
have met with derision.
Film plot summary
Mukul (played by Kushal ChakrabortyKushal Chakraborty
Kushal Chakraborty is a bengali actor and film director. At the age of six he played the main role in Satyajit Ray’s film Sonar Kella.-As Actor:*Mahasangram 2006*Tin Ekke Tin 2004*Sharbari 2003*Anamni Angana 2002*Deba 2002...
) is a young boy who is said to be able to remember events of his previous life. He stays up late into the night and draws sketches that he claims are of battles he had seen. His father decides to take him to Dr. Hajra (Sailen Mukherjee), a parapsychologist, for treatment. After listening to his descriptions of deserts and peacocks, Dr. Hajra guesses that the place Mukul describes might be in the deserts of Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
, a state in western India. Mukul also mentions that he lived in the Golden Fortress (Sonar kella), though he can't explain what this means, and that their house had lots of gems. Dr. Hajra decides to take Mukul on a trip to Rajasthan hoping this may shed deeper light into such parapsychological phenomenon, as well as help cure the young boy.
A newspaper report on Mukul and an interview with Dr. Hajra alerts two men by the names of Amiyanath Burman (Ajoy Banerjee) and Mandar Bose (Kamu Mukherjee
Kamu Mukherjee
Kamu Mukherjee was a Bengali actor known for his performances in several Satyajit Ray films.His portrayals of Mandar Bose in Sonar Kella, Pritish Sarkar in Nayak, Mantu Dutta in Phera and Juggler Haroon Al Rashid in Fatikchand are considered his best roles.Satyajit Ray's wife recollected an...
), the villains in the story. Burman and Bose had earlier had encounters with Dr. Hajra, when he had exposed fraudulent activities of the pair. They interpret his mention of gems as a hidden treasure and plan to kidnap Mukul in hope of getting their hands on it. Their first attempt at the kidnapping fails when they pick up another boy, also named Mukul (Santanu Bagchi), from the same neighborhood. Mukul had already left for Rajasthan.
Alarmed by the failed kidnapping of his son, Mukul's father engages the service of Feluda
Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,...
(Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
), a private investigator, to help protect his son. Feluda
Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,...
accepts the assignment and leaves for Rajasthan along with Topshe (Siddartha Chatterjee). On the way to Rajasthan Feluda
Feluda
Feluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,...
and Topshe meet Lalmohan Ganguly, a.k.a. Jatayu
Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)
Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu , is a character in the Feluda stories written by Satyajit Ray. He writes crime thrillers, but is quite weak and nervous in real life. He is fairly wealthy due to the immense sales of his books; he writes two books a year...
(Santosh Dutta
Santosh Dutta
Santosh Dutta was a Bengali character actor, best known for immortalizing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies viz. Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath. A lawyer by profession, Santosh Dutta will be remembered as one of the greatest comedians Bengali Films ever had. Essentially a...
), a popular thriller-writer, for the first time.
Meanwhile, Burman and Bose befriend Dr. Hajra, who is travelling on the same train but fails to recognise them. Dr. Hajra finds out that Mukul's father was a gemcutter, so the gems mentioned by Mukul have nothing to do with treasure. But Burman and Mandar Bose don't know this. They push off Dr. Hajra from a cliff and kidnap Mukul, with Burman impersonating as Dr. Hajra and Mandar Bose as a globe-trotter. Unknown to them, Dr. Hajra survives the fall, though he is forced to rest for a few days to recover from his griveous injuries. Feluda meets Burman, thinking him to be Dr. Hajra. Burman tries to kill him secretly using a poisonous scorpion, but fails. Jatayu joins them and they move around Rajasthan showing various forts (Rajasthan is full of Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
forts) to Mukul, but none of them are the Golden Fortress. Meanwhile Feluda starts to suspect Mandar Bose after he boasts to Jatayu of having killed a wolf in Africa.
One night, Burman uses his parapsychological background to hypnotise Mukul, when he says that the fort was in Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
. The next morning, Feluda reaches the same conclusion after remembering that the fort of Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
was made of golden yellow limestone. However, when he returns to the guest house he finds that Burman has already left. Mandar Bose tells him that Mukul remembered the name of the place to be Barmer
Barmer, Rajasthan
Barmer is the headquarters of the Barmer district in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is a city and a municipality.-Origin of name:...
. Feluda suspects foul play, and is confirmed when he finds that Burman has misspelled the word Hajra in the attendance register of the guest house. He leaves for Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
by car, but Mandar Bose leaves first and scatters broken glass on the highway, puncturing the tires of their car.
Feluda takes a camel caravan to the nearest train station, after failing to stop the train carrying Burman and Mukul midway. They take the next train to Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
. In the night, Mandar Bose tries to stab Feluda, but Feluda was only pretending to be asleep and has him at gunpoint. But suddenly Jatayu tries to recover Mandar Bose's knife, which was stolen from Jatayu. Using Jatayu as a shield he jumps out and hangs onto the side of the train, returning to his compartment. By chance, that compartment is occupied by the real Dr. Hajra, who frightens the drunk Mandar Bose. A swinging door pushes him out to his death.
The next morning, the three reach Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer
Jaysalmer , nicknamed "The Golden City", is a town in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital Jaipur. It was once known as Jaisalmer state. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone, crowned by a fort, which contains the palace and several ornate Jain...
and talk with Dr. Hajra. Then they go to the fort, to find Burman and Mukul searching the ruins. Burman has a phobia of peacocks and tries to shoot one, which angers Mukul into running off. At this point, Feluda confronts and captures him. He also tells him that there never was any treasure, whether rebirth exists or not. They find that Mukul is cured, and return to Kolkata.
Cast
- Soumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra ChatterjeeSoumitra Chatterjee or Soumitra Chattopadhyay is an iconic Bengali actor from India, known among other things for his frequent collaborations with the great Bengali film director Satyajit Ray and his constant comparison with the Bengali screen idol Uttam Kumar.-Background:Soumitra graduated from...
as FeludaFeludaFeluda, or Prodosh Chandra Mitra, who uses the anglicised name Pradosh C. Mitter, is a fictional private investigator starring in a series of Bengali novels and short stories written by the famous Indian Bengali film director and writer Satyajit Ray. The detective lives at Rajani Sen Road,... - Siddartha Chatterjee as Topshe
- Santosh DuttaSantosh DuttaSantosh Dutta was a Bengali character actor, best known for immortalizing the character of Jatayu in Satyajit Ray's Feluda movies viz. Sonar Kella and Joi Baba Felunath. A lawyer by profession, Santosh Dutta will be remembered as one of the greatest comedians Bengali Films ever had. Essentially a...
as JatayuJatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu , is a character in the Feluda stories written by Satyajit Ray. He writes crime thrillers, but is quite weak and nervous in real life. He is fairly wealthy due to the immense sales of his books; he writes two books a year... - Kushal ChakrabortyKushal ChakrabortyKushal Chakraborty is a bengali actor and film director. At the age of six he played the main role in Satyajit Ray’s film Sonar Kella.-As Actor:*Mahasangram 2006*Tin Ekke Tin 2004*Sharbari 2003*Anamni Angana 2002*Deba 2002...
as Mukul Dhar - Shailen Mukherjee as Dr. Hemanga Hajra
- Ajoy Banerjee as Amiyanath Burman
- Kamu MukherjeeKamu MukherjeeKamu Mukherjee was a Bengali actor known for his performances in several Satyajit Ray films.His portrayals of Mandar Bose in Sonar Kella, Pritish Sarkar in Nayak, Mantu Dutta in Phera and Juggler Haroon Al Rashid in Fatikchand are considered his best roles.Satyajit Ray's wife recollected an...
as Mandar Bose - Harindranath ChattopadhyayHarindranath ChattopadhyayHarindranath Chattopadhyay was an Indian English poet, an actor, and a member of the 1st Lok Sabha from Vijayawada constituency. He was the younger brother of Sarojini Naidu.-Life:...
as Sidhu Jyatha - Kushal Chakrobarty as Mukul
Crew
- Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...
- Director, Screenplay, Music Score (composer) - Soumendu RoySoumendu RoySoumendu Roy is an Indian cinematographer most known for his work with noted director, Satyajit Ray films, starting with Teen Kanya , when Subrata Mitra developed an eye-problem, though he has earlier shot Ray's documentary Rabindranath Tagore and has been an assistant to Subrata in post Pather...
- Cinematography - Dulal Dutta - Editor
- Mangesh Deshai- Sound Mixing Engineer (Re recording)
- J.D Irani - Dubbing Sound Recordist
- Anil Talukdar- Guide Track Sound recordist
- Ashoke Bose - Production Designer
- Debayan Roy - Production Basic
Awards
| Award | Awarded By |
| Best Film | Government of West Bengal |
| Best Director, Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... |
Government of West Bengal |
| Presidents Silver Medal | Government of India, 1974 |
| Best Colour Photography National Film Award for Best Cinematography The National Film Award for Best Cinematography are given annually. The only female who has won this award is Anjuli Shukla, who won the award for her debut film, Kutty Srank . The most time winners are Santosh Sivan & K.K. Mahajan - 4 awards each for best cinematography category.... , Soumenda Roy |
Government of India, 1975 |
| Best Director National Film Award for Best Directing The National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category.... , Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... |
Government of India, 1975 |
| Best Screenplay National Film Award for Best Screenplay The National Film Award for Best Screenplay winners:-References:... , Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... |
Government of India, 1975 |
| Golden Statue for the “Best Live Feature Film” | 10th Teheran International Festival of Films for Children and Young Adults |
Sequels and other Feluda Films
- Joi Baba FelunathJoi Baba FelunathJoi Baba Felunath is a 1979 film by Bengali director Satyajit Ray, featuring the actors Soumitra Chatterjee, Santosh Dutta, Siddartha Chatterjee, Utpal Dutt among others.The film is based on the famous Feluda novel of the same name written by Ray....
- Director Satyajit RaySatyajit RaySatyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature... - Baksho Rahashya (TV only) - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...
- Bombaiyer BombeteBombaiyer BombeteBombaiyer Bombete is a thriller film directed by Sandip Ray based on the story of the same name by Satyajit Ray.-Plot:Lalmohan Ganguly, alias Jatayu - a sidekick of Feluda - gets invited to Mumbai to watch the shooting of a film based on a novel written by him...
- Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:... - Kailashey Kelenkari - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...
- Tintorettor JishuTintorettor JishuTintorettor Jishu is a mystery novel by Satyajit Ray about an adventure of Feluda. A movie directed by Sandip Ray has been made based on the story . An extensive shoot schedule at Hong Kong during May 2008 takes Feluda movies to a new height...
- Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:... - Gorosthaney Sabdhan - Director Sandip RaySandip RaySandip Ray is a film director living in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He is the only son of the noted Bengali director Satyajit Ray, and Bijoya Ray.-Career:...