**** (A must-see)
Directed by Satyajit Ray
Written by Saradindu Bandopadhyay, Saradindu Bandopadhyay, and Ray
With Uttam Kumar, Kalipada Chakraborty, Nripati Chatterjee
Byomkesh Bakshi, a detective, is hired by a rich man to investigate the name of an actress appeared in a movie decades ago, who has eloped ever since. The case became complicated when the rich man is murdered by someone for that.
I went through quite an effort to be able to see this in acceptable condition (whatever you do, don’t buy the Angel DVD) and let me say this; it was so worth it. The Zoo, also known by its Bengali title Chiriyakhana and based on the popular Byomkesh Bakshi franchise, is not the bomb it’s sometimes referenced to be. I actually found it really, really good. What can you say? Never doubt the master.
This is an old school detective story without flashy car chases, fist fights and all other cliches you might have grown tired of over the years. Think Poiroit, but masterfully crafted (the mise en scène is stellar). Uttam Kumar, whom you might have seen in another Ray film, Nayak: The Hero, is wonderful as our protagonist Byomkeh Bakshi.
There is an overly silly episode where Bakshi disguises himself as a Japanese gentleman to infiltrate the garden where our film takes place. It’s not necessarily distasteful in any apparent way, just plain silly, so I’m letting that pass.
If you in some way get your hands on this underseen Ray piece, see it.
Millennium Actors 