Great characters and a tight story made this a satisfying detective story from Satyajit Ray, one featuring a detective of his own making, Feluda. It starts with a known art smuggler showing up at the home of an old college acquaintance, asking if he can buy a valuable idol of Ganesh from Nepal. Well, he asks, but it's in a threatening way, saying that usually he just takes what he wants. He's turned down, but a few days later the idol is stolen. Good thing Feluda (good old Soumitra Chatterjee) is visiting for a festival, accompanied by his assistant Topshe and a writer, Jatayu, who is a friend. He's commissioned by the elderly man of the house who is the owner of the Ganesh, and from there methodically works to unravel the mystery.
There is of course the obvious suspect, the unscrupulous man with both a motive and means for carrying out the crime (Utpal Dutt). He's an almost James Bond like villain, offering the detective a bribe while lounging on his bed, then breaking out a set of knives for an intimidating exhibition of a crusty old minion's skill, all while having hidden guns trained on them. He's also got a connection to a guy passing himself off as a holy man, one that Feluda wonders about from the beginning, remarking "Crooks tend to make a great show of piety."
There is also clearly the possibility that it was some kind of inside job, and it's an interesting set of people living under this roof. The elderly man is in the habit of reading detective fiction and taking a little opium before nighty night. His grandson loves comic books and a character named Captain Spark, and also loves playing on the roof and shooting his toy gun at visitors. There's the poor son of the man's employee who has lived with them for 20 years, and an idol maker who spends his time painting rather buxom statues in preparation for a festival. Meanwhile, back at the hotel Feluda is staying at, he and his companions share a room with a extremely buff body builder, and there's also a humorously picky lodger often showing up to complain about something.
I loved the construction of the story, the old school emphasis on brain power to noodle things out, and the indignation Ray shows to anyone who would pillage their own country's sacred artifacts. That latter bit was rather timely, seeing as how this past week the Met in New York came under greater scrutiny for its practice of buying what it knew to be looted artifacts for decades, including when this film was made. Anyway, great stuff, and some nice spiritual music as well, composed by Ray himself.
