The Common Man Speaks

Why Byomkesh Bakshi continues to win hearts in the OTT era

July 14, 2021 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

Over the last couple of years, shows on OTT platforms have become a rage in India. The shutting down of theatres from March 2020 onwards due to the COVID-19 pandemic is a major reason for that.

A large number of these OTT shows are crime thrillers or mystery dramas that have something related to crime. But even in such a scenario, Basu Chatterji’s crime detective show Byomkesh Bakshi continues to wow the audience on YouTube. The high number of views it keeps garnering is a proof of it.

For those not in the know, Byomkesh Bakshi was first aired in 1993 on Doordarshan. The show is based on the written works of author Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay. The stories revolve around the character of Byomkesh Bakshi, played by Rajit Kapur.

Bakshi is a detective but prefers to be called truth seeker [satya ki khoj karne wala]. His best friend-cum-assistant Ajit is played by KK Raina while Sukanya Kulkarni plays is wife Satyavati. Each episode starts with a crime and ends with Bakshi solving it. Few stories are divided in two episodes.

Byomkesh Bakshi
Rajit Kapur and KK Raina as Byomkesh Bakshi and Ajit respectively

There are various reasons why the show continues to be popular on the internet amidst thousands of new crime stories on OTT platforms from India and abroad.

Nostalgia: For those who have grown up in the 1990s, the very mention of Byomkesh Bakshi is enough to make them nostalgic and go back to the bygone era. The show reminds us of the times when we used to watch Doordarshan with the whole family. We have hundreds of TV channels today but they are no match to the national television of that era.

Simplicity: The stories explored in the show are based in the eras from 1930s to 60s. Hence, we get a glimpse of the simple times in Kolkata, all thanks to the production designer Jadab Bhattacharya. But apart from the setting, there was ample simplicity in the making of the show as well.

Despite dealing with an issue like crime, Chatterji stayed miles away from adding any sort of melodrama or forceful thrill through the background score. It was a show where the crime used to be introduced in a simple manner and the mystery used to be solved in the same way. This ensures that you don’t lose interest even if you predict the mystery at the start itself.

Characters: In a lot of shows and movies detectives being shown as heroes or someone with an unusual way of living. But the characters of Bakshi, Ajit, Satyavati and whole lot of others in this show were simple, common and everyday people. Hence, it was extremely easy to relate with them. Even after Bakshi solves a truly complicated case, he is never portrayed as a hero.

Performances: Rajit Kapur’s performance as Bakshi was the backbone of the show, apart from Chatterji’s handling. There are various moments where he cracks humour out of nowhere. Similarly, there is also an undercurrent of humour in his performance which is a hallmark of a great actor. Raina too gave perfect support to him and added the right amount of curiosity for the audience.  

Title Music: As soon as you hear the title tune of Byomkesh Bakshi, your mind is sucked back into the era of the 1990s. Composer Ananda Shankar has added thrill in the score but not gone overboard by retaining the simplicity of the show.

Peace-inducing content: I am sure this point will come across as either surprising or weird. But this is my personal observation. There is something about this show that induces peace. Watching an episode of Byomkesh Bakshi fills me with calmness, though it’s a crime show.

When the show was re-run on Doorsharshan in 2013, my grandmother used to feel the same. She said on numerous occasions how shaant she felt after watching the show. She said she never felt this way while watching other crime shows like CID.  

Watch Byomkesh Bakshi on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Also read:

SRK & Ashok SARAF’s pair in Yes Boss deserves more appreciation

When Ashok Saraf & Jatin Kanakia had us in splits

Filed Under: TV Tagged With: Byomkesh Bakshi, Byomkesh Bakshi Basu Chaterji, Byomkesh Bakshi cast, Byomkesh Bakshi Doordarshan, Byomkesh Bakshi episodes, Byomkesh Bakshi Rajit Kapur

Like Us on Facebook

Pages

  • About Me

Categories

  • Bollywood
  • Cricket
  • Documentaries
  • Environment
  • Events
  • Food
  • Forgotten Moments
  • Gujarati Cinema
  • Health
  • Hollywood
  • Humour
  • International Cinema
  • Literature
  • Marathi movies
  • Miscellaneous
  • Mumbai
  • Music
  • National
  • Personal experience
  • Pictures
  • Plays
  • Poem/ Shayaris
  • Regional cinema
  • Rumour Alert
  • Short Films
  • Socio/Political
  • Spiritual
  • Travel
  • TV
  • Uncategorized
  • Web Series
  • Young Achievers

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 46 other subscribers

Archives

  • June 2025 (3)
  • May 2025 (4)
  • April 2025 (7)
  • March 2025 (5)
  • February 2025 (1)
  • January 2025 (4)
  • December 2024 (2)
  • November 2024 (3)
  • October 2024 (2)
  • September 2024 (4)
  • August 2024 (2)
  • July 2024 (3)
  • June 2024 (4)
  • May 2024 (1)
  • April 2024 (2)
  • March 2024 (2)
  • February 2024 (4)
  • January 2024 (4)
  • December 2023 (2)
  • November 2023 (3)
  • October 2023 (3)
  • September 2023 (4)
  • August 2023 (3)
  • July 2023 (2)
  • June 2023 (2)
  • May 2023 (4)
  • April 2023 (4)
  • March 2023 (2)
  • February 2023 (1)
  • January 2023 (3)
  • December 2022 (2)
  • November 2022 (6)
  • October 2022 (7)
  • September 2022 (2)
  • August 2022 (2)
  • July 2022 (2)
  • June 2022 (4)
  • May 2022 (4)
  • April 2022 (4)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (3)
  • January 2022 (3)
  • December 2021 (3)
  • November 2021 (2)
  • October 2021 (3)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (3)
  • July 2021 (5)
  • June 2021 (2)
  • May 2021 (5)
  • April 2021 (3)
  • March 2021 (4)
  • February 2021 (4)
  • January 2021 (4)
  • December 2020 (6)
  • November 2020 (4)
  • October 2020 (6)
  • September 2020 (4)
  • August 2020 (6)
  • July 2020 (3)
  • June 2020 (2)
  • May 2020 (3)
  • April 2020 (4)
  • March 2020 (3)
  • February 2020 (3)
  • January 2020 (2)
  • December 2019 (3)
  • November 2019 (4)
  • October 2019 (3)
  • September 2019 (2)
  • August 2019 (4)
  • July 2019 (6)
  • June 2019 (6)
  • May 2019 (4)
  • April 2019 (1)
  • March 2019 (2)
  • February 2019 (5)
  • January 2019 (5)
  • December 2018 (6)
  • November 2018 (4)
  • October 2018 (4)
  • September 2018 (3)
  • August 2018 (3)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • June 2018 (4)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (2)
  • February 2018 (3)
  • January 2018 (3)
  • December 2017 (3)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • October 2017 (3)
  • September 2017 (3)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (4)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (3)
  • April 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (3)
  • January 2017 (4)
  • December 2016 (4)
  • November 2016 (3)
  • October 2016 (4)
  • September 2016 (2)
  • August 2016 (5)
  • July 2016 (4)
  • June 2016 (2)
  • May 2016 (4)
  • April 2016 (4)
  • March 2016 (4)
  • February 2016 (4)
  • January 2016 (5)
  • December 2015 (6)
  • November 2015 (4)
  • October 2015 (4)
  • September 2015 (8)
  • August 2015 (6)
  • July 2015 (5)
  • June 2015 (5)
  • May 2015 (10)
  • April 2015 (7)
  • March 2015 (4)
  • February 2015 (9)
  • January 2015 (11)
  • December 2014 (9)
  • November 2014 (10)
  • October 2014 (11)
  • September 2014 (9)
  • August 2014 (7)
  • July 2014 (7)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (4)
  • April 2014 (5)
  • March 2014 (1)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (4)
  • December 2013 (6)
  • November 2013 (8)
  • October 2013 (4)
  • September 2013 (2)
  • August 2013 (5)
  • July 2013 (2)
  • June 2013 (2)
  • May 2013 (7)
  • April 2013 (8)
  • March 2013 (11)
  • February 2013 (10)
  • January 2013 (14)
  • December 2012 (11)
  • November 2012 (6)
  • October 2012 (12)
  • September 2012 (15)
  • August 2012 (18)
  • July 2012 (14)
  • June 2012 (15)
  • May 2012 (7)
  • April 2012 (12)
  • March 2012 (15)
  • February 2012 (12)
  • January 2012 (17)
  • December 2011 (13)
  • November 2011 (12)
  • October 2011 (7)
  • September 2011 (4)
  • August 2011 (14)
  • July 2011 (6)
  • June 2011 (5)
  • May 2011 (5)
  • April 2011 (11)
  • March 2011 (4)
  • February 2011 (3)
  • January 2011 (6)
  • December 2010 (3)
  • November 2010 (2)
  • October 2010 (2)
  • September 2010 (1)
  • August 2010 (2)
  • July 2010 (3)
  • June 2010 (3)
  • May 2010 (1)
  • April 2010 (1)
  • March 2010 (3)
  • February 2010 (4)
  • January 2010 (3)
  • December 2009 (3)
  • November 2009 (4)
  • October 2009 (2)
  • September 2009 (2)
  • August 2009 (6)
  • July 2009 (3)

Copyright © 2025 · eleven40 Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in