Hatyapuri (হত্যাপুরী)

Based on a novel by Satyajit Ray.

Oh Christ! What's going on? Please stop the car!

What's up, boy? What happened?

Oh? Let's go, guys!

Lead the way!

Pokhra. Nepal. October 2018.

The House of Death.

National Highway 16. May 2019.

Oh! What a fix I was in!

Haripada couldn't have asked for a holiday at a worse time!

It was a family crisis, so I didn't have the heart to deny him either.

If you hadn't stepped forward when you did...

our trip would've been ruined!

I wasn't sure whether you'd entrust your car to anyone else!

What do you mean, Felu?

I'd rather entrust it to you than anyone else!

I've been saying it since day one:

my car is your car too!

You've helped me out innumerable times in the past.

This is the least I can do for you in return!

You think so? - Of course!

A saying I've been hearing since childhood:

travel broadens the mind.

I only understood the true meaning of it after I met you...

and not before!

Tapesh!

How many places have we been to, thanks to your cousin?

Wait, let me think.

Delhi... Mumbai...

Varanasi... Shimla...

Rajasthan... Sikkim...

Nepal.

And this time?

Puri! - Right! Puri!

All hail Lord Jagannath!

Bhubaneswar!

We should reach Puri by 3pm.

Very good progress, I must say!

That maybe so.

I've heard Puri is very crowded at this time...

so are you sure we'll get rooms at Neelachal Hotel?

The twin-bed room is confirmed.

The single-bed room should also be free by now.

Good!

Hey! Are you hungry?

That I am!

Same here, to be honest!

It's almost 1pm.

And besides...

you need to take a break too!

I've been meaning to ask...

is there a history of authors among your ancestors?

Hmm... At least not in the last 2-3 generations.

Why this question in particular?

I was thinking about your latest novel,

which is also your first attempt at horror.

The Demon of Pithapuram? - Hmm.

You've read it already??

Yes! Before even I did!

Now, it's my turn!

Incredible!

The fact that a novel like that gave you food for thought...

is completely new to me!

Not really.

Then?

No matter how ridiculous your stories are...

I'll be reaching there soon!

they don't succeed just due to all the action and story twists!

There is something about... - I've just stopped

to grab a bite to eat.

From here, I'll be coming straight to your place.

No, no! Don't worry about that!

It's just half an hour from here! That's not much!

Excuse me? - Huh?

I think this belongs to you.

I'll just call you back.

Thanks! Thank you so much!

Actually, this ring has become slightly loose over time.

So it tends to fall off quite often!

But anyway, thanks so much, Mr....?

Pradosh Mitter.

Mahesh Hingorani.

Excuse me.

Thanks!

Cigarette holder, case, and lighter... all golden.

Even his glasses look like gold.

He also has a gold bracelet, gold necklace, and 3 gold rings.

Wow!

So what is this gold-wrapped gentleman's name?

Mahesh Hingorani.

Ah!

The sea!

Go and complete the check-in formalities.

I'll join you after parking the car. - Okay.

Good Afternoon, Sir! - Afternoon!

L. Ganguly and party, from Kolkata!

Just a minute, Sir!

All hail Lord Jagannath!

Puri welcomes you!

I hope you have rooms for us!

What do you mean, Sir? As per your instructions...

I've booked you 2 adjacent rooms on the 2nd floor!

Very good!

Give me the key for Room 23

and the duplicate key for 22. - Yes, Sir!

Duplicate? - Yes.

I hope you don't mind...

but you'll have to share your room with another guest for 2 days.

Actually, we've been having an influx of guests...

No problem at all!

I hope he's Bengali? - Purebred!

He's a garment store owner in Gariahat. - Oh!

This is Shyamlal Barik. - I'm the manager of this hotel.

He's my landlord Sudhakanto's classmate.

Pradosh Mitter.

And this is my cousin... - Tapesh Ranjan Mitter.

I see! So you're Feluda and he's Topshay, right?

Send the bags to Rooms 22 and 23. - Yes, Sir.

What about the check-in formalities?

We'll deal with that later. Come with me.

Felu, is this your first time in Puri?

No. I went to Rourkela about a year ago to help solve a case.

I came to Puri after that. - Oh!

And I was 5 the last time I visited here! - Really?

But it's his first time here! - What?? Are you serious??

I haven't even fully discovered my hometown Kolkata yet!

Puri will have to wait!

There is a Jain temple not 3 miles from my place.

I've heard about it from birth, but I still haven't seen it yet!

What is it? - Nothing!

This is your roommate.

Srinibas Shome. - Lalmohan Ganguly.

Come in, come in! - Your luggage is the on the way!

Come in, Felu!

Nice! The room looks great!

Like it?

How new is this hotel?

We started about 1.5 years ago.

Bathroom is okay!

There's a lovely balcony too, I see!

Have you delivered the luggage to Room 23? - Yes Sir!

Okay, wait here.

I'll let you gentlemen get some rest now.

Could I offer you some tea or coffee?

I wouldn't mind some tea. - Alright.

But no teabags, please!

Did you hear? - Yes Sir!

Tell them downstairs to serve the good tea here.

Can I take my leave now? - Of course!

Lord Jagannath willing, I'll try and drop by at night.

Sure!

I'm going out with Srinibas. I'll see you later.

Going out where?

If I tell you, you'll just make fun of me!

Let's hear it anyway.

He knows about an incredible astrologer living nearby.

Mr. Laxman Bhattacharya.

With a finger on the forehead, he can predict your future!

Whose forehead?

The forehead of whose future he is predicting, naturally!

You're saying he can read forehead fate lines?

That's what it sounds like!

So, where does he live?

About 10 minutes from here on foot.

Have you started reading it?

Let's go. Our appointment's at 8pm! - See you later!

Let us walk you till there.

Let's go, Topshay!

Do you know that Baikuntha Mullick wrote a poem about Puri?

Baikuntha Mullick? - Hmm!

Your Bengali teacher from the Athenaeum Institution?

Exactly!

When I was in Class 7, I recited that poem...

in an Elocution Contest and won a prize for it!

The last 2 lines are particularly lovely!

If you pay attention to them,

you'll truly appreciate their beauty.

The murmur of roaring waves I hear from the abyss...

Alone I stand, on one leg, feeling the sand's gentle kiss!

Bravo! What a rendition! Beautiful!

Here, the poet must be identifying himself with a stork...

because this wind is going to make...

standing one-legged on this sandy beach impossible for a human!

Anyway.

Tell me,

do you find anything unique about these prints on the sand?

Someone's strolling around with a walking stick for sure!

You're right!

But unique? I don't see anything unique about it...

What about you? Any ideas?

People normally hold walking sticks in their right hands.

But here, the walking stick imprints are on the left.

I wouldn't be surprised if the gentleman is left-handed.

What's that place?

That's an abandoned house. Totally uninhabited.

'Sagarika'.

And D. G. Sen owns the place.

He lives on the 1st floor.

And that door on the ground floor? That's where Laxman lives.

The gentleman's talent seems to be in good demand.