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The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika

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The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJoydip Mukherjee
Based onIdeal Jewellery by Sujan Dasgupta
Screenplay byPadmanabha Dasgupta
Dialogues byPadmanabha Dasgupta
Story bySujan Dasgupta
Produced byShrikant Mohta
Mahendra Soni
Vishnu Mohta
StarringAnirban Chakrabarti
Saswata Chatterjee
Suhotra Mukhopadhyay
Somak Ghosh
Gaurav Chakrabarty
Ishaa Saha
CinematographyTuban
Edited bySubhajit Singha
Music bySongs:
Amlaan Chakraborty
Background score:
Subhadeep Guha
Production
companies
Shree Venkatesh Films
Hoichoi Studios
Distributed byShree Venkatesh Films
Release date
  • 16 May 2025 (2025-05-16)
[1]
Running time
118 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguageBengali
Box office₹9.36 crore[3]

The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika is a 2025 Indian Bengali-language black comedy detective action thriller film co-written and directed by Joydip Mukherjee. Produced by Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni under the banner of Shree Venkatesh Films and Hoichoi Studios, the film is based on Sujan Dasgupta's novel Ideal Jewellery, and serves as the third instalment in the Eken Babu franchise. It stars Anirban Chakrabarti, Suhotra Mukherjee and Somak Ghosh reprising their roles as Eken Babu, Bapi and Pramatha respectively, alongside Saswata Chatterjee, Gaurav Chakrabarty and Ishaa Saha in another pivotal roles.

The film was officially announced in January 2025, marking the fifth collaboration between Mukherjee and Chakrabarti. Principal photography commenced in March 2025.[4] It was released in the theatres on 16 May 2025. Grossing over ₹9.36 crore at the box office, it emerged as the highest grossing Bengali film of 2025 as well as the highest grossing film of The Eken theatrical franchise.[5]

Plot

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Eken Babu, accompanied by his assistants Bapi and Pramatha, arrives in Varanasi on invitation of Subimal, the friend of Pramatha. As they navigate the city’s narrow lanes and sacred ghats, they discover clues pointing to a conspiracy to disrupt the annual Masaan Holi festival. Racing against time, they must decode hidden signals and thwart the plot before it brings chaos to the celebrations.[6]

Cast

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Production

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Development

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The first look of the principle characters in the film were released on 18 March 2025.[9] The official motion poster announcing the release date of the film was released on 15 April 2025, on the occasion of Pohela Boisakh.[10] Saswata Chatterjee was roped in to play the role of Belal Malik, who is a master of disguises and play 11 disguises in the film.[11]

Filming

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The film has been majorly shot in the city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh while minor parts have been shot in Kolkata. The culture and tradition of Varanasi, particularly the Ghats in Varanasi by the Ganga, Holi, the vibrant alleys, paan, evening chants, sadhus and sandhya aratis have been focused upon in the cinematography.[12]

Marketing

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The teaser of the film was released on 19 April 2025.[13] The trailer was released on 6 May 2025.[14]

Release

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Theatrical release

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The film was released theatrically in India on 16 May 2025 with a UA certificate.[15]

Home media

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The movie was released on the OTT platform Hoichoi in 11 July 2025.[16]

Reception

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Box office

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The film registered the highest opening for a Bengali film in 2025. It crossed the ₹1 crore mark in two days. At the end of 3 days, it collected est. ₹2.01 crore.[17] It grossed over ₹3.5 crore at the end of first week.[18] It grossed over ₹5 crore at the end of 11 days. It grossed over ₹7 crore at the end of 21 days. At the end of 36 days, it grossed over ₹9 crore.

Critical reception

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Poorna Banerjee of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising its engaging narrative and the performances of Anirban Chakrabarti and his co-stars, while noting that some plot twists felt forced.[19] Agnivo Niyogi of The Telegraph reviewed the film and opined "The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika is a brisk, entertaining ride that blends suspense with comedy while paying homage to Satyajit Ray’s Joi Baba Felunath. Despite the gravity of the plot, the film never loses its breezy tone or wry humour." He praised the direction, cinematography, editing and the flamboyant performance from Saswata Chatterjee.[20]

Anindya Sengupta reviewed the film for Sangbad Pratidin and wrote "Overall, despite having strengths and flaws, The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika will make you ponder for a minute and make you realise that this is the best film from the series till date."[21]

Shruti Mishra of Anandabazar Patrika rated the film 6.5/10 stars and commended the film's vibrant portrayal of Varanasi's ghats, alleys, and local flavors, drawing parallels to Satyajit Ray's Joy Baba Felunath. She appreciated the witty dialogues and the nostalgic ambiance that the film evokes. However, Mishra noted that the film's narrative leans heavily into themes of extremism and bomb plots, which, while adding complexity, might overshadow the series' characteristic light-heartedness. Overall, Mishra found The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika to be a visually engaging experience, though it diverges from the series' original tone.[22]

References

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  1. ^ "New Eken Babu film starring Anirban Chakrabarti to release on May 16". The Telegraph. 16 March 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  2. ^ "The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika (2025) - Movie - BookMyShow". BookMyShow. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  3. ^ Das, Tina (23 May 2025). "This Bengali film has had 80 houseful shows in a week. It's the latest in Eken franchise". ThePrint. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  4. ^ Ganguly, Ruman (17 March 2025). "The Eken – Benaras e Bibhishikha goes on floors with a muhurat in the Holy City of Benaras". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  5. ^ Rana, Sayani (28 June 2025). "রথযাত্রায় 'দ্য একেন: বেনারসে বিভীষিকা'-এর হাত ধরে নতুন শুরু! হাজির থাকলেন অনির্বাণ-শাশ্বতরা". Hindustan Times (in Bengali). Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  6. ^ "Eken Babu returns in his most thrilling adventure yet with The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika". The Times of India. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  7. ^ Das, Santanu (13 May 2025). "'Eken Babu has given me identity as an actor': Anirban Chakrabarti". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Eken Babu chases an elusive villain in 'The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika' trailer". Telegraph India. 7 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  9. ^ "The first look of The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika". t2 Online. 18 March 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Anirban Chakrabarti's Eken Babu set for a new adventure in Benaras this May; motion poster out". The Telegraph. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  11. ^ Das, Santanu (15 May 2025). "Saswata Chatterjee says he is lucky to be a part Eken Babu franchise: 'I love watching it as a viewer'". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Eken Babu solves a Benarasi mystery in 'The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika' teaser". The Telegraph. 24 April 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  13. ^ Poddar, Atreyee (20 April 2025). "Makers unveil teaser for 'The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika'". Indulge Express. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  14. ^ "The trailer of The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishika is out". Times of India. 8 May 2025. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  15. ^ "The Eken: Benaras e B ... (2025) - Movie - BookMyShow". BookMyShow. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Anirban Chakrabarti's 'The Eken: Benaras e Bibhishikha' to premiere on OTT next week". The Telegraph. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  17. ^ Kanji, Subhasmita (19 May 2025). "৩ দিনেই ১.৭০ কোটির কাছাকাছি একেন বাবু! কিলবিলকে ছাপিয়ে এক নম্বর হওয়ার দৌড়ে আমার বস, আয় কত?". Hindustan Times (in Bengali). Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  18. ^ Das, Tina (23 May 2025). "This Bengali film has had 80 houseful shows in a week. It's the latest in Eken franchise". ThePrint. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  19. ^ "The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika Movie Review". The Times of India. 16 May 2025. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  20. ^ Niyogi, Agnivo (17 May 2025). "'The Eken: Benaras E Bibhishika' is a whimsical Eken adventure paying homage to Satyajit Ray". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  21. ^ Anindya Sengupta; Bhanja, Sandipta (17 May 2025). "'বেনারসে বিভীষিকা'য় কেমন ম্যাজিক দেখালেন একেনবাবু? লিখলেন অনিন্দ্য সেনগুপ্ত". Sangbad Pratidin (in Bengali). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  22. ^ মিশ্র, শ্রুতি (17 May 2025). "বারাণসীর ঘাটে আবার মগজাস্ত্রের খেল! কেমন হল 'দ্য একেন: বেনারসে বিভীষিকা'?". Anandabazar (in Bengali). Retrieved 17 May 2025.
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