Mishawr Rawhoshyo

Mishawr Rawhoshyo is a 2013 Indian action-adventure film directed by Srijit Mukherji, based on the novel of the same name written by Sunil Gangopadhyay. The film was produced by Shree Venkatesh Films. It stars Prosenjit Chatterjee, Indraneil Sengupta, Aryann Bhowmik, Swastika Mukherjee, Neel Mukherjee, Rajit Kapoor, and Tridha Chowdhury. The plot revolves around a hieroglyphic trail that leads Kakababu and his nephew Santu to Egypt and underneath a pyramid.

The soundtrack and background scores were composed by Indraadip Dasgupta, while the cinematography and editing of the film was done by Soumik Halder and Bodhaditya Banerjee respectively.

The film was declared to be a blockbuster at the box office and was one of the highest grossing films of 2013. It gained a strong cult following from both the audience and critics for the performances of Prosenjit Chatterjee, Indraneil Sengupta and Aryann. Also praised were the songs, particularly Kakababur gaan sung by Rupam Islam, the directing work by Srijit Mukherji and action sequences designed by Judo Ramu. The second film of the Kakababu series, Yeti Obhijaan, released in 2017. The third film in the franchise, Kakababur Protyaborton was released in 2022.

Plot
Mishawr Rawhoshyo starts with Kakababu (Prosenjit Chatterjee) and his nephew Shontu (Aryann Bhowmik) smiling after watching news informing of the imminent overthrow of the dictatorship in Egypt.

The film rewinds into a flashback. It is 2010. Kakababu is contracted by Egyptian businessman Al Mamun (Rajit Kapur) to decipher the meanings of hieroglyphic symbols that his teacher, Mufti Muhammad (Barun Chanda), had drawn on a piece of paper supposedly during his sleep. Muhammad is terminally ill and is about to grant his last wish while he is being treated in Delhi. Mamun thinks that the symbols are the key for locating Mufti Muhammad's will which will describe where to find treasures Mufti Muhammad had acquired during his tenure as a political leader and revolutionary. However, Kakababu is convinced that the symbols have a different meaning and they are very unusual. Mufti Muhammad symbolically requests Kakababu to verify something, a very unusual last wish.

Meanwhile, a war of rivalry ensues between Mamun and Hani Al Qadi (Indraneil Sengupta), another of Mufti Muhammad's disciples (and a rival of Mamun) who accuses Mamun of stealing a secret that isn't rightfully his. While in Delhi, there was an attempt to murder Kakababu, in which Kakababu was injured. Kakababu took the challenge to uncover the truth; he and his nephew Shontu head to Egypt where they are drawn into the vortex of the mystery.

Kakababu gets kidnapped by Al Qadi's men which sets off a chain of events, culminating in a climax under a pyramid. Inside the pyramid, Kakababu discovers the lost mummy of an Egyptian queen with the help of the hieroglyphics code written by Mufti Muhammad. The present-day political turmoil in Egypt subtly reverberates. At the end, Kakababu gives Hani Al Qadi the coded message written inside the coffin of the mummy and wishes him good luck for his upcoming revolution to free Egypt from the corrupt dictator Jashni Mubarak (fictionalized Hosni Mubarak).

Cast

 * Prosenjit Chatterjee as Kakababu/Raja Roychowdhury. this was his third film with Mukherjee
 * Aryann Bhowmik as Shontu/Sunanda Roychowdhury
 * Indraneil Sengupta as Hani Al Qadi
 * Rajit Kapur as Al Mamun
 * Rajesh Sharma as CBI officer Narendra Verma
 * Neel Mukherjee as Siddhartha
 * Swastika Mukherjee as Snigdha
 * Tridha Choudhury as Rini
 * Barun Chanda as Mufti Mohammad (cameo appearance)
 * Kamaleshwar Mukherjee as Sadat Manto (cameo appearance)
 * Biswajit Chakraborty as Kakababu's elder brother/Sontu's father
 * Indranath Mukherjee as Indranath Mukherjee at JNU

Development
Srijit Mukherji licensed the first three books in the Kakababu series with the intent to produce a film every other year starring Prosenjit Chatterjee as Kakababu, his only choice for the role. Filming took place in Cairo, Egypt and Delhi in early 2013, with Chatterjee stating that Mukherji was updating the character to be more contemporary. Chatterjee also commented that, although they had not changed Ganguly's character too much, that "lookwise he is a modern Kakababu."

The movie also features Rabindranath Tagore's famous poem Chitto Jetha Bhayshunyo.

Soundtrack
The soundtrack consists of six tracks composed by Indraadip Dasgupta with lyrics by Srijato. It was released on 2 October 2013 by the cast and crew in the Oberoi Grand Hotel in Kolkata.

Critical response
Sutapa Singha writing for The Times of India gave a rating of and said the album is like an audio window to the gripping thriller on-screen.

Reception
Mishawr Rawhoshyo garnered mixed to generally positive reviews from critics. Gautam Chakraborty of Anandabazar Patrika rated it. Dippanita Mukhopadhay Ghosh of Ebela rated it.

Awards and nominations
Filmfare Awards East::
 * Filmfare Award for Best Actor Supporting Role Male – Bengali - Indraneil Sengupta (Won)
 * Filmfare Award for Best Film – Bengali (Nominated)
 * Filmfare Award for Best Actor Male – Bengali - Prosenjit Chatterjee (Nominated)
 * Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Bengali - Srijato for Baalir Shawhor (Nominated)
 * Filmfare Award for Best Singer Female – Bengali - Shreya Ghoshal for Baalir Shawhor (Nominated)

Zee Bangla Gaurav Samman::
 * Zee Bangla Cinema Superhit Film of the Year (Nominated)
 * Best Director - Srijit Mukherji (Nominated)
 * Best Actor - Male - Prosenjit Chatterjee (Nominated)
 * Best Supporting Actor - Male - Indraneil Sengupta (Nominated)
 * Best Actor - Negative Role - Rajit Kapur (Nominated)
 * Best Music Director - Indradeep Dasgupta (Nominated)

Sequel
The sequel Yeti Obhijaan was released in 2017. The second sequel Kakababur Protyaborton was released in 2022.