P. K. Basu is a

fictional detective Fictional detectives are characters in detective fiction. These individuals have long been a staple of detective mystery crime fiction, particularly in detective novels and short stories. Much of early detective fiction was written during the ...

character created by

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

writer Narayan Sanyal. These detective stories are popularly known as the ''Kanta'' (Thorn) series. Some of the stories were inspired from the novels of Erle Stanley Gardner and

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

Character

The writer often referred Basu as 'The Perry Mason of the East', since Sanyal was inspired to create the character from the masterpiece of Erle Stanley Gardner. Basu's full name is ''Prasanna Kumar Basu'' and by profession he is an indomitable criminal side

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

of the

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located in B.B.D. Bagh, Kolkata, West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court buildi ...

. In the first story named ''Nagchampa'', Basu is shown to be an old, unmarried man but since the novel of ''Sonar Kanta, the'' writer changed the character of Basu to an aged Barrister, whose wife ''Ranu'' is physically challenged & ''Suborna'' alias ''Mithu'', their only daughter, has died in a car accident. P. K. Basu is not a professional detective but solves the cases through discussion and in courtroom drama. A young couple, Koushik and Sujata, live with Basu's family in his house. They form a private detective agency, ''Sukoushali''. Very often, Basu takes their help in investigation.

Stories

* ''Nagchampa'' (Published: 1968) * ''Sonar Kanta'' (Published: 1974; Inspired by

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...

) * ''Machher Kanta'' (Published: March 1975) * ''Pother Kanta'' (Published: January 1976) * ''Ghorir Kanta'' (Published: January 1977) * ''Kuler Kanta'' (Published: May 1978) * ''Uler Kanta'' (Published: May 1980, Inspired by ''The Case of the Perjured Parrot'' by Erle Stanley Gardner) * ''O-Aa-Ko Khuner Kanta'' (Published: 1987, Inspired by

The A.B.C. Murders ''The A.B.C. Murders'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, featuring her characters Hercule Poirot, Arthur Hastings and Chief Inspector Japp, as they contend with a series of killings by a mysterious murderer kn ...

) * ''Sarmeyo Genduker Kanta'' (Published: 1989, Inspired by ''Dumb Witness'' by

) * ''Koutuholi Koner Kanta'' (Published: 1993) * ''Abhi Purbak Nee Dhatu O-er Kanta'' (Published in 1994, Inspired by ''The Case of the Restless Redhead'' by Erle Stanley Gardner) * ''Nyay Nishtha Nyasnasheer Kanta'' (Published: 1994) * ''Dwi Boibahik Kanta'' * ''Jom Duare Porlo Kanta'' (Published in 1994) * ''Jadu Eto Boro Ronger Kanta'' * ''Ristedarer Kanta'' (Published: 1992; Inspired by: ''The Case of the Beautiful Beggar'' by Erle Stanley Gardner). * ''Dress Rehearsaler Kanta'' (Inspired by: ''Three Act Tragedy'' by

). * ''Bisher Kanta'' (Published: 1996) * ''Dress Reharshal-er Kanta'' (Published: 1998) * ''Darpone Pratibimbito Kanta'' (Published: 1999) * ''Sokol Kanta Dhyonyo Kore'' (Published: 1999) * ''Chnaparonger Murshidabadi Sharir Kanta'' (Published: 2001) * ''Monalisa'r Kanta'' (Published: 2001) * ''Iskapan Bibir Kanta'' (Published: 2001, Inspired by ''The King of Clubs'' by

) * ''Haripada Keranir Kanta'' (Published: January 2001)

Adaptation

The first story of P. K. Basu ''Nagchampa'' was adapted in a Bengali movie named ''

Jadi Jantem ''Jadi Jantem'' (''English: If I Knew'') is a 1974 Indian Bengali-language drama thriller film directed by Tarun Majumdar as Yatrik. This movie was released under the banner of ''Chitrajug''. Uttam Kumar played the role of main protagonist of th ...

'', which was released on 1 March 1974. This film was directed by ''Yatrik'' ( Tarun Majumdar) and starred by Uttam Kumar as P. K. Basu, Ruma Guha Thakurta as Ranu,

Soumitra Chatterjee Soumitra Chatterjee (also spelt as Chattopadhyay; 16 June 193515 November 2020) was an Indian film actor, play-director, playwright, writer, thespian and poet. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of ...

as Koushik and Supriya Choudhury as Sujata. Narayan Sanyal himself wrote the dialogues. In 2018, director

Haranath Chakraborty Haranath Chakraborty ( bn, হরনাথ চক্রবর্তী) is an Indian Bengali film director. He made his directorial debut with "Mangaldeep" (1989). Many of his movies have been critically acclaimed and enjoyed commercial succes ...

set a film titled Kantaye Kantaye based on the story ''Haripada Keranir Kaanta''.

Ranjit Mallick Ranjit Mallick (রঞ্জিত মল্লিক) (born 28 September 1944) is an Indian actor who works mainly in Bengali cinema. He is particularly known for appearing in films such as ''Interview'', ''Mouchak'', ''Shatru'', ''Shakha Pro ...

has been roped in for the role of P. K. Basu, but the film has not been released.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basu, P. K. Fictional amateur detectives Fictional Indian people Fictional Bengali people Fictional male detectives