Feluda - Character Development

Character Development

Prodosh Chandra Mitter, popularly known by his nickname Feluda, first appeared in the eponymous short story Feludar Goyendagiri (Feluda's Investigation) in 1965. The story was published in Sandesh, a children's periodical founded by Ray's grandfather, Upendrakishore Ray and edited by Ray himself. In the Feluda series that followed, Feluda was portrayed as a man of around 27 with a tall (6'2"), athletic figure. Despite being a strongly built man adept in martial arts, Feluda relies mostly upon his superb analytical ability and observation skill (jokingly referred to as the 'Magajastra' or brain-weapon) to solve cases instead of using physical strength or weapons. He is very choosy about taking up cases and prefers cases that require cerebral effort. He possesses a .32 Colt revolver, but the weapon is used very infrequently and mostly for non-violent purposes. However, contemporary (2000's) movies based on Feluda stories feature scenes of violence uncharacteristic of the series, where Feluda demonstrates his martial art prowess. Feluda is known to be a good sleight-of-hand and he put that skill to use for solving couple of cases. He is also good at disguises.

In his personal life, Feluda is a common Bengali youth has been brought up by his father's younger brother(Tapesh/Topshe's father)after his parent's death when he was only 9. His father, the late Jaykrishna Mitter, used to teach Mathematics and Sanskrit at Dhaka Collegiate School. Feluda, too, taught in a school prior to his detective career. He enjoys delivering classroom-like lectures, a carry over from that profession. He finds an avid listener in his cousin Tapesh. Also, he often uses his oratory skill at the climactic scenes to cajole the culprit in confessing his crime. He is an early riser and is often shown starting his day with yoga. Contrary to his otherwise healthy lifestyle, Feluda enjoys smoking cigarettes and chewing betel leaves. His favorite brand of cigarettes is Charminar. He is also a connoisseur of delicious foods, popular music and movies, and books. He has a great appreciation for Sherlock Holmes and, according to the film Tintorettor Jishu (film), Bruce Lee. Like Sherlock Holmes, he has an omnivorous reading habit (reflecting that of Ray's own), which add up to his enormous general knowledge. This know-how often comes handy while socializing with people and unraveling mysteries.He always reads about the place he is visiting. He says it comes in handy sometimes.