After many unofficial knockoffs, Sherlock Holmes officially arrives in India—sort of. Shekhar Home, featuring a Bengali version of the famous detective, takes a refreshingly irreverent approach.
From its playful title to Shekhar Home’s antics, this JioCinema series is all about fun and poking fun at serious Sherlock fans. Created by Aniruddha Guha and Srijit Mukherji, Shekhar Home loosely adapts some of Conan Doyle’s public domain stories. Mukherji directs four of the six episodes, which are written by Guha and Niharika Puri.
The overall vibe of Shekhar Home is similar to the BBC series Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch, which also took creative liberties with the original stories. Produced by BBC Studios India, Shekhar Home reimagines Conan Doyle’s characters in a fresh way.
In this series, Shekhar (played by Kay Kay Menon) and his sidekick Jayvrat (Ranvir Shorey) follow their own unique storylines. Shekhar’s brother Mycroft is reimagined as Mrinmay (Kaushik Sen), the housekeeper Mrs Hudson is now Mrs Henry (Shernaz Patel), and the clumsy cop Lestrade is Laha (Rudranil Ghosh). Irene Adler, the only woman to ever captivate Holmes, is portrayed as Irabaty (Rasika Dugal).
Shekhar Home is set in the early ’90s in the fictional town of Lonpur. Shekhar, who brings both a collection of colorful kurtas and impressive skills, teams up with doctor Jayvrat to solve various crimes. Their cases range from a strange marriage ad to mysterious, seemingly supernatural murders.The show’s villain, M, appears throughout the series and becomes more prominent, leading to a showdown with Shekhar in the last two episodes, directed by Rohan Sippy.
Shekhar Home embraces its Bengali setting without going overboard. Rabindranath Tagore makes a notable appearance in one episode, and there’s a playful nod to Sushmita Sen before she won Miss Universe. Shekhar, with his mix of old-fashioned detective work and brainpower, pays tribute to both Bengali detective fiction and Doyle’s famous detective.
The show feels light and carefree, like a leisurely picnic. Its irreverent tone is captured by Shekhar’s enthusiastic laugh whenever he makes a breakthrough. Even with high stakes, like the potential destruction of Kolkata, Shekhar remains cheerful.
The strong casting, the chemistry between Shekhar and Jayvrat, and the humor from Vaibhav Vishal’s writing make up for the otherwise forgettable cases leading up to the final showdown with M. The twist at the end shakes things up while bringing the story back to traditional Sherlock Holmes themes.The show takes a more serious turn in one episode, focusing on the growing connection between Shekhar and Irabaty. This personal development, especially in how Shekhar interacts with women, is a refreshing change from the original stories.
Kay Kay Menon masterfully portrays Shekhar, adding his own flair to the character. Shekhar’s quirks include awkward social behavior, energetic moments, and a mix of humor and warmth. Menon’s Shekhar is a brilliant detective who is approachable rather than arrogant, making him more relatable.In one scene, Irabaty asks Shekhar if his deductions are based on knowledge or guesses. Shekhar, flustered, replies that guessing isn’t really work. Menon’s dedication to the role is evident, bringing depth to the character.
The rest of the cast also performs well. Ranvir Shorey is a strong partner to Shekhar, Rasika Dugal brings a cool elegance, Shernaz Patel shines as the supportive landlady, and Kaushik Sen effectively portrays a ruffled and inefficient character.
