Shekhar Home Review: Sherlock Holmes Comes to Kolkata

Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sehkhar Home is an Indian Hindi-language crime drama television series that BBC Studios Productions India produces. The series follows Shekhar Home, an eccentric but brilliant man, and Jayvrat Sahni, his unlikely ally, as they solve various crimes ranging from blackmail & murder to supernatural occurrences across East India. Set in the early 1990s in the tranquil town of Lonpur, Bengal, the series will give us a glimpse of these two men uncovering mysteries and bringing the truth to light in an engaging and exciting manner.

This Kay Kay Menon web series has 6 episodes, each with a runtime of around 40 minutes.

Shekhar Home Review

Any retelling of Sherlock Holmes is always an exciting watch for me because I am an avid fan of Conan Doyle’s quirky detective. Although Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock was a rather delicious watch filled with our favourite stories, Mukherjee and Sippy’s Shekhar Home is a fun and interesting addition to the many pieces of media that have tried to bring the famed detective to our screens. Again filled with some of the most interesting stories featuring Holmes and Watson, this JioCinema series has an Indian twist to it that is both interesting and refreshing.

The three stories that the series majorly deals with here are The Red-Headed League, A Scandal in Bohemia and The Hound of the Baskervilles but of course, there are only hints of the original source material here. Viewers who don’t have much idea about the original story will be able to enjoy the series without prior knowledge but fans will find themselves rather amused with the twists that the Jio Cinema series has in store for us. There’s a fresh take here that is both fun and engaging and keeps you watching one episode after another. The series’s cast is excellent but I must say that there were some moments that truly could’ve been made better.

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For instance, I genuinely despised the Irene Adler storyline. I found Iraboty’s (played by the enchanting Rasika Dugal) character to lack that oomph that Adler brought froth in the series. She was mysterious and not someone who could be tamed in any way. Shekhar Home‘s Iraboty is feisty and with a keen sense of observation herself, sure, but her character somehow doesn’t have any mystery and for some reason becomes uncharacteristically tame. It even feels like at some points Shekhar and Iraboty share romantic feelings for one another which is genuinely odd. In the texts, Adler and Holmes share a chemistry, rivalry and respect for one another that drips with anticipation every time Irene’s name is brought up. That was even portrayed in the British series quite well. However, taming the untamable feels out of place for both of these characters.

Let’s talk about Shekhar’s relationship with the 2024 Hindi-language Watson – Jayvrat Sahni. I think Kay Kay Menon and Ranvir Shorey share great chemistry and their relationship feels like how Sherlock and Watson would be like, but in the Indian context. Sahni’s introduction brings back memories of the novels and you can’t help but follow these two around throughout the series. I liked Sahni’s character, backstory & mannerisms and felt that it was quite on-point. We also have Kaushik Sen as Mrinmoy who is great as this iteration’s Mycroft. I really liked his storyline and the way he embodies his character.

Lastly, Kay Kay Menon was a great Sherlock. Shekhar is a more softened-up version of the Sherlock that we are used to that works really well in the context. I liked Menon’s portrayal of the character and he makes sure to give us that twinkle in the eye whenever he gets to the bottom of a mystery. Plus, Shekhar adds in some jokes here and there and is generally not the insufferable character that we have grown to love till now. The change is nice and feels great to watch.

Coming to the story, Shekhar Home gets some of the stories that it brings to life quite right and leaves you satisfied. I really enjoyed this version of The Red-Headed League, more so because Mir Afsar Ali is delightful in it. The twists work more often than not but I must say that, for a show based in Kolkata and having so many Bengali actors, a lot of the times most of the non-Bengali actors gets a lot of Bengali names and phrases wrong. The number of different iterations of “স্কন্ধকাটা” (headless ghost) that I have heard in this show is nothing short of awkwardly hilarious and disappointing. With a Bengali director at the helm, you expect better.

However, it is the last twist that I loved the most. It totally comes out of left field and is nothing that we could’ve ever expected. Some might find it to be blasphemous but it clicked for me thoroughly. I enjoyed the last revelation, its nod to The Final Problem and the way it is picturised. Personally, they brought these very different elements together really well. That being said, the overarching story involving Kirti Kulhari was kinda silly but thanks to the last twist, it made a refreshing (and daring!) landing for me.

Final Thoughts

Shekhar Home adds something fresh to the famed detective’s tale that, in spite of its flaws, is an entertaining and engaging watch. Is it the best “inspired work” out there of the Sherlock Holmes franchise? Not really. It does stumble with some of its stories & characters and has the habit of going a bit overboard with the theatrics but it’s good enough that you will want to watch the next episode if only to know how the series will end.

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