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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|1971 mystery novel and 1974 film by Satyajit Ray}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2015}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2015}}<br />
{{Infobox book <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books --><br />
| name = Sonar Kella (The Golden Fortress)<br />
| image = Sonar Kella book front cover.jpg<br />
| caption = First edition<br />
| author = [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| country = [[India]]<br />
| language = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]<br />
| cover_artist = [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| genre = [[Detective fiction]]<br />
| publisher = [[Ananda Publishers]]<br />
| release_date = 1971<br />
| media_type = Print<br />
| pages = <br />
| isbn = <br />
| preceded_by = [[Gangtokey Gondogol]]<br />
| followed_by = [[Baksho Rahashya (novel)|Baksho Rahashya]]<br />
}}<br />
<br />
'''''Sonar Kella''''' ({{lang-bn|সোনার কেল্লা}}), also '''''Shonar Kella''''' is a 1971 mystery novel<ref name="Roy2008">{{cite book|author=Pinaki Roy|title=The Manichean Investigators: A Postcolonial and Cultural Rereading of the Sherlock Holmes and Byomkesh Bakshi Stories|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cF3WegP2WzAC&pg=PA111|access-date=19 October 2012|date=1 January 2008|publisher=Sarup & Sons|isbn=978-81-7625-849-4|pages=111–}}</ref> by [[Bengali literature|Bengali writer]] and filmmaker [[Satyajit Ray]].<ref name="Robinson1992">{{cite book|author=Andrew Robinson|title=Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TnkcLvYRNfMC&pg=PA359|access-date=19 October 2012|date=17 March 1992|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-06946-6|pages=359–}}</ref> In 1974, Ray directed a film adaption of the book, also named ''Sonar Kella'', starring [[Soumitra Chatterjee]], [[Santosh Dutta]], [[Siddartha Chatterjee]] and [[Kushal Chakraborty]].<ref name="Robinson1992" /> The movie was released in the [[United States]] as '''''The Golden Fortress'''''. It is the first film adaptation of Ray's famous sleuth [[Feluda]] and was followed by [[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]].<br />
{{Infobox film<br />
| name = Sonar Kella<br />
| image = Dvd sonar kella ray.jpg<br />
| caption = DVD cover art<br />
| director = [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| producer = Government of West Bengal<br />
| writer = [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| starring = [[Soumitra Chatterjee]],<br>[[Santosh Dutta]],<br>[[Siddartha Chatterjee]],<br>[[Kushal Chakraborty]]<br />
| music = Feluda Theme by [[Satyajit Ray]]<br />
| distributor =<br />
| released = 27 December 1974<br />
| runtime =<br />
| country = [[India]]<br />
| language = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]<br />
| budget = Rs 7 lakhs<br />
| gross = Rs 13 lakhs<br />
}}<br />
<br />
==Plot==<br />
{{Long plot|date=April 2014}}<br />
<br />
The film begins with a school-boy Mukul Dhar (played by [[Kushal Chakraborty]]), who is said to be able to remember events of his previous life, and soon receives media attention. Dr. Hemanga Hajra ([[Sailen Mukherjee]]), a [[parapsychologist]], offers his help, believing it might help him in his own research. Mukul always remains sombre and paints peacocks, forts and scenes of battle at midnight; he mentions that he lived in the Golden Fortress [Sonar Kella] and that their house had many gems. Dr. Hajra decides to take Mukul on a trip to [[Rajasthan]], famous for forts, historical importance and desert landscape. Two seasoned fraudsters, Amiyanath Burman and Mandar Bose, plan to kidnap Mukul to capture the treasure. Their first attempt at the kidnapping fails when they pick up another boy, also named Mukul (Santanu Bagchi), from the same neighborhood. Alarmed by this, Mukul's father engages [[Feluda]] ([[Soumitra Chatterjee]]), a private investigator, to protect his son. [[Feluda]] leaves for Rajasthan along with [[Topshe]] or Tapesh ([[Siddartha Chatterjee]]), following Dr Hajra. On their way, they meet Lalmohan Ganguly, a.k.a. [[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]] ([[Santosh Dutta]]), a popular thriller-writer.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Burman and Bose kidnap Mukul and push off Dr. Hajra off a cliff at the [[Nahargarh Fort]] in Jaipur. Burman impersonates as Dr. Hajra and Mandar Bose as a globe-trotter. Dr. Hajra survives the fall and begins to pursue them. Feluda arrives in [[Jodhpur]] Circuit House and meets Burman, thinking him to be Dr. Hajra. Feluda begins to suspect Mandar Bose based on his clothes and his accent. Feluda even suspects "Dr. Hajra's" conduct as he appears lackadaisical in his research. Mukul keeps saying he is followed by a "bad man". Burman hypnotizes Mukul, who says that the Golden Fortress is in Jaisalmer. Dr. Hajra reaches the same conclusion by learning about the history of the Fort of Jaisalmer from a police inspector. Feluda learns that the [[Jaisalmer]] fort is made of yellow limestone, giving it a golden glow. Mandar Bose tells Feluda that Burman has already left with Mukul for [[Barmer, Rajasthan|Barmer]]. Feluda suspects foul play but cannot be sure. By chance, his eye falls upon the card of Dr Hajra; an idea flashes in his mind and he rushes to check the register of the circuit house and finds that it is signed as 'Hazra' not 'Hajra'. He is now sure about the man masquerading as Dr Hajra, and leaves for [[Jaisalmer]] by car. Mandar Bose strands Feluda, Topshe, and Jatayu on the highway. Feluda takes a camel caravan to the nearest train station, from which he takes the next train to [[Jaisalmer]]. At night, In the train, Mandar Bose tries to stab Feluda, who anticipated the attack and almost nabbed him; eventually, Mandar Bose falls out of the train. The three reach [[Jaisalmer]] along with Dr. Hajra. They rush to the fort, where they find Burman and Mukul searching for the treasure. Feluda confronts and captures Burman, telling him that there never was any treasure. They find that Mukul is cured, and return to Kolkata.<br />
<br />
==Characters==<br />
* [[Feluda|Prodosh Chandra Mitter aka. Feluda]]<br />
* [[Topshe|Tapesh Ranjan Mitter aka. Topshe]]<br />
* [[Lalmohan Ganguly|Lalmohan Ganguly aka. Jatayu]]<br />
* Sidhu Jyatha<br />
* Mukul Dhar <br />
* Mandar Bose<br />
* Amiyanath Burman<br />
* Dr. Hemanga Hajra<br />
* Dibbhojuthi Paul<br />
* Binay Mitra<br />
<br />
==Cast in the film==<br />
<br />
* [[Soumitra Chatterjee]] as [[Feluda]]<br />
* [[Siddartha Chatterjee]] as [[Topshe]]<br />
* [[Santosh Dutta]] as [[Jatayu (Lal Mohan Ganguly)|Jatayu]]<br />
* [[Kushal Chakraborty]] as Mukul Dhar<br />
* Shailen Mukherjee as Dr. Hemanga Hajra<br />
* Ajoy Banerjee as Amiyanath Burman/Bhavananda/fake Dr Hemanga Hazra.<br />
* [[Kamu Mukherjee]] as Mandar Bose<br />
* [[Harindranath Chattopadhyay]] as Sidhu Jyatha<br />
* Bishnupada Rudrapaul as Dibbhojuthi Paul<br />
* [[Haradhan Banerjee]] as Binay Mitra<br />
* Santanu Bagchi as another boy named Mukul<br />
* Bimal Chatterjee as the grandfather of the another boy named Mukul<br />
* Ashok Mukherjee as the Journalist<ref>{{Citation|title=The Golden Fortress (1974) - IMDb|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072190/fullcredits|language=en|access-date=2019-09-23}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Crew==<br />
<br />
* [[Satyajit Ray]] - Director, Screenplay, Music Score (composer)<br />
* [[Soumendu Roy]] - Cinematography<br />
* [[Dulal Dutta]] - Editor<br />
* Mangesh Deshai - Sound Mixing Engineer (Re recording)<br />
* J.D Irani - Dubbing Sound Recordist<br />
* Anil Talukdar - Guide Track Sound recordist<br />
* Ashoke Bose - Production Designer<br />
* Debayan Roy - Production Basic<br />
<br />
==Awards==<br />
<br />
[[National Film Awards]] for [[National Film Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] & [[National Film Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]([[22nd National Film Awards|1974]])<br />
<br />
Best Film, Direction and Screenplay, Government of West Bengal, 1974<br />
<br />
Best Feature Film for Children and Young Adults, Tehran, 1975<br />
<br />
[[National Film Award for Best Cinematography]] ([[22nd National Film Awards|1974]])<br />
<br />
[[National Film Award for Best Child Artist]] ([[22nd National Film Awards|1974]])<br />
<br />
[[National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bengali]] ([[22nd National Film Awards|1974]])<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Joi Baba Felunath (film)|Joi Baba Felunath]] (1979)<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* {{IMDb title|0072190}}<br />
* [https://satyajitray.org/sonar-kella-the-fortress/ Sonar Kella (SatyajitRay.org)]<br />
<br />
{{Feluda}}<br />
{{Satyajit Ray}}<br />
{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Bengali}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Films directed by Satyajit Ray]]<br />
[[Category:Bengali-language films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian films]]<br />
[[Category:Indian detective films]]<br />
[[Category:1974 films]]<br />
[[Category:1971 novels]]<br />
[[Category:Feluda (series)]]<br />
[[Category:Novels by Satyajit Ray]]<br />
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into films]]<br />
[[Category:Films based on Indian novels]]<br />
[[Category:Novels set in India]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in India]]<br />
[[Category:Films set in Rajasthan]]<br />
[[Category:Indian children's films]]<br />
[[Category:Rajasthani culture]]<br />
[[Category:Films whose director won the Best Director National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:Films shot in Rajasthan]]<br />
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Satyajit Ray]]<br />
[[Category:Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay National Film Award]]<br />
[[Category:Best Bengali Feature Film National Film Award winners]]<br />
[[Category:1970s Bengali-language films]]</div>imported>BD2412