Mitin Mashi teaser: Does Arindam Sil assume audiences to be strangers to the idea of a woman detective?

The teaser of Arindam Sil’s upcoming detective film Mitin Mashi (2019) stresses on women's empowerment while not giving any hint of the storyline.

Featuring Koel Mallick as the sleuth Mitin, the teaser portrays the character as a heroic figure with extraordinary abilities; however, the visuals focus on projecting a woman’s suitability for any profession.

Mitin Mashi is a popular literary character created by the late novelist Suchitra Bhattacharya. Arindam Sil’s film is the first cinematic venture on the female detective, who is never portrayed in her stories as a larger-than-life character but as a sensible, skilful, intelligent woman who is a dear friend to her nephew and niece, manages the household, and also brings criminals to justice.

However, the teaser seems more like a disclaimer on women's abilities and how they can be on a par with men. It is a rather long lecture delivered in Mallick's voice quoting Swami Vivekananda. In the visuals, she is seen shining in different avatars, even defeating men in physical combat.

The teaser begins with Mitin’s grandfather questioning a woman's ability to be a detective. By the end of the teaser, Mitin has given a proper response to his address.

The teaser seems to suggest that the director believes the Bengali audience will not be prepared to accept a woman as a detective. This is strange, because while there are not many female detective characters, Mitin Mashi has been celebrated by her readers for the last decade.

Mitin Mashi is slated for release during Puja next month. Watch the teaser below.