The first time that Pradosh Chandra Mitter aka Feluda, Satyajit Ray’s iconic detective character, meets his nemesis Maganlal Meghraj in the 1979 film Joi Baba Felunath is at the latter’s haveli in Benaras. Feluda walks into a dark room with his two accomplices — cousin Topshe and friend Jatayu — to find the silhouette of a man resting on his side, supported by a pillow. It’s part of Meghraj’s theatrical design to instill fear in the trio, even as he maintains a largely benign demeanour, which only makes the scene more chilling. His diabolical plan unfolds step by step, where he ultimately forces Jatayu into being a knife thrower’s subject, which makes the victim’s, and the viewer’s, heart skip a beat. But Meghraj keeps resting on his side against the pillow almost throughout, like a debauched zamindar watching nautch girls perform before him. He’s the puppeteer. The others, Feluda included, are merely dancing to his tune.

The desi-sourced materials that Roy uses for her sketches