Cambala Investigation Agency

Cambala Investigation Agency (or CIA for short, Cambala Files in Pakistan and Bangladesh) is a television series broadcast on Indian television station Pogo TV. The C.I.A. consists of five children who live in a fictitious town called Cambala and solve numerous crimes. Each of the five kids also has his or her own special talent. They generally solve cases before the town's police inspector, D. L. K.

Show format

The first season had half-hour episodes, with each mystery spanning three episodes. While some of the cases involved had them tracking the suspect whose identity was kept secret, they had often been attacked outright by criminals in some others. Their base of operations was a warehouse in Cambala, which was largely kept a secret, though clients once found their way to the headquarters. Bicycles are featured prominently in this show, and are the youngsters' primary means of transport, a cycle. Some episodes were linked by a mysterious symbol, noticed by the CIA only in one episode. In the second season, the format of the show changed with each mystery getting a single, forty-minute episode.

Characters

Ishaan Mehra (Aditya Kapadia) is the main protagonist of the show and gadget guru of the gang, with a scientist father, from whom he can get any chemicals or gizmos. He uses cool logic and tries to think like criminals to crack cases, recreating the events in the sequence in which they must have happened. He carries lots of gizmos in his backpack which get the team out of trouble. He normally wears sports shirts and treats his sister, Nikki, like a baby. Among the various gizmos he has obtained from his father are tracking devices, powder acid and other different and useful chemicals. In certain cases, he tries to stealthily infiltrate the criminal hideout or base of operations. He is also the first member and founder of CIA. He leads the team.

Sucheta Duggar (Freishia Bomanbehram) is the female protagonist of the show, a brainy, no-nonsense computer geek with lots of attitude. She is the research and analyst of the gang and can find anything with a few clicks on her trusty computer. A big crossword puzzle fanatic, she likes to solve mysteries in a research-based manner. She has a love feeling towards Ishaan and always tries to make him be a little less hard on his sister, Nikki. She is called 'Suchee' by most, and uses the word 'Guys' a lot.

Nikki Mehra (Sheena bajaj (Season 1), Jasmine Alaap Singh (Season 2)), 12, is the 'baby' of the gang. She is handled firmly by her elder brother, Ishaan, who tries to leave her out of adventures; however, she always tags along behind the others, despite being forbidden, and is often a help to others when they're trapped. Often shown as a karate student, she may have some knowledge of martial arts, and is also very good at drawing and sketching- her drawing skills have helped the CIA on some cases. Her childlike ideas often help crack cases when other members get stuck. She is brilliant at distracting the comical policeman, D.L.K., so the others can slip past, unnoticed, to investigate, but is not particularly good at keeping secrets- often calling the police inspector by his nickname.

Rohit Ghosh (Aditya Singh Rajput) often called Addy, is the MOD (Master Of Disguise) of the gang, and quite different from all others. Rohit is stylish, cool, sport loving and the greatest sportsman at school. Strong, plucky and quick, he is always ready to take on any goon the team encounters. He usually does most of the out-on-the-field jobs and comparatively less brainwork, but he can do great brainwork when needed. Normally dressed in sweatshirts and trendy clothes, he is also a fan of the prominent Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan. He is also the fastest on a bicycle and constantly tries to break his own records. He is constantly teased by the others and has great acting skills. Rohit is always quarrelling with Farhan and its pretty funny, normally. He had a love interest towards vini.

Farhan Siddiqui (Amin Gazi), 17, is the silent type and also a bookworm (not surprisingly, his corner in the C.I.A. HQ is full of books). A bespectacled "walking-talking encyclopedia", he knows every chaiwala, paanwala, rickshaw-wala, kitaab-wala, and basically every 'wala' (vendor, dealer, shopkeeper) of Cambala and can get just about any information out of them. He also knows the history, geography and topography of the city (and almost all other cities) inside out. While he is often captured a lot easier than the rest, he is adept at making excuses to get out of a tight situation.

Recurring characters

Dum Lagake' Kulkarni' (known officially as D. L. Kulkarni and as D.L.K./Dum Lagake by the gang-Farhan gave him the name Dum Lagake) calls himself Kulkarni and is not a part of the gang. He is the comical policeman of Cambala who dislikes all C.I.A. members except Nikki. He is always hoping for a promotion and tries to solve mysteries before C.I.A. and occasionally tries to keep them out of some cases, but invariably fails. He has a habit of quoting several legal clauses to put his point across. He has occasionally tried to steal credit from the CIA, only to be debunked.

Srinivas Nair, Editor of The Cambala Times, should also be mentioned, though he is not present in most mysteries. He is a funny, forgetful man and a friend of the CIA, who always insists on being called Shrini (just Shrini, no MR. or Sir). He is always writing articles on them, though is very useful to the CIA, for he is related directly or indirectly to most people in the world and can help CIA with their spying by making just one phone call. Portrayed by different actors in both seasons, his characterisation has changed- he was loud, emphatic and slightly comical in the first season, but became more serious and less emphatic with the change of actor.

Mayur Desai, the owner of Perfect Shoe Shop. He has limited knowledge of his customers, and knows those who buy shoes that don't sell well. He expects every visitor to buy shoes, and is often disdainful towards those who don't come for that. Not surprisingly, he refuses to assist the CIA outright, but is often fooled by Rohit's disguises as well as other plans used on him.

Retired Colonel Nathurdas Dhingra, a builder who settles late in Cambala. He was a Colonel in the Indian Army and may have fought several battles, as he claims. He eventually became a real estate developer after he retired, and had proposed expansive property development in Cambala. He tries to intimidate and scare his adversaries, but is often scared at the hint of something supernatural. He has a strong dislike for the CIA, whom he finds very intrusive.

Zakir Liaqat Khan (known as Zor Laga Ke by the gang), a temporary replacement for Inspector D.L. Kulkarni. He often keeps mentioning his own name with pride, and proudly flaunts his responsibility of taking charge of the local police station. He is characterised by over-the-top mannerisms, stutters and extreme fright at even the slightest of threats, and is often difficult to take seriously.

Enemies

Mogavir, one of the key enemies of the CIA. He appears thrice in the series, first as an escaped prisoner, then as a hired thug for a corrupt official, and again as an escaped prisoner. He is an underworld don or kingpin in Cambala, feared by many, and has conducted operations even in captivity. He has escaped twice, and been captured on both occasions. He can be identified by tattoos, notably on the back of his shaved head. While he is often portrayed as a feared gang leader, he is also a very intelligent criminal, a skilled woodworker, adept at solving crosswords and also reasonably fluent in English.

Dawar- a hitman who works for the Scorpio syndicate, although he may also have assisted Sharon in breaking Mogabir out of prison. He uses an air rifle, and bears a tattoo of Scorpio, which he uses to his advantage on other criminals.

Bawa and Pandey- These are two jewel thieves who stole the Noor-e-Jahan diamond from Mumbai, and hid it inside the sole of a black Regalo shoe. Bawa is (relatively) the brain of the outfit, while Pandey, less intelligent, is often sent out to do the more physical tasks. Both were captured, but are rumoured to have escaped.

Shamsher, an employee of an unknown crime boss, possibly the Scorpio syndicate. He tried to steal a secret chemical formula from scientists at Cambala Research Centre, often by force.

Koiba, a sandalwood smuggler in the jungles near Cambala. He speaks a regional dialect, and runs a gang, all of whom wear khaki uniforms and carry weapons, ranging from firearms to knives. He leaves his mark in the jungle with a cut of an axe.

Vickina (assumed spelling), a young female bike-riding robber, who tried to rob (and possibly 'sabotage) the Lakdawala Art House to enter the nearby Cambala Bank. She is shown as a romantic, and dreams of a farmhouse in a pristine natural location. Captured once, she escapes, and it is not known if she was captured again. Apparently a part of the Scorpio syndicate, she was captured when shot by an unseen hitman.

Gurung- a hitman and counterfeiter, who operated in a hidden chamber in an abandoned manor in Cambala. He has an assistant in his operations, and uses a printing press to print counterfeit currency notes. He too claims to work for the Scorpio syndicate, but has no knowledge of the organisation or its leader.

Scorpio Syndicate, an alias for an unnamed, unseen and largely unknown organisation. While little is known about this organisation, its leader (called by most criminals as 'boss'), or its intentions, it operates in the background in most CIA cases. It is identified by its insignia, a stylised Scorpion with a globe between its claws. Most of the criminals apprehended by the CIA claim to have a boss, and the symbol is often seen with them.

Broadcasting Details

•  Pakistan Cartoon Network (original new episode)
•  India Cartoon Network (a few episodes only at night time)
•  India Pogo TV (Original Channel)

Cast (Main Characters)

Ishaan Mehra as Aditya Kapadia

Sucheta Duggar as Freishia Bomanbehram

rohit as Aditya Rajput Singh

Farhan Siddiqui: Amin Gazi

Nikki Mehra: Sheena Bajaj (Season 1), Jasmine Alaap Singh (Season 2)

Cast