Charlie Chopra and The Mystery Of Solang Valley review: Sleuthing on slow track

Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Agatha Christie novel is moody but lacks the thrills of a good mystery tale.

Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley review

Vishal Bhardwaj's Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley is streaming on Sony LIV.

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Writer-director Vishal Bhardwaj, with an impressive resume, has long established himself as a master of literary adaptations on screen. With his first web series, an official adaptation of Agatha Christie novel, The Sittaford Mystery, he gives the classic detective story an Indian setting while being true to the source material, mostly.

Set in present-day Manali, which has cable car service and ski resorts, the six-episode series is the story of a newbie sleuth coming of age. As the series’s titular protagonist, this is also Wamiqa Gabbi’s chance to showcase her potential to headline a show, especially since its ensemble cast has several seasoned actors. Gabbi, who caught the viewers’ attention as Nilofer Qureshi in Jubilee, grabs this opportunity.

Going for a direct approach, the series opens with a séance. Such a setting is often a precursor to an impending disaster or tragedy. When Brigadier Meherbaan Singh Rawat (Grover) is found dead, his nephew Jimmy Nautiyal (Vivaan Shah) becomes the prime suspect. His fiance, Charulata ‘Charlie’ Chopra (Gabbi) steps in to prove his innocence. After arriving at Jimmy’s family home in Solang Valley, Charlie uncovers the strange circumstances of the murder. She finds an ally in Sitaram Bisht (Painyuli), a local reporter in search of sensational news. As she goes sleuthing around, family secrets, old grudges, fugitives, stories of loyalty and pettiness tumble out of the closet.

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Indian viewers are familiar with unofficial screen adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels such as Gumnaam (1965), Dhund (1973), and Shubho Mahurat (2003). With Agatha Christie Limited on board as co-producer, the series stays loyal to the tropes associated with the author’s writing. Those who have watched Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies or the recent release, Neeyat, will find these tropes and twists familiar.

Charlie keeps breaking the fourth wall and delivers her lines while looking directly at the camera, a la Fleabag-style. But it’s not that effective, in spite of the show giving us glimpses of the past trauma that she’s trying to cope with. The script by Bhardwaj, Jyotsna Hariharan, and Anjum Rajabali falls short of building intrigue and adding layers. As a result, the thrill that one experiences when a sleuth ties up the loose ends in a murder mystery is missing. That’s a pity because the Solang Valley, covered with a thick layer of snow, serves as a perfect backdrop for a chilling crime story.

However, the cinematography by Tassaduq Hussain and music by Bhardwaj, with Rekha Bhardwaj rendering some soulful songs, give the show an alluring vibe. The show ends with the acknowledgment that a new detective is amidst us and hinting at the possibility of her returning with a new case. One hopes that the team should be able to fix a few niggling problems in the next season.

Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley
Director: Vishal Bhardwaj
Cast: Wamiqa Gabbi, Priyanshu Painyuli, Naseeruddin Shah, Lara Dutta, Neena Gupta, Ratna Pathak Shah, Gulshan Grover, Paoli Dam, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Imaaduddin Shah, Vivaan Shah

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