Agatha Christie, referred to as the “Queen of Mystery,” is the only novelist to have had as long-lasting an effect on the mystery genre. For many years, the entertainment industry has drawn inspiration from her stories. Numerous adaptations of Agatha Christie’s whodunits and crime fiction books have been produced, from the big screen to the stage.While her American and British adaptations are well known, her generally unacknowledged Indian adaptations have received far less notice. Here are a list of Indian film inspired and based on her works.
Chupi Chupi Aashey (1960)
The 1960 Bengali murder mystery Chupi Chupi Aashey is one early example that comes to mind. It was inspired by Christie’s stage play The Mousetrap. In this dramatisation, a hotel murder sets the setting for a suspenseful investigation as guests with fake identities become stuck because of unexpected flooding.
Gumnaam (1965)
In 1965, Gumnaam became the first Hindi movie to do the same, but without citing Christie’s And Then There Were None as the inspiration. In order to appeal to Indian audiences, the adaptation reduced the number of guests from ten to seven and included song and dance sequences, starring renowned actors as Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen, and Mehmood.
Nadu Iravil (1970)
With her version of And Then There Were None, Nadu Iravil carried on this pattern by choosing a large home as the location. For those who are familiar with Christie’s original narrative, the movie fell short of expectations.
Dhund (1973)
The Unexpected Guest by Christopher Christie served as the basis for the notable Indian adaption Dhund, which was directed by BR Chopra. The film, which included a stellar ensemble that featured Sanjay Khan, Zeenat Aman, Danny Denzongpa, and others, was about a guy who discovers his dead husband and the lady who claims she murdered him in self-defense, making for an exciting and suspenseful story.
Shubho Mahurat (2003)
Christie was first introduced to Indian audiences through the Shubho Mahurat adaptation of The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side by acclaimed Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh. With Sharmila Tagore, Nandita Das, and Rakhi as the main characters, this adaptation effectively caught the spirit of the original work in a carefully constructed movie.
Aduthathu (2011) and Aatagaram (2015)
And Then There Were None was adapted into the Tamil and Kannada cinema industries, respectively, as Aduthathu and Aatagaram. These films demonstrated how popular Christie’s stories still are; Aatagaram even sparked discussions about purported plot resemblances.
Grandmaster (2012)
The Malayalam movie 012, which was a rough version of Christie’s The A.B.C. Murders, had Mohanlal as the lead.The movie kept the alphabetical order of the murders, but it moved its attention to Mohanlal’s star power, at times neglecting the mystery-solving element.
Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley (2023)
The most recent Christie adaptation to be presented to Indian audiences is Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley, which is actually a book. On SonyLIV, there is a mystery-thriller TV show in the Hindi language. The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie was adapted for the Indian setting in the series under the direction of Vishal Bhardwaj. The pilot episode of the programme, which stars a superb ensemble cast that includes Wamiqa Gabbi, Priyanshu Painyuli, Naseeruddin Shah, and others, debuted in June. Subsequent episodes will begin airing on September 27.
