Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley

A great 6 episodes suspense thriller having great stat cast, well made episodes and a new detective character Charlie Chopra ,a bubbly & master spy . Off course good old Hercule Poirot is missed.

Sets, story telling, direction and acting are top class with old time suspense thriller having story of a fascinating hill station.

Feels like suspense of a english classic spy thriller in the class of Christie & Sherlock. A fascinating presentation by the director & producers. Indian audience want more of such adaptation . May be some of the actors are not utilised fully like thespian Naseer. But overall all the actors chipin with mature performance. Charlie rocks.

Low rating of this show is mainly because many reviews were written only after watching first episode as the pilot was released first and the whole show later.

As for the show, it is very well made by Vishal Bharadwaj in his trademark style. Highlight of the show is the female lead Wamiqa Gabbi who despite of a star studded cast, shines in the series especially the Fleabagish fourth wall breaking.

The show is a bit sluggish in the middle but the reveal is very good. The music is soothing and Rekha Bharadwaj songs are a treat for ears. The show is the adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. Go for it.

Well I criticized the first episode and wrote...

Hopefully the upcoming episodes have something good to offer. This review is based on the pilot episode.

Since I am a fan of Agatha Christie's work, I could be over critical.

But now after watching the complete season 1, I must say it's a good watch. Acting is good but some scenes are very fast paced, but that I think is because of the six episode limit of the season. The only thing I wanted a clear answer of was how did the killer was identified, that was not hinted properly. Otherwise a good one time watch. Priyanshu is a good actor, hopeful to see him in the upcoming seasons too.

A good story let down by weak screenplay and direction (expected much more from Vishal Bhardwaj). Dont know why in order to turn series classy, makers had to add so much melodrama and poetry. It was a common man story and should have been told like one. In order to make it something great director robbed it of simplicity which the story begged and deserved.

Ever wondered why old DD series Byomkesh Bakshi worked so well and subsequent moder adaption on TV/films bombed? Its because of simplicity. In the guise of 'Art' unnecessarily making story slow and complex will not work ever. Period.

Detective stories works when they are fast paced and not when actors are staring at sky for hours unnecessarily.

Web Series Review: Charlie Chopra & the Mystery of Solang Valley streaming on Sony Liv

A true underated gem from the master of adaptations , Vishal Bharadwaj!! An official adaptation of Agatha Christie's " The Sittaford Mystery", this Web Series is about the birth of an unlikely detective - The chirpy and quirky Punjaban, Charlie Chopra ( Wamiqa Gabbi).

When her quiet and timid fiance ( Vivan Shah) is implicated in the murder of his uncle, Brigadier Meherban Singh Rawat ( Gulshan Grover) during a family reunion at his home in Solang Valley, Charlie has to put all her wits to test in order to get the love of her life acquitted before he is sentenced to death!! With the police not cooperating, the list of suspects too long & the body count rising, Charlie finds herself pitted against a cunning murderer where no one including herself is safe !!

Casting is Mashallah!! Amazing ensemble cast chaar Chand laga dete Hain iss webseries ko !! Veteran actors like Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah ,Imaaduddin Shah & Heeba Shah (Oh teri😱...Poore Shah family ko hi sign kar liya 🙂) , Neena Gupta, Paoli Dam and Chandan Roy Sanyal among others really light up the screen like never before !!

The direction has a distinct Vishal Bharadwaj stamp on it .... Very unconventional, seems a bit slow and laidback at times too. But make no mistake dear friends, this one is not to be trifled with as it bounces back just when needed to provide the right kind of dhamaka at the climax !! Cinematography too is brilliant and the snow clad locales in Himachal Pradesh look very beautiful and alluring indeed!! Vocals by Rekha Bharadwaj and Sunidhi Chauhan also add color to the narrative and the opening credits!!

Highly recommended & bingewatch- worthy. 6 episodes with an avg runtime of around 35 mins, this one can be watched in a day!!

Would love more seasons of Charlie Chopra from the ace director!!

Dekh daalo jaldi .. it is a clean old fashioned murder mystery and can be watched by young and old alike!!

Going with 4/5 for this brilliant adaptation.. Adios 🙂!!

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