A Botched Christie. Review on Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley

Ace Director, Vishal Bhardwaj is known for making movies based on Classics. This time he chose to make a web series, streaming on Sony Liv, inspired by Agatha Christie's The Sittaford Mystery(UK Edition) or The Murder At Hazelmoor(US Edition).

The story goes like this:

Sittaford is a tiny village on the outskirts of Dartmoor. Mrs Willett and her daughter Violet are the new tenants of Sittaford House, which is owned by a retired Naval Captain Trevelyan. Mrs. Willett holds a seance one snowy Friday afternoon which is attended by four invitees amongst them is Captain Trevelyan's long-standing friend, Major Burnaby. During the séance, a spirit announces that Captain Trevelyan has just been murdered. Concerned for the Captain's safety in Exhampton, Major Burnaby undertakes a six miles journey on foot in heavy snowfall. There is no telephone in Sittaford and cars cannot manoeuvre in thick layer of snow.

Two and a half hours later, in the middle of a blizzard, Major Burnaby reaches Hazelmoor, the house in Exhampton where Captain Trevelyan now lives and finds him dead. Emily Trefusis, engaged to Trevelyan's nephew, takes it upon herself to find the actual culprit behind the mysterious death of Captain Trevalyan along with the police.

In the web series:

When Charulata or Charlie Chopra's(Wamiqa Gabbi) quiet, timid fiancé, Jimmy Nautiyal(Vivaan Shah), is arrested as the prime suspect in the murder of his uncle, Brigadier Meherbaab Singh Rawat(Gulshan Grover), Charlie comes to his aid to nab the murderer. Upon arriving at Jimmy's family home in Solang Valley, Charlie figures out that every member of the family has a skeleton hidden in his/her cupboard and motive for murder. Amidst uttering a string of expletives, which appears to be quite unnecessary and does not add to the worth of the character, Charlie finally gets to the killer.

Negatives:

There are too many characters in the adaptation including the whole(Naseeruddin) Shah family;

The plot is made too complicated by insertion of sub plots and sub narratives which adds to the viewers' sheer confusion and dismay;

Charlie's past is just an unnecessary add on in terms of sub plot and extra character of her mother(Richa Chaddha);

The police is made to look like idiots in comparison to Charlie who is too smart and slang savvy;

However, how she'logically' unknots the intricacies surrounding the murder is a big question by itself;

And by the way what is Naseeruddin Shah doing in a red satin robe calling out to Lady Rose(the Spirit) is beyond normal comprehension?

In fact, so knotty the screenplay is that I lost interest and track of the plethora of sub narratives and secondary characters midway.

Vishal Bhardwaj being Vishal Bhardwaj, the series is star studded in important and meaningful as well as unimportant and meaningless roles.

Sadly, the beauty of the valley is nowhere captured in the lens of the cinematographer.

The series is closely followed by another espionage movie by VB on another OTT platform which is as much a disappointment as this one is. I am sorry for my expectations from a VB series/movie is sky high. Is it my mistake as a viewer?

In the final analysis, Charlie Chopra as a web series is merely a time pass.

You can watch it with a pinch of salt.