Fans of Agatha Christie’s work are in for a treat with Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of The Sittaford Mystery into a web series, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley. This pilot episode set in Himachal Pradesh has already been released on Sony LIV, where viewers are invited to help the protagonist solve the mystery by finding clues. Bhardwaj, who has previously adapted William Shakespeare’s tragedies, shared that he grew up reading Christie’s works and that her plots remain unparalleled.
The series features an impressive cast, and is written and directed by Bhardwaj, Anjum Rajabali, and Jyotsna Hariharan. Rajabali, who is known for his work on Drohkaal, Ghulam, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Raajneeti, was pleased to add an Agatha Christie adaptation to his resume. He was also intrigued by the moral ambiguity of the characters and the multiple suspects.
And Then There Were None (1939) is the most adapted work of Christie, and has seen two film adaptations in English, a Bollywood version, and various regional films. Murder On The Orient Express (2017) is based on her 1934 novel, and Dhund (1973) was inspired by Christie’s 1958 play The Unexpected Guest. Chupi Chupi Aashey (1960), Shubho Mahurat (2003
