Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of Solang Valley is an Indian adaptation of The Sittaford Mystery written by Agatha Christie. Vishal Bharadwaj who is known for his masterful adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragedies, made his directorial debut on the OTT platform. This is also the first time that the ace director is in the driving seat of a longer format storytelling. This six-episode series is now streaming on Sony Liv. It must be noted that although the show has a slow beginning, the drama and an extra layer of mystery at the end make the show gripping.
Vishal Bharadwaj has Indianized the entire plot where instead of Dartmoor, the murder mystery is now based in Solang Valley. The series begins with a séance that informs all the characters about the murder of a retired brigadier, Meherbaan Rawat. Eventually, it turns out that the ex-army man was killed. Everyone who was present at the séance is a suspect. But the police arrest Jimmy Nautiyal, the brigadier’s nephew and a local cottage industry owner for murdering him. That is the cue for Charlie Chopra’s entrance. Agatha Christie’s novels introduce us to various characters and in the case of murders, it has been observed that most of them might have a motive for murder. Bharadwaj being the masterful artisan that he is, adapts the characters most organically into the fabric of an Indian family.
Read: Charlie Chopra and the Mystery of Solang Valley Review
We have reviewed the show earlier, here is just a list of the cast and characters of the web series:
Wamiqa Gabbi as Charlie Chopra
As the name suggests, Charlie Chopra is an out-and-out Punjabi woman who is loud, boisterous, and vivacious. Unlike the stereotypical Punjabi characters, she also possesses an inquisitive mind and the nose of a sleuth. Charlie aka. Charulata is connected to the Rawat family through her fiancé Jimmy Nautiyal (who is accused of murdering his uncle). Charlie is Bharadwaj’s reimagination of Emily Trefusis. Charlie has a past, her loud, confident outer shell hides her childhood trauma. Charlie often breaks the fourth wall and treats the camera as her best friend. The audience feels like they are participating in Charlie’s sleuthing as her assistant. Wamiqa Gabbi does an excellent job as the protagonist. She holds the show together but the Fleabag-like fourth wall breaking at times, makes her look awkward. With Ray’s Charulata-like binocular sunglasses and a half-burned cigar, Charlie spells her address to her co-players in Sherlock style.
Wamiqa Gabbi is lively, bubbly, at times serious, slightly cartoonish, and extremely entertaining as an amateur detective. She was earlier seen in the Amazon Prime Video series Jubilee and also featured in ‘Mumbai Dragon’, an episode directed by Vishal Bharadwaj for Modern Love: Mumbai. She will also be seen in Bharadwaj’s next film Khufiya which will be released on 5th October on Netflix.
Gulshan Grover as Meherbaan Singh Rawat
Meherbaan Singh Rawat is an ex-brigadier who resides alone in the scenic town of Manali. He owns an estate and ski resort in Solang Valley. His tenants extended family and friends depend on him to maintain a lifestyle. As the name suggests all his dependents are living on his ‘Meherbaani’ [kindness]. Meherbaan gets murdered in the opening episode of the show. He was visited by his nephew just hours before his murder. His close proximity to the murder scene makes him on the local police’s suspect list. Meherbaan was unmarried and devoted to his family members. But the arrival of a love interest made him turn his back towards his family and friends. The characterisation might showcase him as a villain but over the course, we empathise with him until we don’t anymore after the last twist.
Gulshan Grover is one of the underrated villains of the ‘90s. He pulls off an excellent performance. Gulshan Grover is best known for his performances in films like Zamane Se Darna Kya, Paap, Jism, Shera, Jajantaram Mamantaram, etc.
Vivan Shah as Jimmy Nautiyal
Jimmy Nautiyal is Meherbaan’s nephew who was arrested by the local police after being suspected of killing his uncle. He is a local cottage industry owner and also Charulata’s fiancé. Jimmy’s innocence drives Charlie to uncover the mystery of Solang Valley.
Vivaan Shah delivers whatever he has been asked to do. Shah has been featured in films like 7 Khoon Maaf, Happy New Year, and Bombay Velvet.
Paoli Dam as Saloni and Chandan Ray Sanyal as Her Husband
Saloni is Jimmy’s sister. She runs a small cafe in the hill town. Her husband was once a successful novelist. But now the publishers had stopped knocking on his doors. On the night of the murder, he was supposedly at a meeting with a publisher. When Charlie comes across the information about the cancellation of the meeting and his incurring debts makes him a suspect. Both the roles are paper thin but the actors deliver what they have been handed.
Paoli Dam is one of the finest actors in contemporary Bengali cinema. She was featured in the Netflix film Bulbul. Chandan Sanyal on the other hand, has featured in numerous films across languages. He has acted in films like Faltu, Kaminey, Jab Harry Met Sejal, etc.
Neena Gupta as Janki
Janki is a psychologist in the small town of Manali. She knows hypnotherapy and uses it to treat her patients. Moreover, she is the sister-in-law of Meherbaan. She has a son named Varun who suffers from kidney failure and is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Janki along with her husband Mohan are dependent on Meherbaan’s kindness for the treatment of their son. Neena Gupta is very reserved and composed, and not for once does her act slip.
Neena Gupta is a veteran Bollywood actor. She has appeared in numerous television shows and films. However, she is well known for her roles in Jane Bhi Do Yaaro, Mandi, Badhai Ho, and television shows like Saans, Saat Phere, and Panchayat.
Ratna Pathak Shah as Miss Barucha
Miss Barucha is probably one of the sketchiest characters on the show. But it is Ratna Pathak Shah and her ability to look for nuance that adds layers to the role. Although Miss Barucha is shown to be restricted to a wheelchair, she has a second fiddle and an assistant who helps her to cover up her fraud. Pathak Shah’s perfect Parsi accent makes her more believable. Apart from Vivaan and her, her husband and the ace actor Naseeruddin Shah and her eldest son Imaad Shah are also seen in this web series. In other words, Charlie Chopra can be easily viewed as a Shah family outing.
Ratna Pathak Shah is best known for her performance in Sarabhai v/s Sarabhai, Kapoor & Sons, Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Naa etc.
Priyanshu Painyuli as Sitaram Bisht
Sitaram Bisht is a small-town television news reporter who is very resourceful when it comes to increasing the TRP of the local station of a news channel. Sitaram also wants to get to the bottom of this mystery and readily becomes Charlie’s assistant. He also develops a tender bond and a romantic intestine for Charlie.
Pryanshu Painyuli has been featured in shows and films like Mirzapur, Upstarts, Rashmi Rocket, etc.
This classic whodunit also features Lara Dutta as one of the tenants of Meherbaan Rawat, just like Miss Barucha. Baharul Islam as Colonel Barua and the victim’s friend provides the template for friendship and loyalty when he races against a snowstorm to preserve her friend’s life. The writing of this web series surrounds these characters and their alibis. The characters and their backstories keep you distracted and delays the final denouement. All in all the way these characters have been fleshed out is what makes the show all the more interesting.
Follow us: