Some mysteries are easy to crack, while others keep you changing your theory till the very last scene. Indian cinema and digital storytelling have given us several such stories over the years. From classic detectives to ordinary people caught in extraordinary situations, here are five mystery stories worth revisiting.
Kahaani (2012)
Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, Kahaani remains one of the most memorable mystery thrillers in Hindi cinema. The film follows Vidya Bagchi, played by Vidya Balan, a pregnant woman who arrives in Kolkata during the festive season looking for her missing husband. What starts as a seemingly simple search quickly gets complicated as Vidya encounters new people, clues and several unanswered questions. The film keeps making you reconsider what you think you know about the case. Vidya Balan’s performance, the Kolkata setting and the tightly woven screenplay all add to the experience. And just when you think you have figured out where the story is heading, Kahaani has another surprise waiting.
Detective Boomrah
Detective Boomrah brings the detective format into the digital storytelling space. Created by storyteller, filmmaker and actor Sudhanshu Rai, the character is part of his larger storytelling universe and combines mystery, suspense and supernatural elements. Unlike the traditional detectives audiences have grown up watching on television or reading about in books, Boomrah has been built for a digital-first audience. Rai has experimented with the character and the format through YouTube, creating stories that can be consumed directly by an online audience. With mystery storytelling continuing to find new audiences on digital platforms, Detective Boomrah represents a newer chapter in the Indian detective genre one that takes a familiar format and experiments with how it can be told today.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015)
Dibakar Banerjee’s Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! brought one of Bengali literature’s most celebrated detectives to the big screen, with Sushant Singh Rajput playing the titular character. Based on the stories by Bengali writer Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay, the film is set in 1940s Calcutta, during the Second World War. Byomkesh, still new to detective work, takes up the case of a missing chemist named Bhuvan. What appears to be a disappearance soon leads him towards something much bigger. The film stands out for its dark visual world, period setting and the way it builds its mystery. Often described as Bollywood’s take on the detective genre in the mould of Sherlock Holmes, the film gave Byomkesh a distinct identity on screen.
Talaash (2012)
Reema Kagti’s Talaash is not your usual murder mystery. Starring Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor Khan, the film follows police officer Surjan Singh Shekhawat as he investigates the mysterious death of popular actor Armaan Kapoor. His investigation takes him into a world of secrets and introduces him to Rosie, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan, whose connection to the case adds another layer to the mystery. At the same time, Surjan is dealing with his own personal struggles. The film slowly puts its pieces together instead of giving away the answers too quickly. Its atmosphere, performances and unexpected turns make Talaash a mystery that rewards you for paying attention.
Drishyam (2015)
Drishyam takes the detective story and turns it around. Instead of following the person trying to solve the crime, the audience watches a family trying to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Ajay Devgn plays Vijay Salgaonkar, an ordinary family man whose life changes after his family becomes connected to a missing-person case involving the son of a senior police officer, played by Tabu. What follows is essentially a battle of wits between Vijay and the police. Adapted from the Malayalam film of the same name, Drishyam works because of its simple premise and the tension it builds around every decision Vijay makes. The film keeps one question hanging over the story: how far can someone go to protect their family?
