Mumbai: Here is a diverse selection of stories that will engross you and keep you guessing till the end
One of the toughest genres to nail in theatre and in cinema is the quintessential murder mystery. This June, we bring you a curated selection of taut, suspenseful, perfectly crafted stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. These thrillers from the big and small screen are perfect for an extended binge watching session.
Wrong Turn
Zee Theatre’s ‘Wrong Turn’ is inspired by a German story, ‘Breakdown’ and has been penned by Ranjit Kapoor. The story is set in a mysterious, isolated house on a rainy evening where a stranded stranger takes shelter and gets entrapped in a deadly game. Arun (Varun Badola) finds himself fighting a battle of wits with a retired judge and his friends as a mock trial ensues. What was initiated as a game turns into a life and death situation when Arun is accused of a crime he cannot defend himself against. He tries to flee but can he escape natural justice? Filmed by Ishan Trivedi, the teleplay also stars Govind Namdev, Lalit Tiwari, Suneel Sinha, Liliput Faruqui, Varun Badola, Suzzane Mukherjee, Anangsha Biswas, Shalini Sharma and Niraj Sah. You can watch it on ZEE5.
Kasganj
A misty, hill town, the death of a young girl, a murderer on the loose, tangled relationships and an alcoholic police officer fighting his own demons. These narrative threads and a lot of intrigue and buried secrets are at the core of ZEE5’s ‘Kasganj.’ Written by Shashi Bhushan, Anurag Goswami and Matt Greene, the compelling procedural follows a potentially deadly investigation in a resort where everyone is a possible suspect. Directed by Anurag Goswami, the film stars Vaquar Shaikh, Kundan Kumar, Vivek Madaan, Jeetendra Shastri, Sargun Luthra, Hetal Gada and Shashi Bhushan.
Talvar
Meghna Gulzar’s ‘Talvar’ explored the tangled web of unanswered questions around the 2008 Noida double murder case though it fictionalised a few elements. A morning like any other in a middle-class home turns into a shocking tragedy when a househelp’s body is found on the terrace and the young daughter of a doting couple is found murdered in her bed. The film goes on to show how the grief-stricken parents turn into the prime suspects of the murders and how conjectures and colliding perspectives further complicate the case. Starring Irrfan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Tabu, Neeraj Kabi and Gajraj Rao, the film can be seen on Disney+Hotstar.
Murder Mubarak
This mind-bending mystery by Homi Adajania unfolds in an elite club frequented by a bunch of privileged, rich people. When a string of murders disturbs their respective bubbles, everyone turns into an amateur sleuth trying to find skeletons in each other’s closets. Then a quirky police officer arrives to disrupt their calculations. Secrets tumble out and finally the real killer is found. The film stars Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma, Pankaj Tripathi, Karishma Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Dimple Kapadia and Sanjay Kapoor. Watch it on Netflix.
Badla
This remake of the superhit Spanish film ‘The Invisible Guest’ regales audiences with a guessing game that does not end till the last scene. The story begins when a tragic murder begins to unravel and ends up implicating Naina Sethi, a successful business woman in the case. Well-connected and powerful, Naina is also an ideal citizen as well as a devoted wife and mother. How a series of random events and the arrival of a famous defence attorney Badal Gupta, change the entire tenor of the case, is worth watching. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Tony Luke and Amrita Singh. It is streaming on Netflix.
