Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley (2023) is a riveting mystery drama. It is about an Indian female detective who solves a strange murder case that happened in a remote house in a hill station.
Notably, this Hindi-language murder mystery is set in the Solang Valley of Manali, Himachal Pradesh. Hence, the series title is named as such. It is a famous tourist spot, situated at an altitude of 8,500 feet above sea level. And, we have been there and even stayed at the guest house in the Solang Valley decades ago, when it was still a quiet and secluded place.
Series Review [Spoiler-Free]: Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley (2023)
In FOCUS: Can Young Charlie Chopra Solve A Complex Murder Case?
The Synopsis
When her fiancé gets implicated in a murder, Charulata ‘Charlie’ Chopra (Wamiqa Gabbi) arrives at his family home in pursuit of the truth. But as secrets tumble out that the murderer would rather have hidden, the next person to lose their life might be Charlie herself. So, a rich man died, a town full of suspects, narratives filled with lies and an innocent convict. How will Charlie navigate through the mystery when every face hides a secret?
Agatha Christie
The story of this whodunit series, ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley‘, is based on the novel The Sittaford Mystery, written by bestselling fiction author Agatha Christie. Nevertheless, its Western (Dartmoor, England) story has been smartly adapted to the Indian milieu and palate. It is a good adaptation by the writing duo of Vishal Bhardwaj and Anjum Rajabali.
Miss Charlie in this show takes over the character of Miss Emily Trefusis of The Sittaford Mystery book.
“The tone of ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley’ is very quirky. In this story, I have used breaking of the fourth wall as a tool to tell the story, it creates a very immersive experience for the audience as they’re invested with the characters and the story arc.”
Vishal Bhardwaj, writer & director | IANS
Series Poster
Wamiqa Gabbi
While further explaining the development of the character of Charlie, the funny and foul-mouthed female detective from Patiala (Punjab), this is what the filmmaker has shared. In the not-so-distant past, we had talked about the use of the fourth wall approach in the Annika Show, too. In this show, the protagonist, Charlie, played by the lead actor Wamiqa Gabbi, adopts an interactive way to get their viewers hooked into her disarming ways of describing different characters and incidents in a typical Punjabi style.
On the other hand, we liked her honest and charming take on this show, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley. And this is how she prepared for her Punjabi character from Patiala city.
Besides the writer’s characterisation of Charlie, almost all the major characters in this series have good depth. We get to meet the different shades of each character in it.
My father’s assistance in perfecting the Punjabi dialect and dialogues was instrumental in helping me bring authenticity to my character. As a Punjabi myself, I was excited to take on this role, and with his support, I felt even more connected to Charlie’s world.
Wamiqa Gabbi, actress | IANS
Talented bunch of actors
New and upcoming talented actor Wamiqa Gabbi (Charlie Chopra) has shone brightly in the Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley series. Moreover, the ensemble cast of this show boasts of some of the wonderful acting talents – Neena Gupta (Dr Janaki Rawat), Priyanshu Painyuli (Sitaram Bisht), Lara Dutta (Wilayat Hussain), Lalit Parimoo (Prof. Mohan Rawat), Baharul Islam (Col. Anand Barua), Ratna Pathak Shah (Ms Bharucha), Gulshan Grover (Brig. Meharbaan S. Rawat), Naseeruddin Shah (Mr Roy), etc. They have done a good job of keeping the mystery and suspense going in this show.
Series Rating
| FM’s rating | 3.45/5 |
| FM’s short comment | We liked this Indian adaptation of Agatha Christie’s novel. The talented actors in the star cast of this murder mystery collection make it almost a perfect watch on any weekend/holiday. |
The Conclusion
In addition to the good writing adaptation and great acting by its talented star cast, the direction and the cinematography are also of high quality.
In conclusion, we reiterate that ‘Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley’ is a good murder mystery, and we enjoyed it. Now, we look forward to its second season, and hopefully, Charlie will fight her demons and solve the painful mystery in her life. On the other hand, that may never happen, as its makers have not made any announcement in this regard.
Key Details
| Genre | Mystery, Suspense, |
| Original language | Hindi (with a bit of Punjabi) |
| Age-Restrictions | UA (16+) |
| Released in | June & September, 2023 |
| Season | One (1) |
| Episodes | Six (6) |
| Writers | Agatha Christie, Vishal Bhardwaj & Anjum Rajabali |
| Director | Vishal Bhardwaj |
| Cinematographer | Tassaduq Hussain |
| Cast | Wamiqa Gabbi (Charlie Chopra), Neena Gupta (Dr Janaki Rawat), Priyanshu Painyuli (Sitaram Bisht), Lara Dutta (Wilayat Hussain), Lalit Parimoo (Prof. Mohan Rawat), Imaaduddin Shah (Billu Nautiyal), Baharul Islam (Col. Anand Barua), Ratna Pathak Shah (Ms. Bharucha), Chandan Roy Sanyal (Manas Dabral), Paoli Dam (Saloni Dabral), Vivaan Shah (Jimmy Nautiyal), Gulshan Grover (Brig. Meharbaan S. Rawat), Naseeruddin Shah (Mr. Roy), etc. |
| Network | Sony Liv |
Trailer
[Check out the YouTube video link - Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley | Official Trailer | Sony LIV | Agatha Christie.
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Also, check out the complete first episode on YouTube - The Mystery Of Solang Valley | Charlie Chopra | Episode 1 | Sony LIV Originals.]
Murder Details: Spoiler-Alert (#1)
So, what were the reasons for the murder and who was the murderer?
Who was the murdered victim in it?
Brigadier Meharbaan S. Rawat (Gulshan Grover) is murdered in the opening scene of the show. Soon after the local police in Manali arrested his nephew Jimmy Nautiyal (Vivaan Shah) as a prime suspect. That arrest forced the aspiring Detective Charlie (Wamiqa Gabbi) to travel from Chandigarh to Solang Valley so that she could save her fiance from the murder charges.
And who killed the Brigadier?
In the last couple of episodes, we came to know that Colonel Anand Barua (Baharul Islam) had murdered the Brigadier, as the Brigadier was planning and going ahead with the proposed sales of the ski resort at Solang Valley. That sale would have made Colonel lose his passion project of skiing. In addition, it would have also made him an unemployed army veteran with no future because of his disability, because he had lost his eye during a war while helping and saving the life of the Brigadier.
So, both Dr Janaki Rawat and Colonel Anand Barua are murderers in it.
Reasons for the Murder: Spoiler Alert (#2)
So, what were the reasons behind his murder?
Another aggrieved member of the family was Dr Janaki Rawat (Neena Gupta) in it. She was the lost love of the Brigadier from their younger days. Because of their complicated relationship, she ended up getting married to the Brigadier’s brother. Both of them have a son, Varun Rawat (Pulkit Makol), who was suffering from a life-threatening kidney ailment.
Their son Varun needed a very costly kidney transplant from a donor in a foreign nation. When Janaki requests the well-off but selfish Brigadier for money for their son’s treatment, he makes fun of her and reminds her of the wrong choices that she had made in her life. That confrontation hurt Janaki, and she planned on getting an act of revenge by getting rid of the arrogant and disgusting Brigadier.
Series Ending Explained: Spoiler Alert (#3)
The cliff-hanger ending of the series is explained below.
In a flashback, we learn that Lovely Chopra (Richa Chadha in a guest appearance) – the mother of Charlie has gone missing while they were investigating a case.
Charlie believes that her mother is dead and buried somewhere.
But in the last scene of season one, Lady Rose’s ghost tells Charlie, “You dig up everyone’s truth but bury your own…your mother isn’t buried yet…look within…look within…look within.” The eerie ghost music continues to play in the background, heightening the suspense surrounding the fate of Charlie’s mother.
Maybe, in the upcoming season, the viewers will get the answers about Charlie’s mother. We are keeping our fingers crossed.
[Lastly, if you like this murder mystery series written and directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, then go ahead and read an FM article about another movie of his - Khufiya in our Focus Magazine, too.]
Featured Image & Poster from the Charlie Chopra & The Mystery of Solang Valley (2023) Series | Sony Liv.