On Agatha Christie’s B’day, Here’s How Indians Adapted Her Books

Just for fun: What would an Indian version of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ with an all-Indian star cast look like?

An adaptation of Christie’s stage-play The Mousestrap, Gumnaam went on to become a box-office success.

(Photo Courtesy: www.agathachristie.com; YouTube screenshot)

“Today I killed my grandfather.”

There is something very sinister about a superior crime novel, and no one did it better than the late Dame Agatha Christie.

A cozy murder, a family intrigue, hints of a romance, mayhem and more. Deliciousness wrapped in a book! This, coupled with a large mug of freshly brewed coffee, a couple of your favourite cookies on the side, and rain splashing against your window panes, can craft pretty much the most perfect lazy Sunday afternoon.

That is, of course, for anybody who has a penchant for a good murder mystery.

There is something very sinister about a superior crime novel, and no one did it better than the late Dame Agatha Christie.(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons)

For all of us besotted Christie fans, who have unwittingly pictured themselves participating in the romance and noir-ness of countless Agatha Christie novels; for us who’ve adored Hercule Poirot, the pompous little Belgian man with his egg-shaped head and ‘little grey cells’; for us who’ve been enthralled by the remarkable study of human psychology carried out by a twinkling Jane Marple, here’s news for you!

Your favourite writer inched past the centenary and would have turned 101 today.

While British and American film and television are falling over themselves in their attempt to pay tribute to the queen of crime novels, one cannot help but wonder at the lack of good film or TV adaptations of Christie novels in India.

We dug around a little to find out how many Christie thrillers, if at all, have been adapted for the screen in the Indian media. Here is what we came up with:

Chupi Chupi Aashey

This was an adaptation of Christie’s stage-play The Mousestrap.(Photo Courtesy: YouTube screenshot)

A 1960 Bengali film starring veteran actor Chabi Biswas, this was an adaptation of Christie’s stage-play The Mousestrap, the longest running play in the history of plays in the world.

Gumnaam

A 1965 Hindi adaptation of the same story, Gumnaam went on to become a box office success.(Photo Courtesy: YouTube screenshot)

A 1965 Hindi adaptation of the same story, Gumnaam went on to become a box office success, with the theme song, ‘Gumnaan hai koi’, sung in eerie overtones by the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, and playing repeatedly in the background, being one of the highlights of the film.

Dhund

This 1973 film starred Zeenat Aman, Sanjay Khan, Naveen Nischol, Ashok Kumar and Danny Dengzonpa.(Photo Courtesy: YouTube screenshot)

Inspired by Agatha Christie’s play, An Unexpected Guest, this 1973 film starred Zeenat Aman, Sanjay Khan, Naveen Nischol, Ashok Kumar and Danny Dengzonpa.

Shubho Mahurat

The film, starring ace actor Nandita Das, and yesteryear actors Sharmila Tagore and Rakhi, was based on Christie’s novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side.(Photo Courtesy: YouTube screenshot)

Another Bengali adaptation, this time by master filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh. The film, starring ace actor Nandita Das, and yesteryear actors Sharmila Tagore and Rakhi, was based on Christie’s novel The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side.

Why Christie Fever Never Quite Died Down

But this is quite literally it. Four films based on the crime drama of Agatha Christie, and no more.

What’s interesting though, is that Indian cinema’s tryst with the suspense genre started way back in the 1950s with films like C.I.D, 36 China Town, Victoria 203, Jewel Thief, etc. Even the cult comedy Chalti ka Naam Gaadi had elements of mystery in it.

Over the years, there have been suspense dramas involving revenge, psychological thrillers, the film noir with the ever lurking serial killer. Recent releases like A Death in the Gunj are testimony to the immense skill that Indian writers, filmmakers and actors are capable of employing, if they put their heart to making a thriller that is a class apart.

Why then, have so few people in the Indian media directed their attention to the excellent repertoire of Christie stories that already exists? The magic of her novels have far from died, as is evident by the overwhelming response to the TV adaptations of the Poirot/Marple stories. British actor David Suchet carved out an entire career playing Hercule Poirot, for over 25 years, and left us all teary-eyed and yearning for more, even then!

And even as the buzz builds around the new all-star Murder on the Orient Express, innumerable Christie fans are waiting for November like they never have before!

Just for fun: Wonder what an Indian version of this dark novel, with an all-Indian star cast, would look like? I’m imagining Naseeruddin Shah as the fiendish Ratchett, ably supported by Shabana Azmi, Ratna Pathak Shah, Nawazuddin Siddique, Irrfan, Rajat Kapoor, Annu Kapoor, Rajkumar Rao. Add Amitabh Bachchan to the mix, and oh! The world is a beautiful place indeed!

Happy birthday Agatha Christie!

(Surangama Guha Roy is a film enthusiast. She also writes on social trends, loves to read, and takes an interest in teaching as a profession.)