Zee5’s crime-thriller web-series ‘Sunflower’ helmed by Vikas Bahl has started streaming on the OTT platform from today. However, contrary to the high expectations, the series has been receiving mixed reviews from critics.
While one reviewer lauded Sunil Grover’s performance but criticized its overstretched plot. Some websites called the show exaggerated, and a missed opportunity. On the other hand, one critic has termed the series bingeable.
Irrespective to whether you have seen the Zee5 web-series ‘Sunflower’ or not, we give you five well made Bollywood murder mysteries that you can watch across various OTT platforms in India:
1. Khamosh (Streaming on YouTube)
It’s one of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s (Director – 1942 A Love Story, Parinda) earlier films. This underrated nail-biting whodunnit has the undeniable stamp of a genius. Set amidst the backdrop of a Hindi film set, the film starts off with an aspiring actress (Soni Razdan) who commits suicide under mysterious circumstances.
Naseeruddin Shah, who plays the role of a CID inspector, investigates the bizarre death as the needle of suspicion oscillates between the crew members. The mystery will keep you hooked until the very end. The film also features Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapur, and Amol Palekar in important roles.
2. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (Streaming on Amazon Prime Video)
Dibakar Banerjee’s on-screen version of the legendary detective, Byomkesh Bakshy is an expertly executed mystery thriller, comparable in its cinematic quality and entertainment quotient to Guy Ritchie’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’.
The film starring Sushant Singh Rajput in the titular role starts off as a regular whodunnit. However, the scale of the beautifully complex story exponentially expands as the film progresses.
Despite being a taut thriller blessed with a magnificent period look, the ambitious undertaking failed to ignite the box office. Nevertheless, it’s arguably the best performance of the Sushant Singh Rajput.
3. Talvar (Streaming on Netflix)
Directed by virtuoso filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, ‘Talvar’ is based on the double murder case of a teenage girl and the family servant. Filmed akin to a true-crime docu-drama, the eye-opening film received enormous acclaim for its adept direction and credible lead performances by Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma, and Neeraj Kabi.
4. Aakrosh (Streaming on Zee5)
‘Aakrosh’ is an action thriller film that centres around a CBI investigation pertaining to the disappearance and suspected honour killing of three medical students. The film was helmed by veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan. It boasted an ensemble cast including Akshaye Khanna, Ajay Devgn, Paresh Rawal, Jaideep Ahlawat, and Bipasha Basu.
5. Raat Akeli Hai (Streaming on Netflix)
This slow-burner Netflix film revolves around the police investigation conducted by a cop (played by Nawazuddin Siddique) following the high-profile murder of a politician.
The Honey Trehan’s directorial was a critic’s darling and eventually won two Filmfare OTT awards for the Best Actor and the Best Film categories. The movie also featured Radhika Apte, Tigmanshu Dhulia, Shweta Tripathi and Aditya Srivastav.
While compiling the list, we have intentionally excluded films of the pre-80s era. Besides the above-mentioned Bollywood murder mysteries, in case you think of any other film’s name that deserves to be on this list, please mention the same in the comments box below.
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