When it is about the mysterious films then one watches it for a nail-biting thriller experience, intense psychological suspense, an unexpected plot twist, and of course, the perpetually flawed main character. The Bollywood directors like Abbas-Mustan and Sujoy Ghosh are popularly known for directing mysterious films. They have given some of the best films based on the mystery genre and still hits the mind of the audience when it's about the intriguing storyline. So let's round up the finest mysterious films of Bollywood for your viewing pleasure.
Rajendra Kumar and Raj Kapoor starring 'Do Jasoos' is based on the detective theme and revolves around two bumbling detectives, Dharamchand and Karamchand, who are assigned to locate a multi-millionaire's daughter, who goes missing after she witnesses a murder. The film was produced and directed by Naresh Kumar.
Abbas-Mustan's mysterious film Ajnabee featured Akshay Kumar, Bobby Deol, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Bipasha Basu in the lead roles. The film was an adaptation of the 1992 American thriller Consenting Adults. In the film, Raj (Bobby) and Priya (Kareena) befriend their new neighbours Vicky (Akshay) and Sonia (Bipasha), and one day, Raj wakes up in Vicky's house and finds out that Sonia is killed and he is framed for her murder. The film plot is quite intriguing and much appreciated by the audiences.
Helmed by Ravi Tandon, this Amitabh Bachchan starring Amitabh Bachchan is a story about Ravi who leads a good life with his mother and sister. But one day he learns that he is terminally ill, and falsely takes the blame for a murder in return for a big amount to secure his family's future. The film was Inspired by the 1970 Hollywood movie Zig zag. The film was written by Salim-Javed and was later remade in Tamil, Telugu and Gujrati.
Sujoy Ghosh directed the mysterious film Badla which starred Taapsee Pannu who played the role of Naina, a successful entrepreneur and married woman, who gets caught in a web of accusations when her lover is found dead. She then hires a reputable lawyer to work with her on the case and find answers. Apart from her the film also starred Amitabh Bachchan in a mysterious role.
Directed by Jijy Philip, the film includes Anil Kapoor, Suchitra Krishnamurti, Boman Irani and Nandana Sen in the lead roles. Although the film was a remake of Telugu film, Madhyanam Hathya directed by Ram Gopal Varma who also produced the Hindi remake. The movie seems to closely follow the story of Horace William Manton, the main accused in the Luton Sack Murder Case. The film's plot line focuses on an incident when Sheela, a married woman goes missing and her husband Ravi, seeks help from the police to track her down. But when her dead body is found, all fingers point at Ravi.
A suspense thriller film directed by Rajiv Rai and featuring Bobby Deol in the lead role, along with Kajol and Manisha Koirala. Gupt was praised for its storyline, suspense, performances, soundtrack and direction. Although, the film borrowed some plots from the Hollywood film 'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994), wherein the protagonist escapes from the prison after getting help in form of information and tools from a friendly inmate. Still, the film is a cult classic film of all time and is a must watch.
Another film from the kitty of Sujoy Ghosh, helmed by Ribhu Dasgupta 'Teen' is a story about John Biswas, a 70-year-old man, seeks help from a priest and a police officer in his quest to find the people who kidnapped and killed his granddaughter. The film was a remake of the 2013 South Korean film Montage stars Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Padmavati Rao, and Vidya Balan in the lead roles. Although, despite having an intriguing story the film flopped at the box-office.
The 2012 mysterious thriller film Talaash, co-written and directed by Reema Kagti, the film revolves around Inspector Shekhawat (Aamir Khan) and his wife (Rani Mukerjee) and how both are stunned when their son dies. While his wife openly struggles to deal with her loss, he engages himself in solving the mysterious death of an actor. The film is filled with several turns and twists and takes you on a roller coaster ride.
Meghna Gulzar's Talvar, a film based on the 2008 Noida double murder case which involved a teenage girl and her family's servant. Starring Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi, the film follows the investigation of a case from three different perspectives in which her parents are either guilty or innocent of the murder charges by the police investigation. On the outset, 'Rahasya' tells the story of the murder of an 18-year-old teenager in her Mumbai apartment. Well, based on the similar plot, Rahasya was accused of having similarities with the facts in the murder trial of teenager Aarushi Talwar and her domestic help Hemraj.
Sujoy Ghosh is one the finest directors of Bollywood, his pinch on mystery films is always on the high. With films like Kahaani and Kahaani 2, it has been proved even at the shoestring budget, Sujoy can make critically acclaimed films. The first series, Kahaani stars Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman searching for her missing husband in Kolkata during the festival of Durga Puja, assisted by Satyoki 'Rana' Sinha (Parambrata Chatterjee) and Khan (Nawazuddin Siddiqui). On the other side, Kahaani 2 is the story of Durga Rani Singh, who is charged with kidnapping and murder. Both the films received critical acclaim from the audiences and critics as well.
A remake of the 2013 Malayalam film of the same name, the film featured Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Shriya Saran, and also featured Ishita Dutta and Mrunal Jadhav. The film revolves around a 5th failed guy named Vijay (Ajay Devgn) when the disappearance of a policewoman's son threatens to ruin his family, he leaves no stone unturned in order to shield his family. The film received much love from the audience and is still one of the finest mysterious films of Bollywood.