The fourth session of the Agatha Christie crime festival was organized at Public House Restaurant on Sunday. It was a session on Christie’s connections with India.
India finds mention in several of Christie’s novels.
The very first Poirot mystery The Mysterious affair at Styles was inspired by an Indian murder case in Hotel Savoy, Mussoorie. Calcutta, Benares, and Poona find mention in her works. Words like Gup, Pukka sahib, tiffin and Chota Hazri are found in many of her works.
The Central theme of Christie’s novel The Secret of the Chimneys is theft of famous Indian diamond Koh-i-noor. Notably, several of Christie’s characters have worked in India or have relatives who had stayed in India.
Arun Singh, who is curating this festival, says that even though Agatha never visited India, she seems to have a fascination for India.
Of course India was under British rule during the early period of her writings and she would have had friends who spent time in India.
Several Bollywood and Tollywood films have been inspired from Christie’s novels. Gumnaam (1965) starring Manoj Kumar and Nanda is based on the book And Then There Were None.
Dhund is based on Agatha Christie’s play, An Unexpected Guest.
This 1973 film starred Zeenat Aman, Sanjay Khan, Naveen Nischol, Ashok Kumar and Danny Dengzonpa. Chupi Chupi Ashey a 1960 Bengali film starring veteran actor Chabi Biswasis an adaptation of Christie’s stage-play The Mousses trap.
Aar Ya Paar (1997) directed by Ketan Mehta starring Jackie Shroff and Deepa Sahi is inspired from Endless Night and there many more to name.
Clips from the films inspired from her works were added attraction of this session.
Speaking about the session, President Club literati, Seema Raizada said that “Agatha’s Indian connection is fascinating. Her thriller plots are simply inescapable for any filmmaker of this genre.
However, there is a huge possibility of more adaptations of her works in Bollywood”, she added.
Guests were later served Turkish coffee which was a favorite of Harley Quin, another of Christie’s creations.
