8 Hindi Murder Mystery Films That Will Keep You Hooked

One of the toughest genres to nail in theatre and cinema is the quintessential murder mystery. This June, we bring you a curated selection of taut, suspenseful, perfectly crafted stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat. These thrillers from the big and small screens are perfect for an extended binge-watching session.

Watch These Riveting Murder Mysteries On OTT

Wrong Turn

Arun (Varun Badola) finds himself fighting a battle of wits with a retired judge and his friends as a mock trial ensues. What was initiated as a game turns into a life-and-death situation when Arun is accused of a crime he cannot defend himself against. He tries to flee, but can he escape natural justice? 

Filmed by Ishan Trivedi, the teleplay also stars Govind Namdev, Lalit Tiwari, Suneel Sinha, Liliput Faruqui, Varun Badola, Suzzane Mukherjee, Anangsha Biswas, Shalini Sharma, and Niraj Sah. You can watch it on ZEE5.

Kasganj

A misty hill town, the death of a young girl, a murderer on the loose, tangled relationships, and an alcoholic police officer fighting his own demons. These narrative threads and a lot of intrigue and buried secrets are at the core of Kasganj.

The compelling procedural follows a potentially deadly investigation in a resort where everyone is a possible suspect. Directed by Anurag Goswami, the film stars Vaquar Shaikh, Kundan Kumar, Vivek Madaan, Jeetendra Shastri, Sargun Luthra, Hetal Gada, and Shashi Bhushan. Watch it on Zee 5. 

Talvar

Meghna Gulzar's Talvar explored the tangled web of unanswered questions around the 2008 Noida double murder case, though it fictionalised a few elements. A morning like any other in a middle-class home turns into a shocking tragedy when a housekeeper's body is found on the terrace and the young daughter of a doting couple is found murdered in her bed. 

The film goes on to show how the grief-stricken parents turn into the prime suspects in the murders and how conjectures and colliding perspectives further complicate the case. Starring Irrfan Khan, Konkana Sen Sharma, Tabu, Neeraj Kabi, and Gajraj Rao, the film can be seen on Disney+Hotstar.

Murder Mubarak

This mind-bending mystery by Homi Adajania unfolds in an elite club frequented by a bunch of privileged, rich people. When a string of murders disturbs their respective bubbles, everyone turns into an amateur sleuth trying to find skeletons in each other's closets. 

Then a quirky police officer arrives to disrupt their calculations. Secrets tumble out, and finally, the real killer is found. The film stars Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma, Pankaj Tripathi, Karishma Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Dimple Kapadia, and Sanjay Kapoor. Watch it on Netflix.

Badla

This remake of the superhit Spanish film The Invisible Guest regales audiences with a guessing game that does not end until the last scene. The story begins when a tragic murder begins to unravel and ends up implicating Naina Sethi, a successful businesswoman in the case. Well-connected and powerful, Naina is also an ideal citizen as well as a devoted wife and mother. 

How a series of random events and the arrival of a famous defence attorney, Badal Gupta, change the entire tenor of the case is worth watching. Directed by Sujoy Ghosh, the film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Tony Luke, and Amrita Singh. It is streaming on Netflix.

Game Over 

Game Over, starring Taapsee Pannu, follows the story of Swapna, a successful game designer battling PTSD, who strives to fend off mysterious invaders from her home. 

The film commences with a chilling scene depicting a serial killer murdering a cancer-stricken girl, wrapping her head in plastic, binding her hands, and ultimately setting her ablaze. Praised for its gripping screenplay and Pannu's remarkable portrayal, the movie was launched on Netflix in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas is a neo-noir mystery thriller helmed by director Sriram Raghavan and featuring Vijay Sethupathi and Katrina Kaif in lead roles. Adapted from Frédéric Dard's novel Le Monte-charge (Bird in a Cage), the film draws inspiration from the 1962 French movie Paris Pick-Up, which is also based on the same novel.

The storyline revolves around two murderers brought together by a single murder, who subsequently help each other find purpose to move forward in life. Watch it on Netflix.

Monika, O My Darling

Monika, O My Darling is a 2022 Hindi-language neo-noir dark comedy crime thriller directed by Vasan Bala. Featuring Rajkummar Rao, Huma Qureshi, and Radhika Apte, the film is an adaptation of Keigo Higashino's 1989 Japanese novel Burutasu No Shinzou (Heart of Brutus). Its intricate plot keeps viewers guessing about who murdered whom, leaving them puzzled with an open-ended conclusion that will linger in their minds indefinitely. Watch it on Netflix.