Wamiqa Gabbi plays the titular character in Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley. Adapted by Vishal Bhardwaj from Agatha Christie’s The Sittaford Mystery, this SonyLIV whodunit marks Wamiqa’s fourth project with the film-maker who has seamlessly adapted and contextualised Shakespeare in films like Maqbool and Omkara. t2 chatted with Wamiqa — who was lauded for her act in Jubilee earlier this year — on playing an amateur detective in the show that premieres on September 27.

In a first of sorts, the pilot episode of Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley was released on the platform by SonyLIV and was appreciated. What did viewers latch on to the most?

Besides the fact that it is a detective story, which we don’t get to see often on our screens, they liked the fun factor of my character, Charlie Chopra. The first episode has also conveyed to the audience that this is not a regular whodunit. Because it is directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, one knows that it’s not going to be just a serious mystery. There will be a lot of quirks. People are really excited to see how Vishal sir has handled a whodunit.

Have you read Agatha Christie’s The Sittaford Mystery, on which this series is based, or did you rely completely on the adapted script?

I relied on the script because it’s been contextualised in the Indian milieu. All the characters have been Indianised and I thought that adds a lot of quirk and fun to the script. I didn’t really have to read the book to understand the characters because they have all been adapted differently in the series. Even people who have read the book will not be able to guess the killer. That makes it even more exciting.

We have detective stories in India as well. And because our story has a female detective, played by me, the options are narrowed down even further. I researched a lot about Indian female detectives. They are so interesting, including their looks.

Charlie Chopra’s look is very desi. She has a Himachali topi, and sports glasses and wears skirts most of the time. I watched a few films which have been made based on Agatha Christie’s books. But I knew that I had to make it my own. At the end of the day, it’s a Vishal Bhardwaj adaptation.

In films or books, do you have any firm favourites in the whodunit genre?

I love crime documentaries and I keep watching them. I love the whole thing of watching investigators at work and the way they interrogate suspects. I got to do all of that in Charlie Chopra.

I am not very big on reading, honestly. My father (Govardhan Gabbi) is a writer and I haven’t even read all of his books till now! Main apna parivaar ka ek naalayak bachcha hoon! (Laughs) Maine apni hi pitaji ki books nahin padhi hain saari!

Even when I am offered a film or series, I go in for a narration, rather than read the script myself. Later, I work on the script myself, of course. But I cannot read... main so jaati hoon! Out of sheer guilt and shame, I have bought so many books. But I sleep after reading two pages (laughs). I have lived with this shame for a long time but I have now accepted that this is part of who I am.

In a huge ensemble cast boasting heavyweights, being the titular protagonist is a definite high, but it must also bring along a deep sense of responsibility.

I was under a lot of pressure because I was headlining a series for the first time. I knew that I was going to be in almost every scene. As an artiste or even as an audience, I watch shows or films with titular protagonists who ideally should have a definite graph in their journey from beginning to end, but sometimes I can’t see that journey, it’s not well defined.

So I tried very hard to ensure that with Charlie Chopra, the viewer can spot an evolution in the character. When I did my scenes, I made sure I understood where something was coming from and why am I like this in a certain situation. I needed people to see the change in the character. I don’t know if I have managed to do justice to it or not, but that pressure was there. But during prep, I worked on my character enough to ensure that all that was taken care of.

Shoot ke dauraan sirf mazey hi mazey kiye hain. While playing Charlie, I got to understand her even better. When you live in that world, you have the other characters around you... that’s when magic happens.

Is there anything about Charlie that you wish Wamiqa had?

I am a Punjabi and so is Charlie and I share certain quirks — it can go overboard and become slightly irritating also! (Laughs) — but I tried to maintain a balance.

Her courage is something that I admire. And she is way cooler than me! I don’t think I could look as cool as her with her glasses and the wardrobe that she has. She’s also very naughty....

Which you aren’t?

Not as much as her! (Laughs)

You have worked with Vishal Bhardwaj on multiple projects. What is it about him as a director that you perhaps don’t experience on any other director’s set?

Charlie Chopra is my fourth project with him. I feel that mujhe unhonein bigaad diya hain! (Laughs) It’s been such a delight working with him. Even the team, whether it is the costume team or the art design team, I have worked in his projects has been more or less the same. There is an amazing sense of comfort that I feel on his sets. I am the most carefree on his set to the extent that now when I go on to some other director’s set, I feel a little conscious. On Vishal sir’s set, I feel like I am back home with my family and we are about to create something fun and meaningful. Now I look for that kind of love and care on every set.

What was it like sharing screen space with the stalwarts — including Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Neena Gupta and many more — in this series?

Beautiful! Working with them I understood why these senior actors have reached where they are. They make everyone so comfortable. On set, it’s all about the energy and the kind of energy that they brought to this set was all that mattered.

Acting is more about just being honest about what is given to you. All these actors in Charlie Chopra have taught me that honesty is the most important thing.

You have been working for a while now, but have only exploded in the last few years. How would you describe your journey so far and what’s the road ahead?

I have been working for many years now, I started very young. For many years, I did only regional films... Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu.... The turning point for me was Grahan, a show that I did for Disney+Hotstar. The kind of love that I received for my character Manu was beautiful. I had never seen myself in a love story like that. But the turning point where the audience started seeing me differently was Jubilee. That gave me a lot of attention and good opportunities as well.

Which is your favourite female detective in books/ films?
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