Baadshah to Bobby Jasoos: Bollywood’s 5 failed detective films

Think Dibakar Banerjee's Byomkesh Bakshy will end the dry run of detective films coming out of Bollywood?

Think Dibakar Banerjee's Byomkesh Bakshy will end the dry run of detective films coming out of Bollywood? Whatever the verdict, chances are that you'd have asked yourself this question many times: Why can't Bollywood get its 'facts' right when it comes to attempting this genre?



It's elementary! Our filmmakers are too hung up on the songs and dances they think make a film complete, and we the audience are, well, too hung up on the same things. Don't believe us? Our Lordships, here are five films to prove our argument.



This Shar Rukh Khan-starrer had everything going in its favour, but only before the release. Even a huge promotional drive and superhit songs couldn’t save the film at the ticket window. However, it’s still one of the most viewed films on TV.

Shah-Rukh-Khan-in-Baadshah

Vidya Balan’s stint with Hyderabad and its lingo missed the bull’s eye by a big margin. The audience didn’t favour the idea of a female detective much.

One of the most cringe-worthy films of recent times, Mr Joe B Carvalho never got it right. Arshad Warsi failed miserably as a funny detective. It also started the year 2014 on a sad note.

From screenplay to acting to editing, this one had everything in place, but the audience was probably not ready for such a dark thriller. An unfortunate flop.

Rajeev Khandelwal set out to solve a murder mystery that seemed to be related to some plants in the beginning, but the director forgot the plot after few scenes and ultimately it transformed into a boring saga of illogical derivations. A lesson in how to not make a detective film.