Indian spy thrillers adapted from novels: ‘Khufiya’, ‘The Night Manager’ and more

Spy thrillers often begin their journey on page before making it to the big screen. Even our favourite spy James Bond was a character of a novel before making it onto the big screen. As Hamza Ali Mazari continues to make the audience's hearts thump with ‘Dhurandar: The Revenge’, let us look at the spy thrillers that have made it big onscreen, but their journey began on bookstands.

Created by Sandeep Modi, ‘The Night Manager’ is based on the novel of the same name by John Le Carre. The plotline is focused on the story of a former army person who is now working as a night manager at a hotel. Shaan (Aditya Roy Kapur), the night manager, is stuck in Dhaka amidst the Rohingya genocide. A twist awaits Shaan when he is approached by the RAW chief to infiltrate the gang of an illegal arms dealer, Shelly. Shaan, who has foregone his defence life, finds himself again embracing it owing to circumstances. Shaan’s skill, tactics and suave are sure to keep the readers hooked onto the screen throughout the runtime. You want to watch what ultimately happens to Shaan; the OTT show is available on Jio Hotstar.

Based on the book ‘Escape to Nowhere’ by Amar Bhushan. The movie follows the journey of KM Krishna (Tabu), a dedicated RAW officer. Krishna soon gets to know someone has been acting as a mole within the organisation who is leaking secrets to the CIA. Krishna soon suspects Ravi (Ali Fazal) and his wife Charu (Wamiqa Gabbi). While Ravi’s activities seem suspicious, his wife, Charu, is clearly unaware of the nature of his job. The difference of opinion between Ravi and Charu regarding national interest causes a rift between them. How Charu manages to channelise her angst into something meaningful is what makes the movie worth watching. ‘Khufiya’ is streaming on Netflix.

Adapted from Hussain Zaidi’s book ‘Mumbai Avengers’, the movie Phantom follows the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Captain Daniyal Khan (Saif Ali Khan) takes up a fake identity of Jude Rosario to uncover the minds behind the 26/11 attacks. His search for the perpetrators takes him across countries. As Daniyal travels from Turkey to Syria to Pakistan, the web of lies and deceit gets thicker. Daniyal’s courage, self-belief and bravado will keep the audience hooked till the last frame. The movie is available on Netflix.

This series is based on the 2015 espionage novel of the same name by Bilal Siddiq. It focuses on the life of an ex-IIW agent. Kabir Anand(Emraan Hashmi) is a former Indian Intelligence Wing (IIW) agent who is now out of action. He is now a literature teacher who looks after his deceased friend's wife and son. However, circumstances force Kabir to return to his old life. Kabir’s quest to get back the four intelligent officers is what will keep the viewers gripped till the end.

Written by Neeraj Pandey, this series starring Mohit Raina is based on the 2017 novel ‘A Ticket to Syria’. The series follows Avinash Kamath(Raina), a former police officer turned military freelancer, as he undertakes a mission to rescue his friend's daughter from ISIS captivity in Syria. As Avinash goes out on his mission, he finds himself caught in between the civil war brewing in the country that creates further problems. This series is available on Jio Hotstar.