After more than 300 posts on this blog, I am now reviewing a Bollywood movie for the first time. “Manorama Six Feet Under,” directed and co-written by Navdeep Singh, is more a homage than an adaptation of Polanski’s classic neo-noir, “Chinatown.” That being said, the movie introduces enough changes to “Chinatown’s” plot to make it a thrill ride even for those who have seen “Chinatown” more than once.

Satyaveer Singh Randhawa (SV), played by Abhay Deol, is a public works engineer in the fictitious town of Lakhot, in the desert state of Rajasthan. He lives with his wife Nimmi (Gul Panag) and their young son. Nimmi loves SV but is disgruntled, often reminding him that she had better options and made the wrong decision choosing him over wealthier suitors.

The plot is a narrative from SV’s point of view. SV begins his story by describing Lakhot as a world within itself, where many die from the extreme heat in summer and the chilling cold in winter. SV is now under investigation for allegedly accepting a bribe. He also reveals that he is a failed writer whose first novel sold only 200 copies.

One night, a mysterious stranger, a woman (Sarika), visits the Randhawa home, identifying herself as the wife of P. P. Rathore (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a powerful local politician. After requesting to speak to SV alone, she tells him that she has read his novel and is impressed with the investigative skills of its protagonist. She asks SV to investigate her influential husband, whom she suspects of having an affair.

SV accepts the assignment, much to Nimmi’s disdain, and begins his investigation. He secretly enters Rathore’s home and captures Rathore talking to a younger woman (Poonam Gibson). He later hands over the camera to the woman, who accepts it and quietly leaves. SV shares his experience with his best friend and brother-in-law Brij (Vinay Pathak). Brij, a cop working at the local police station in Lakhot, warns SV not to get involved and suggests pacifying Nimmi by taking her on a small vacation.

During the trip, SV sees the mysterious woman and calls out to her, but she ignores him and leaves the scene. While watching a news broadcast, he learns that Rathore is married to an older woman, not the person who hired him. SV also discovers that Rathore is championing the construction of a canal to bring water to the arid city.

After a night of heavy drinking with Brij, SV is accosted by the mysterious woman once again. This time, she claims that her life is in jeopardy and tells him that if anything happens to her, he should remember her name is Manorama and that she is 32 years old. She then departs.

The following day, the newspapers report that Manorama committed suicide the previous night by jumping in front of a moving truck. Refusing to believe this, SV plunges deeper into the investigation.

He begins by surveying the construction site for the canal, where he is caught and thrashed by two thugs who break his finger and force him to reveal what Manorama shared with him before she died. The thugs take the cash in his wallet, steal his new motorcycle, and leave.

Following this incident, Nimmi takes their son to visit her parents for the Diwali festival, leaving SV behind, who is adamant about continuing his investigation. SV discovers that the late Manorama worked at an orphanage in the city and had a roommate, Sheetal (Raima Sen).

When he meets Sheetal, she is reluctant to talk to him, but he gives her his phone number before she leaves. Later, she calls him, fearing for her life and asking to stay with him. SV brings her to his home, now empty with his family away.

As the plot progresses, SV attends Rathore’s political rally, where he catches a glimpse of the young woman seen earlier with Rathore and tails her to a clinic. There, the woman meets a doctor. Rathore himself arrives and meets with the doctor, who injects him with a certain medication. SV’s further investigation reveals connections among the doctor, the young woman, Manorama, and Rathore, unveiling more dark secrets. There will be more murders to hide the truth. Can SV solve the mystery and save his family and himself from impending danger? The rest of the plot answers these questions.

While “Manorama Six Feet Under” borrows heavily from “Chinatown,” director and scriptwriter Navdeep Singh has rigorously adapted the story to match the politics, culture, and norms of the Rajasthani desert locale. The characters have been substantially transformed into believable Indian individuals.

SV is not the brash, smart-talking PI like Jake Gittes, played by Nicholson in “Chinatown.” He is a simple, despondent government engineer, a failed author frustrated with life, who has accepted a small bribe out of desperation. He is a variation on the film-noir ambi-moraled protagonist. With quick thinking and intelligence, he is able to competently fit into the role of a PI, masterfully impersonating an insurance salesman or journalist to uncover the truth.

P. P. Rathore, played by veteran thespian Kulbhushan Kharbanda, is a corrupt Indian politician, different from the wealthy businessman Noah Cross, but equally greedy, twisted, and evil. Some characters from “Chinatown” have been removed, and others added to suit the altered plot.

The plot has many changes but perhaps as many twists and turns at every stage as “Chinatown.” The filmmakers have been honest enough to admit that this movie was inspired by “Chinatown.” In fact, as a homage, the movie includes a scene where SV and his brother-in-law watch the famous scene in “Chinatown” on TV where Jack Nicholson’s Gittes gets his nose sliced.

The movie’s cinematography by Arvind Kannabiran is particularly impressive, with sweeping shots of the desert, the city, and some noir-style nocturnal suspenseful scenes. The background music sets the tone for each scene, sometimes with a raga, sometimes with a fast-paced beat, and sometimes with a melodious vocal.

There are no song-and-dance numbers to distract from the plot, unlike many Indian movies. This is a movie that will be relished by all fans of crime thrillers and noir movies, even those who watched “Chinatown.”