Inspector Ganesh Ghote (pronounced ''GO-tay'') is a fictional Indian

police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...

who is the main character in English author

H. R. F. Keating Henry Reymond Fitzwalter Keating (31 October 1926 – 27 March 2011) was an English crime fiction writer most notable for his series of novels featuring Inspector Ghote of the Bombay CID. Life Keating, known as "Harry" to friends and family, ...

detective novel Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as specu ...

s. Ghote is an

inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia The rank of Inspector is present in all Australian police forces excep ...

in the police force of

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

(a.k.a. Mumbai),

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Overview

Ghote first appeared in the novel '' The Perfect Murder'' (1964), in which his investigation of the apparent murder of the

Parsi The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

, Mr Perfect, was assisted informally by the

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UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

analyst Axel Svensson. The novel, which Keating wrote without ever having been to India, won a

Crime Writers' Association The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors' organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its "Dagger" awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. ...

Gold Dagger The CWA Gold Dagger is an award given annually by the Crime Writers' Association of the United Kingdom since 1960 for the best crime novel of the year. From 1955 to 1959, the organization named their top honor as the Crossed Red Herring Award. ...

Award and was adapted into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

in 1988 by

Merchant Ivory A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

intended Ghote's final appearance to be in the novel ''Breaking and Entering'' (2000), in which he was reunited with Axel Svensson as he investigated a series of cat burglaries that ultimately enabled him to solve the high-profile murder that was occupying the rest of his colleagues. Since that time, however, Keating has written ''Inspector Ghote's First Case'' (2008) and ''A Small Case For Inspector Ghote?'' (2009). Ghote's father appears in the novel ''The Murder of the Maharajah'' (1980). Ghote is married; his wife, Protima, is a beautiful, spirited, and argumentative, though loving, Bengali. They have a son, Ved, invariably referred to in the earlier novels as "little Ved". In most novels, Ghote finds that he has to spend almost as much time fighting the Indian criminal justice system bureaucracy as he does in fighting criminals. He also tends to get little respect from the often rich and powerful people he must investigate in connection with his work, though in the end he typically wins the day through sheer doggedness. In these characteristics, he has been compared to the American fictional detective

Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...

Adaptations

Film

The noted actor

Naseeruddin Shah Naseeruddin Shah (born 20 July 1950) is an Indian actor. He was notable in Indian parallel cinema and has starred in various international productions. He has won numerous awards in his career, including three National Film Awards, three Filmfa ...

played the role of Ghote in '' The Perfect Murder''.

Television

Zia Mohyeddin Zia Mohyeddin (; 20 June 1931 – 13 February 2023) was a British-Pakistani film actor, producer, director, and television broadcaster who appeared in both Pakistani cinema and television, as well as in British cinema and television throughout ...

starred in an adaptation of '' Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock'' for the BBC anthology series ''

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

''. In May 2020, Endemol Shine India was announced to adapt the novels for Television. As of 2024, there has been no word on the project.

BBC Radio

Kevork Malikyan Kevork Malikyan (born 2 June 1943) is an Armenian-English actor and teacher. He is known for his roles as Kazim in the film ''Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'' (1989), Max Papandrious in the television sitcom '' Mind Your Language'' (1977 ...

played Ghote twice: ''Inspector Ghote Makes a Journey'' (1973) and ''Inspector Ghote and the River Man'' (1974). In 1984,

Sam Dastor Sam Dastor is an Indian-born British actor best known for his appearances in British television series. Life and career Dastor was born in India and raised in a Parsi family of Zoroastrian faith, though he later converted to Christianity. He g ...

starred in ''Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock''.)

List of books

*'' The Perfect Murder'' (1964, CWA Gold Dagger Award winner) *''

Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade ''Inspector Ghote's Good Crusade'' is a crime novel by H. R. F. Keating. It is the second book in the Inspector Ghote series. Plot introduction Inspector Ghote is tasked with investigating the murder of an American philanthropist and milli ...

'' (1966) *''Inspector Ghote Caught in Meshes'' (1967) *'' Inspector Ghote Hunts the Peacock'' (1968) *'' Inspector Ghote Plays a Joker'' (1969) *''Inspector Ghote Breaks an Egg'' (1970) *'' Inspector Ghote Goes By Train'' (1971) *''Inspector Ghote Trusts the Heart'' (1972) *''Bats Fly Up for Inspector Ghote'' (1974) *''Filmi, Filmi, Inspector Ghote'' (1976) *''Inspector Ghote Draws a Line'' (1979) *''The Murder of the Maharajah'' (1980, CWA Gold Dagger Award winner) *''Go West Inspector Ghote'' (1981) *''The Sheriff of Bombay'' (1984) *'' Under a Monsoon Cloud'' (1986) *''The Body in the Billiard Room'' (1987) *''Dead on Time'' (1988) *'' The Iciest Sin'' (1990) *''Inspector Ghote, His Life and Crimes'' (1989); short story collection *''

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