As the name suggests this thriller, The Buckingham Murders has been shot in Great Britain. It involves a sensitive investigation of a child’s murder. Kareena Kapoor Khan’s character Jasmeet Bhamra the investigating officer who herself is grieving from the recent loss of her child in a senseless shootout is asked to handle this case despite her resistance in the beginning though she is slowly drawn into its web. The end is shocking when the actual perpetrators are unveiled but not before one more murder is committed.
That was the premise of the movie now let’s talk about the layers within it like the quintessential Hindu – Muslim animosity which within the Indian/Paki immigrant community spills over the English landscape and as the Police chief remarks ‘Over a mere cricket match’, then there is the angle about kids having access to drugs, about a failed marriage or how Indian brides are treated by immigrant Indians all these social issues are beautifully woven within the fabric of the tale of murder.
Coming to the movie it has been directed by Hansal Mehta the magician who surprises you with great quality work within small means without going overboard with opulence but keeping us focused on the story as it unfolds with the twist and turns, the screenplay, the narrative, the flow and the direction are great.
About the lead performers, firstly Kareena Kapoor Khan is thankfully restrained and comes up with one of her better performances which is mature, vulnerable, grim and true to the script’s demand, we always knew that she had it in her but a master craftsman like Hansal was able to bring out her best.
Surprisingly we have the famous Indian chef and one of the Masterchef India hosts Ranveer Brar in a key role and definitely doesn’t look out of place, well acted. He surely has something to fall back on in case he gets bored of his recipes. The other supporting cast was good. Kareena is also one of the producer of this movie.
Though it is less than 2 hours duration, The Buckingham Murders meanders slowly to its conclusion. It has international quality to it, however it can be positioned as a B grade Hollywood flick as it leaves some space to become an A quality international thriller despite great acting and direction.
Probably that could be reason that though it was released on 14 October 2023 in the UK, and it garnered some appreciation in Film Festivals in 2023, but in reality the film managed to find exhibitors after one year in India.
– Review by PAWAN GUPTA
The Buckingham Murders Cast:
Kareena Kapoor Khan as Jasmeet Bhamra (Jazz)
Keith Allen as Miller
Ranveer Brar as Daljeet Sethi
Prabhleen Sandhu as Preeti Sethi
Sanjeev Mehra as Kamalpreet Bhamra
Ash Tandon as DI Hardik Patel
Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chaudhary
Jonathan Nyati as DS Cowden
Darren Kemp as DS Simon Clark
The Buckingham Murders Credits:
Production companies – Balaji Motion Pictures, Mahana Films
Produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan
Directed by Hansal Mehta
Screenplay by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker, Kashyap Kapoor
Story by Aseem Arrora
Cinematography – Emma Dalesman
Edited by Amitesh Mukherjee
Music by (Score) – Ketan Sodha