The Buckingham Murders Movie Cast/Actors: Kareena Kapoor Khan as Jaspreet Bhamra, Ash Tandon as Hardik Patel, Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chaudhary, Keith Allen as Miller, Ranvir Brar as Daljeet Kohli, Prabhleen Sandhu as Preeti Kohli & others.
The Buckingham Murders Movie Director: Hansal Mehta
The Buckingham Murders Production Company: Balaji Motion Pictures & Mahana Films
The Buckingham Murders Release Date: 13th September, 2024
The Buckingham Murders Movie Available On: Theatrical Release and (likely to be released on Netflix OTT Platform)
The Buckingham Murders Movie Movie Released/Available In Languages: Hindi & English
The Buckingham Murders Movie Runtime: 1h 50m
The Buckingham Murders Movie Critic Review:
Mindless street violence in which her young son is killed, pulls single mother Jaspreet Bhamra (Kareena Kapoor Khan) into a vortex of grief and anger. A change of scene, even if it means a demotion, seems the best move.
Now a DS (Deputy Superintendent) in High Wycombe, an hour’s drive from London, Jass’ first assignment is everything she wouldn’t want in that state of mind – the case of a missing child, soon found murdered.
There’s a lot going on in the seeming serenity of this small city in Buckinghamshire county. Interwoven in the murder of the missing child are communal violence between ethnic groups, the drug menace, the migrants’ struggle to fit in, unacceptable LGBTQ equations, domestic violence and difficult parenting.
Does director Hansal Mehta try to pack in too many issues? Perhaps. And understanding the mind of Indian filmmakers, it stands out right away that 19-year-old Saquib Chaudhary (Kapil Redekar) who’s arrested for the murder will be proved innocent of the crime.
It also seems a little too pat. Which grown-up boy would implicate a friend believing that he’ll soon be let off when it’s a charge as serious as the murder of a child? Which police boss, Miller (Keith Allen) in this case, would naively hand the case to officer Hardik Patel (Ash Tandon) knowing his past and his grudges? It’s not even well-hidden history but something everybody knows and takes Jass, new to the city, barely days to uncover. Why would Patel scowl at his new deputy and almost show his hand when he’s got something to hide?
One could keep picking holes in the writing by Aseem Arrora and there will be some who’ll wonder why Hansal has scratched the surface without going deep into the issues he briefly raises. But Hansal juggles well with the variety of emotions, mixes English, Hindi and Punjabi in the right proportions to blend with the ambience and gives a certain sophistication to the arc of grief-crime-empathy-closure. A few standout points include the largely quiet storytelling despite the backdrop of multi-pronged crime and violence. In fact, the one time Jass gives vent to all that’s pent up inside, a neighbour yells at her to shut up, let’s get some sleep. Hansal also goes about his narration without the burden of conventional belief that a thriller must be racy.
Kareena is polished as the Indian avatar of Kate Winslet’s Mare of Easttown, going for grit over glamour. As Jass, she leads the cast with the stoicism of a detective determined to nail the real criminal, alongside the grief that never leaves her. Chef-turned-actor Ranveer Brar and Prabhleen Sandhu as the parents of the missing-murdered child and Kapil Redekar as Saquib, the troubled young man, fit easily into their roles.
A quick word of appreciation for Hansal Mehta’s portrayal of Jass, the single mother. He never explains why she’s one. She simply is. As it should be.
The Buckingham Murders – Watch Or Not?: The makers will kill me for this but truly, this is ideal as an OTT watch.
The Buckingham Murders Review Score Rating: 3 out of 5 (i.e. 3/5)
The Buckingham Murders Movie Official Trailer:
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 be able to solve the murder mystery in this Hansal Mehta creation which is set in Buckinghamshire?){kind=link}