The Buckingham Murders: 2024 Indian Crime Thriller Film

Movie Name: The Buckingham Murders
Directed by: Hansal Mehta
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Keith Allen, Ranveer Brar
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Release Date: 13 September, 2024
Rating:
Budget: ₹ 40 Crore
Production Companies: Balaji Motion Pictures, Mahana Films

The Buckingham Murders: Movie Overview

The Buckingham Murders is a 2023 Indian crime thriller film directed by Hansal Mehta and produced by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor. The film stars Kapoor Khan as a grieving British-Indian detective who is assigned the case of a murdered child in Buckinghamshire.

The film had its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023.

Jasmeet Bhamra is a British-Indian detective who has recently lost her child. She is assigned the case of a murdered 10-year-old child in Buckinghamshire.

The film marked Kapoor Khan’s first production venture; she produced it alongside Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor. She said that her role in the film was inspired by Kate Winslet’s character in the miniseries Mare of Easttown.

The film is in English and Hindi, with 80% of the dialogues in English. It had predominantly British supporting actors, including Keith Allen.

The Buckingham Murders premiered at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023. It served as the opening film for the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre on 27 October. The film scheduled theatrically release on 13 September 2024. It is also set for an unspecified streaming release on Netflix.

Mehta revealed that the film will mark the first part of a planned franchise.

Writing for Film Companion, Sahir Avik D’Souza considered The Buckingham Murders to be an “unflashy police procedural drama” anchored by a strong central performance from Kapoor Khan, whom he found “believable in a world far removed from her previous work”. However, he considered the film’s murder mystery to be “without bite”.

Movie Trailer:

Movie Review:

Kareena Kapoor’s restrained act powers slow-paced thriller that might test your patience

The Buckingham Murders movie review | Imagine: You’re visiting one of those fancy Michelin star restaurants, where the portions turn out to be tiny (what else did you expect going in, though?) You are served Hakka noodles mixed with shahi paneer, topped with pineapple – it doesn’t fit, I know. What if it tastes good, though?

The Buckingham Murders’ runtime of roughly one-and-a-half-hours is akin to that ‘tiny portion’, and the dish is a combination of the unlikeliest of minds coming together- Kareena Kapoor (as mainstream as it gets), Hansal Mehta (as realistic as it gets) and Ekta Kapoor (dramatic, what else). All three belong to different schools of thought, yet they join hands to churn out a film none of them have attempted before in their respective careers.

The story revolves around sergeant Jasmeet ‘Jass’ Bhamra (a wonderfully restrained Kareena) grieving the loss of her young son Ekam (Mairaaj Kakkar). She is assigned a case of a missing boy, Ishpreet, roughly as old as Ekam, and she refuses to take it on initially. Reminded that work is work, she begins to investigate. Daljeet Kohli (Ranveer Brar) and Preeti Kohli (Prabhleen Kaur), the parents of Ishpreet have a dead marriage. As the investigation deepens after Ishpreet is found dead, new angles unfold, leading us towards a finale which though not shocking, is impactful. Writing anything more about the plot would be criminal (pun unintended).

What works

Set in Buckinghamshire, The Buckingham Murders is decidedly a slow burner. Hansal, being the skilled filmmaker he is, wraps up the track about Jasmeet’s loss in the first five minutes itself, so that the focus remains on the case at hand. Proceedings are set against the 2022 Leicester Hindu-Muslim unrest following the India-Pakistan Asia cricket cup. This gives writer Aseem Arrora enough scope to come up with scenes and plot points which blend in with the tense situation. The film isn’t preachy, which is a respite. ‘Justice trumps religion’ is the only takeaway.

The first half of the film takes time to build up, and neither does it leave you on a high before the intermission card pops up. In fact, I was surprised when it came up just 40 minutes into the runtime.

But things progress fast as soon as you return with your popcorn tubs to decode how did Ishpreet die. If you are a hardcore Crime Patrol fan, you might just guess it right before the big reveal. That doesn’t take away from the film because it touches upon themes like drug abuse and gender identities too.

Performance report card

Kareena is the heartbeat of this film. Roughly 20 minutes in, you forget this is the same person who pulled off a constantly yapping Geet in Jab We Met so well, or a money-minded air hostess in her recent flick Crew. Kareena has the right amount of pain and anger, barring that scene where she screams out of frustration. It feels… like a tick on the list of ‘Things a Frustrated Mother Has To Do In Every Film’. When things are subtle, like holding back her tears right until the end, they are impactful.

Also, Kareena’s stardom does not overpower the story or other characters, and that’s important. Otherwise self-financed films often become vehicles for actors to satisfy their vanity.

Ranveer Brar as the short-tempered Daljeet fits right in, and proves his mettle outside the kitchen too. Prabhleen Kaur suits the part of the seemingly innocent Preeti Kohli really well. Shoutout to Mukesh Chhabra and Shakyra Dowling- casting directors for The Buckingham Murders who have assembled a group of actors fitting the bill quite well.

Ranveer Brar as the short-tempered Daljeet fits right in, and proves his mettle outside the kitchen too. Prabhleen Kaur suits the part of the seemingly innocent Preeti Kohli really well. Shoutout to Mukesh Chhabra and Shakyra Dowling- casting directors for The Buckingham Murders who have assembled a group of actors fitting the bill quite well.

What does not work

The Buckingham Murder stays true to what it promises. Yes, the story isn’t something which shocks you out of your wits. There are no big reveals either which could have found their way into everyday water cooler chats. The audience for such films, from the POV of box office, is therefore niche. Slow burners rarely find mass acceptance. Here’s hoping that changes.