Balaji Telefilms, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mahana Films and TBM Films’ The Buckingham Murders (English-Hindi; A) is a murder mystery set in London.
Jasmeet ‘Jass’ Bhamra (Kareena Kapoor Khan) assists Hardy (Ash Tandon) in the investigation of a school kid’s murder case. The revelations in the probe are not just shocking but also jaw-dropping.
Ishpreet Kohli (Sartaaj Kakkar) has not returned from school and his parents, Daljit (Ranveer Brar) and Preeti (Prabhleen Sandhu), are worried. Police investigations soon point to a murder, but who is the murderer? Hardy arrests Saquib Chaudhary (Kapil Redekar), the son of close family friends of the Kohlis. But is Saquib the murderer? If so, what was his motive for killing Ishpreet? If not, who murdered Ishpreet and why?
Aseem Arora’s story is quite intriguing and hooks the viewers right from the word ‘go’ but is not able to sustain the interest for long because it then slips into the routine territory. The screenplay, written jointly by Aseem Arora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker, is not half as engaging as it should’ve been because it often fails to involve the audience in the guessing game. One major reason for this is that the viewers don’t feel very invested in the Kohlis — Ishpreet, Daljit or Preeti. Besides, why the audience may not be completely taken in by the investigations could also be because the back story of those whom the needle of suspicion points to is often revealed after s/he becomes the focal point. In other words, since the viewers sometimes get to know about the suspect’s actions and behavioural patterns after he or she has become the suspect, it is obvious that the viewers cannot completely partake in the guessing game. Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker’s dialogues are okay but the fire is missing.
Kareena Kapoor Khan gives a pretty good account of herself as Jaspreet ‘Jass’ Bhamra. She essays the role of the investigation officer with conviction, the personal tragedy of Jass only adding to her performance. Ash Tandon is natural in the role of Hardy. Ranveer Singh Brar acts ably as Daljeet Kohli. Prabhleen Sandhu is wonderful in the role of Preeti Kohli. She does full justice to the various shades of her character. Sanjeev Mehra is so-so as Kamalpreet Bhamra. Sartaaj Kakkar is good as Ishpreet Kohli. Kapil Redekar impresses a lot as Saquib Chaudhary. Rahul Sidhu makes a fine mark as Naved. Keith Allen has his moments as Miller. Manish Gandhi makes his presence felt in the role of Prithvi. Haider Javed (as Talwinder Singh alias Syringe) acts with conviction. Adwoa Akoto (as Sharon Mark), Mairaaj Kakkar (as Ekam Bhamra), Darren Kemp (as Simon), Jonathan Nyati (as Cowden), Rukku Nahar (as Harleen), James Groom (as Vernon), Ruchika Jain (as Muneera Chaudhary), Assad Raja (as Saleem Chaudhary), Sarah Jane Dias (as Indrani), Bill Caple (as Larry), Choy-Ling Man (as Perry Evans), Lacey Megraph (as Florence), Hridik Pandey (as Ali), Farhan Baqi (as Akram), Zain Hussain (as Humza), Nicholas Gecks (as judge Osmond), Amardeep Singh Sidhu (as Dr. Singh), Saskia Robbins (as Shane), Emily-Jane Sheppard (as Amber), Shivani Malhotra (as Shalini) and the others lend the desired support.
Hansal Mehta’s direction is good as he has handled the drama with maturity. However, it must be added that the narration is too class-appealing; there isn’t much for the masses in his narration and in the drama too. Karan Kulkarni and Bally Sagoo’s music is just about okay. Lyrics (by Shellee, Devshi Khanduri and Niren Bhatt) are appropriate. Ketan Sodha and Night Song Records’ background music enhances the impact of the proceedings. Emma Dalesman’s camerawork is very appealing. Dominic Kinniard’s action and stunt scenes are realistic. May Davies’ production designing is of a good standard. Amitesh Mukherjee’s editing is sharp.
On the whole, The Buckingham Murders is an ordinary fare but it is more suitable for OTT viewing. As such, its chances at the ticket windows aren’t bright at all.
Released on 13-9-’24 at Inox (daily 5 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru PEN Marudhar Cine Entertainment. Publicity & opening: so-so. …….Also released all over. Opening was below the mark everywhere. …….The film has also been dubbed in Hindi. The dubbed version has released simultaneously.