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The Buckingham Murders

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The Buckingham Murders
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHansal Mehta
Screenplay by
  • Aseem Arrora
  • Raghav Raj Kakker
  • Kashyap Kapoor
Story byAseem Arrora
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyEmma Dalesman
Edited byAmitesh Mukherjee
Music byScore:
Ketan Sodha
Night Song Records
Songs:
Bally Sagoo
Payal Dev
Karan Kulkarni
Production
companies
Distributed byPen Marudhar Entertainment
Release dates
  • 14 October 2023 (2023-10-14) (London)
  • 13 September 2024 (2024-09-13) (India)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguagesEnglish
Hindi
Box officeest. ₹14.56 crore[2]

The Buckingham Murders is a 2023 Indian crime thriller film directed by Hansal Mehta and starring Kareena Kapoor Khan as a grieving British-Indian detective who is assigned the case of a murdered child in Buckinghamshire.[3][4] It is written by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker, and Kashyap Kapoor and produced by Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor.

The film had its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023.[5] It was theatrically released on 13 September 2024 to generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

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Jasmeet "Jass" Bhamra, a British-Indian detective, is grieving the death of her child, who was killed by a drug-addicted shooter. She takes a transfer to Buckinghamshire, where she is assigned the case of a missing Indian child, Ishpreet, by Miller. With her superior, DI Hardik "Hardy" Patel, she interviews Ishpreet's parents, Daljeet and Preeti Kohli, and she learns the boy was adopted. Jass also discovers that Patel has history with the family, particularly with their relative, who is a former drug dealer.

Via CCTV footage, the police locate Ishpreet's last-known location at a park, where they begin an overnight search. At dawn, Patel tells his tired team to go home and ventures into the park with his subordinate, Simon. They discover Ishpreet's dead body in an abandoned car. The police trace the car to a Muslim man, whose nephew, Saquib, is seen borrowing the car on the day of the murder. He is revealed to be a drug-addict, and also has history with Patel. On further investigation, they find that Saquib was with the local Imam's son, Naved, on that day. During his interview, Naved reveals that Saquib killed Ishpreet (who was delivering cocaine to them) in a fit of rage. Saquib is arrested, but Jass is unconvinced. She tries to reason with Patel and Miller, but when Patel taunts her for losing her son, she punches him. Miller puts her off the case.

Jass, now given a desk job, is still quietly investigating the murder. She discovers that Patel has a sister who is in a coma due to drugs supplied to her by Saquib. She visits Saquib in prison, pleading with him to tell her the truth. He reveals that he did indeed get into an altercation with Ishpreet, but did not kill him. He also says that Naved and him are lovers. Jass pleads with a closeted Naved, saying that his testimony will lead to life imprisonment for Saquib. Disturbed, Naved says that he struck a deal with Patel, who said that Saquib would be released in a couple of years if he lied about the murder. Jass uses this information to reveal Patel's truth to Miller, but Patel shoots and kills himself instead.

Saquib is released from prison. Jass focusses on Daljeet as the new prime suspect. His transportation business is not doing well and he is broke, and had taken out a large life insurance on Ishpreet's name. They find that he is having an affair with a woman, Indrani, and that he is physically abusive towards Preeti. Meanwhile, Daljeet's relative Prithvi is seen making sexual advances on Preeti. Daljeet witnesses this, and in a fit of rage, murders him.

When arrested, Daljeet vehemently denies killing his adoptive son. On searching Prithvi's house, police discover Ishpreet's missing backpack among his belongings and a burner phone with which he was dealing drugs. They trace a call made on it to Preeti, who is revealed to be the mastermind all along to escape from her abusive marriage. She had seduced Prithvi and manipulated him into killing Ishpreet, and also orchestrated the event where Daljeet would murder Prithvi. Having closed the case, a traumatised Jass tries to get closure on her own son's death.

Cast

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Production

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The film marked Kareena Kapoor Khan's first production venture; she produced it alongside Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor.[7] She said that her role in the film was inspired by Kate Winslet's character in the miniseries Mare of Easttown.[4]

The film is in English and Hindi, with 80% of the dialogues in English.[8] It had predominantly British supporting actors, including Keith Allen.[9]

Music

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The soundtrack is composed by Bally Sagoo, Payal Dev and Karan Kulkarni. The lyrics are written by Shellee, Niren Bhatt, Kunaal Vermaa and Devshi Khanduri.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Sada Pyaar Tut Gaya"Devshi KhanduriBally SagooVicky Marley4:09
2."Yaad Reh Jaati Hai"Kunaal VermaaPayal DevB Praak4:14
3."Halki Khanak Si"ShelleeKaran KulkarniRekha Bhardwaj3:40

Release

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Theatrical

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The Buckingham Murders premiered at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023.[3] It served as the opening film for the 2023 Mumbai Film Festival at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre on 27 October.[10] The film was theatrically released on 13 September 2024.[11]

Mehta revealed that the film will mark the first part of a planned franchise.[12]

Home media

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The film premiered on Netflix from 8 November 2024.[13]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 79% of 14 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.[14]

Lachmi Deb Roy of the Firstpost rated 4/5 and stated in her review that "It is immersive, engaging and edgy, Hansal Mehta’s directorial and Kareena Kapoor Khan starrer The Buckingham Murders is a must watch not only for bereaved parents, but for all. The sharp silence of the film makes it all the more gripping."[15] Zinia Bandyopadhyay of India Today gave 4 stars out of 5 and stated in her review that "It is a beautifully-made film with brilliant performances. If you love a well-made thriller with a compelling story and layered narrative, this one is a must-watch".[16] Renuka Vyavahare of Times of India gave it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "This may not be an edge-of-your-seat, hard-hitting crime thriller as you expect it to be, but its understanding and expression of grief, isolation and repressed anger is noteworthy".[17]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5, writing that Kareena Kapoor Khan "nails her role with admirable felicity".[18] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, noting that "Kareena's sombre performance lingered on long after I had left the theater; her muted struggle as a woman haunted by the devastating loss of her young child and stoic leadership as a detective investigating the case of a missing kid reiterate her command of the art".[19] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated that "The Buckingham Murders is a slow-burning police drama set in England. Kareena Kapoor Khan shines in the role of an investigating police officer."[20] A critic from Bollywood Hungama gave 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "The Buckingham Murders is a lacklustre murder mystery."[21] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave 2.5 stars out of 5 but praised the performance of the lead actor saying "Kareena Kapoor Khan raises the bar, and her presence alone makes everyone else a clear supporting character."[22]

Writing for Film Companion, Sahir Avik D'Souza considered the film to be an "unflashy police procedural drama" anchored by a strong central performance from Kareena 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".[23] Rishabh Suri of Hindustan Times writes in his review of this film that "Kareena Kapoor is the heartbeat of this film; she has the right amount of pain and anger."[24] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu observes that "it is an intriguing murder mystery layered with apposite social commentary and a fast-paced thriller that makes us reflect on the social churn." He also wrote that "It is taut, tense, and tragic, director Hansal Mehta turns a formula into a formidable experience with a superb Kareena Kapoor Khan in tow."[25]

References

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  1. ^ "BUCKINGHAM MURDERS". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 25 September 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
  2. ^ "The Buckingham Murders Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b Khosla, Proma (15 October 2023). "Kareena Kapoor Khan Is Bollywood Royalty — but Her Constantly Evolving Career Speaks for Itself". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (29 January 2023). "India's Kareena Kapoor Khan Wraps 'The Devotion of Suspect X,' Detective Thriller: 'Films Are Shockingly Different'". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. ^ "The Buckingham Murders: Kareena Kapoor and Hansal Mehta's film gets standing ovation at BFI London Film Festival". Mid Day. 16 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  6. ^ Sarkar, Arpita (29 July 2023). "Ranveer Brar on working with Kareena Kapoor Khan in Hansal Mehta's next: 'She is very well...'". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Kareena Kapoor Khan receives a warm welcome from Ekta Kapoor, as she begins her journey as a producer 'always believed that women have an equal play in the business and success of a film". The Times of India. 11 August 2021. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Kareena starrer The Buckingham Murders is 80% English and 20% in Hindi". Film Companion. 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  9. ^ Ramnath, Nandini (20 September 2023). "What's behind the Kareena Kapoor Khan swerve: 'It's important to keep changing yourself'". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Kareena Kapoor-starrer The Buckingham Murders to be the opening film at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival". Bollywood Hungama. 17 October 2023. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Kareena Kapoor Khan's The Buckingham Murders to release in theaters on September 13, 2024". Bollywood Hungama. 1 July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  12. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (14 October 2023). "Kareena Kapoor Khan's London Festival Film 'The Buckingham Murders' is the First in a Franchise, Reveals Director Hansal Mehta". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  13. ^ "The Buckingham Murders OTT release: When and where to watch Kareena Kapoor, Hansal Mehta's investigative thriller". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
  14. ^ "The Buckingham Murders". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
  15. ^ Roy, Lachmi Deb (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Kareena Kapoor's eyes does all the talking in this engaging film". Firstpost. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  16. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Zinia (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Kapoor in top form in layered murder mystery". India Today. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  17. ^ Vyavahare, Renuka (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Kareena Kapoor weaponises her silence in this sombre murder mystery". Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  18. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Kapoor Nails The Role With Admirable Felicity". NDTV. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  19. ^ Verma, Sukanya (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena's Sublime Portrait Of Sadness". Rediff. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  20. ^ Sharma, Devesh (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Engrossing police procedural". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  21. ^ Bollywood Hungama News Network (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
  22. ^ Gupta, Shubhra (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders movie review: No-nonsense Kareena Kapoor Khan revels in her Kate Winslet era, but Hansal Mehta's film succumbs to obviousness". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  23. ^ D'Souza, Sahir Avik (17 October 2023). "Pick of BFI London Film Festival: The Buckingham Murders". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ^ Suri, Rishabh (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders review: Kareena Kapoor's restrained act powers slow-paced thriller that might test your patience". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  25. ^ Kumar, Anuj (13 September 2024). "'The Buckingham Murders' movie review: Kareena Kapoor Khan mothers this socially-pertinent whodunit". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
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