The Buckingham Murders

2023 Indian film

The Buckingham Murders

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Hansal Mehta
Screenplay by|

* Aseem Arrora
* Raghav Raj Kakker
* Kashyap Kapoor

Story by| Aseem Arrora
Produced by|

* Shobha Kapoor
* Ekta Kapoor
* Kareena Kapoor Khan

Starring|

* Kareena Kapoor Khan
* Keith Allen
* Ranveer Brar

Cinematography| Emma Dalesman
Edited by| Amitesh Mukherjee
Music by| Score:
Ketan Sodha
Night Song Records
Songs:
Karan Kulkarni
Bally Sagoo

Production
companies

* Balaji Motion Pictures
* Mahana Films

Distributed by| Pen Marudhar Entertainment

Release dates

* 14 October 2023 (2023-10-14) (London)
* 13 September 2024 (2024-09-13) (India)

Running time

| 107 minutes[1]
Country| India
Languages| English
Hindi

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.[2][3]

The film had its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023.[4] It was theatrically released on 13 September 2024.

## Premise

[edit]

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.[5]

## Cast

[edit]

* Kareena Kapoor Khan as Jasmeet "Jazz" Bhamra
* Keith Allen as Miller
* Ranveer Brar[6] as Daljeet
* Prabhleen Sandhu as Preeti
* Ash Tandon as DI Hardik Patel
* Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chaudhary
* Jonathan Nyati as DS Cowden
* Darren Kemp as DS Simon Clark
* Charles Craddock as James Thomas
* Rukku Nahar as Harleen
* Haqi Ali
* Adwoa Akoto as DS Sharon Marks

## Production

[edit]

The film marked 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.[3]

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]

## Release

[edit]

The Buckingham Murders premiered at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on 14 October 2023.[2] 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] It is also set for an unspecified streaming release on Netflix.[12]

Mehta revealed that the film will mark the first part of a planned franchise.[5]

## Reception

[edit]

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5, writing that Kapoor Khan "nails her role with admirable felicity".[13] 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."[14] 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".[15] 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".[16] 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 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".[12] 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."[17] 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"[18] 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."[19] 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"[20] Lachmi Deb Roy of the Firstpost 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."[21]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "BUCKINGHAM MURDERS". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 7 September 2024.
2. ^ 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.
3. ^ 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.
4. ^ "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.
5. ^ a b 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.
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. ^ a b 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.
13. ^ Chatterjee, Saibal (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Kapoor Nails The Role With Admirable Felicity". NDTV. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
14. ^ 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. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
15. ^ Verma, Sukanya (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena's Sublime Portrait Of Sadness". Rediff. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
16. ^ Vyavahare, Renuka (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Kareena Kapoor weaponises her silence in this sombre murder mystery". Times of India. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
17. ^ Sharma, Devesh (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Movie Review: Engrossing police procedural". Filmfare. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
18. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Zinia (13 September 2024). "The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Kapoor in top form in layered murder mystery". India Today. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
19. ^ 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. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
20. ^ Kumar, Anuj (13 September 2024). "'The Buckingham Murders' movie review: Kareena Kapoor Khan mothers this socially-pertinent whodunit". The Hindu. Retrieved 13 September 2024.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
21. ^ 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.`{{cite news}}`: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

## External links

[edit]

* The Buckingham Murders at IMDb
* The Buckingham Murders at British Council

* v
* t
* e

Hansal Mehta

Films directed|

* Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar!! (2000)
* Chhal (2002)
* Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? (2003)
* Dus Kahaniyaan (2007; segment: "High on the Highway")
* Woodstock Villa (2008)
* Shahid (2013)
* City Lights (2014)
* Aligarh (2015)
* Simran (2017)
* Omerta (2017)
* Chhalaang (2020)
* Faraaz (2022)
* The Buckingham Murders (2023)

Television series directed|

* Khana Khazana (1993–1999)
* Star Bestsellers (1999; episode: ""Neeti (The Frog and the Scorpion)")
* Scam 1992 (2020)
* Modern Love Mumbai (2022; segment: "Baai")
* Scoop (2023)

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