The Buckingham Murders Review: For the longest time in the Indian cinema, a mother’s grief was seen as one-dimensional. She was the weeping, inconsolable figure wrapped in white. But for Kareena Kapoor Khan’s Jasmeet Bhamra in The Buckingham Murders, her grief over losing her son is more a weapon than an impediment.
After her son is killed in a shooting, detective Jasmeet Bhamra moves to Buckinghamshire where she is assigned a case that gnaws at her wounds. A young, Sikh boy is murdered and the primary suspect is a Muslim boy with a drug addiction. But what is a murder mystery without a classic bait to chew?
Sleepy towns make for great murder mysteries. The tawny homes amid the tall trees are a playground for the more fiendish ones in the community. However, as Jasmeet attempts to bring the boy to justice, the town’s facade slowly crumbles to reveal the horrors of communal violence, discrimination and homophobia.
While the film is not your ‘thrill-a-minute’ mystery, Hansal Mehta’s lens ably shows you the emotions that dictate criminal behaviour. However, this investigation into immigrants’ emotions often overpowers the larger plot, making the murder probe itself seem half-churned at times.
The Buckingham Murders is a slow-burn police procedural, mounted on the able shoulders of Kareena Kapoor Khan. It is a two-hour testament to Kareena’s brilliance as an actor. Mehta brings out the best in her. The actress, who once called herself ‘the most commercial heroine’, impresses with her unglamorous, nuanced expression of unresolved grief and devastation.
Her silent desolation and subtle ways of rebellion become the film’s driving force. A scene where she understands her grief from her father’s perspective is particularly compelling. Kareena Kapoor will dare you to take your eyes off her on-screen and you will rightly lose.
The film’s supporting cast brings their A-game to complement Kapoor. Ranveer Brar convincingly portrays Daljeet Kohli, a man who has lost his mother, his son and his business. He melds the different layers of his character with a commendable performance. Ash Tandon as ‘Hardy’ Patel and Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chowdhary nail their characters with ease. At its core, The Buckingham Murders is a story about mothers and sons. As such, Prabhleen Sandhu as the ‘unassuming’ Preeti Kohli deserves a special cheer for her performance.
While the film’s cast is fantastic in their roles, its heart is behind the camera. Another testament to Mehta’s vision as a director is how he uses Jasmeet’s wardrobe as an obvious but important aspect of her character. Jasmeet is seen dressed in black and dark purples throughout the film. The only colour comes from the blood-soaked yellow T-shirt her son wore at the time of his passing. The colour yellow is often associated with hope and happiness, both of which Jasmeet clings on to for her own sake. The only time we see Jasmeet in a bright colour is when she finally stops running from her haunting past.
Director Hansal Mehta and editor Amitesh Mukherjee carefully set the colour palette of the film, which accentuates the grimness of the characters. Director of Photography Emma Dalesman masterfully brings the story to life. She treats the character’s environment as their extensions and the result is a visual treat on screen. Karan Kulkarni’s music ties the film together by exploring the feeling of being Indian in a foreign land.
What becomes apparent then is that the ‘murder’ in The Buckingham Murders is bogged down by a predictable plot. Writers Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker and Kashyap Kapoor have tried hard to weave a gripping narrative but the exploration of the characters’ strong emotions overtakes the investigation. However, while this murder mystery lacks any edge-of-the-seat moments, it is not entirely to the film’s detriment as the writers’ understanding of isolation and dimensions of grief is noteworthy.
The Buckingham Murders becomes a must-watch with its compelling performances and visual storytelling. A de-glam Kareena Kapoor has never left fans disappointed. Like in Udta Punjab and Jaane Jaan, Kapoor’s masterful acting chops are on full display here. Add to that Hansal Mehta’s brilliant vision and we have ourselves a delectable dyad.
Comments
0 comment