‘The Buckingham Murders’ movie review: Kareena Kapoor Khan mothers this socially-pertinent whodunit

Taut, tense, and tragic, director Hansal Mehta turns a formula into a formidable experience with a superb Kareena Kapoor Khan in tow in ‘The Buckingham Murders’

An intriguing murder mystery layered with apposite social commentary, The Buckingham Murders (TBM) is a fast-paced thriller that makes us reflect on the social churn. Fuelled by the powerhouse talent of Kareena Kapoor Khan and fine-tuned by writer-director Hansal Mehta’s empathetic gaze, the film genuinely attempts to understand the social outcasts within the framework of the genre.

Who are these young boys who shoot indiscriminately in public places in the affluent American and European suburbs? How is it that personal acrimony is taking a communal turn even in the so-called melting pots of the world? Who are these housewives who keep drudging to keep dead marriages and male ego alive? From Shahid and Omerta to Faraaz, Mehta seems to have this urge to understand the psyche of people whom we summarily ostracise or stereotype without listening to their side of the story. InTBM, without romanticising their actions, Mehta maps the troubled mindscapes on both sides of the law to probe how humanity crumbles, faith gives way, and demons seep through the crevices in conscience.  

Set in the multicultural backdrop of England, TBM stays true to the language and cultural accent of the location where a competent police officer Jaspreet Bhamra or Jass (Kareena)is emotionally torn after a personal loss. She takes a transfer and accepts a demotion in her job profile, but the grief refuses to fade away. Initially reluctant to join the investigation of a missing teenager, Jass decides to put duty before self. In the beginning, it seems Ishpreet has suffered because of the differences between his Punjabi father Daljit (Ranveer Brar) and his Pakistani Muslim business partner Saleem. As the latter’s son Saqib is the prime suspect, the case threatens to snowball into a racial stir in the neighbourhood.

But as the case unravels we figure out that writer Aseem Arora has chiselled multiple red herrings and a killer out of our social conditioning about grief and immigrant experience.

The template of a grieving police officer finding closure while solving a case is not new and has become formulaic over the years. In fact, it has been a go-to format for aging stars to flaunt some acting chops and find a new set of audience and critical acclaim. Kareena’s elder sister Karisma attempted something similar in the streaming series Brown.

If you get past the layers, you can sense the intention to mount a Kareena talent show in TBM as well, but the way it is plotted the whodunit keeps one invested. Every suspect has a redeeming feature and every law enforcer has a shade of grey. If Jass is struggling to move on, her superior Hardy (Ash Tandon) is also nursing a grudge. Wedded to patriarchy, the dour Daljit is ravaged by COVID and the loss of his adopted son. Surrounded by a philandering husband and a mother-in-law cribbing about a male heir, Ishpreet’s mother Preeti (Prabhleen Sandhu) is also writhing at the loss of her self-worth; the thriller has a dramatic layer of mothers coping with the loss of their sons.

There are moments where one feels that Mehta seems eager to tick as many social issues as possible in 114 minutes, but eventually one finds that the screenplay is thought through and the experience remains relatable for the most part. A lot of it has to do with the compelling performances by the cast. While Ranveer and Ash make it count, Kareena is the motherboard that keeps the mystery on course. In a deeply internalised performance without any frills that we associate with mainstream Hindi cinema, she digs deep into her emotional reservoir to come up with one of the most measured performances of her career. If Jaane Jaan was the appestiser, this is the main course. Striking a fine balance between Jaspreet’s tough exterior and inner turmoil, the role should get Kareena global attention. Before the release, the PR machinery had sowed comparisons with Kate Winslet in mind. If that is the real closure the film is aiming for, one can say she has nailed it.