'The Buckingham Murders' REVIEW: Is the Kareena Kapoor Khan-starrer film worth your time?

The Buckingham Murders is a slow-burn police procedural starring Kareena Kapoor Khan and has a two-hour showcase of the actress' talent as a performer.

For a long time in Indian cinema, a mother's grief was portrayed as one-dimensional. She was the crying, inconsolable woman draped in white. However, Kareena Kapoor Khan's Jasmeet Bhamra in The Buckingham Murders uses her grief at the loss of her son as a weapon rather than an impediment. After her son is killed in a shooting, detective Jasmeet Bhamra relocates to Buckinghamshire and is assigned a case that gnaws at her wounds. A young Sikh boy is murdered, and the main suspect is a Muslim boy with a drug addiction. But what's a murder mystery without a traditional bait to nibble on?

Sleepy communities make for excellent murder mysteries. The tawny bungalows nestled among the tall trees serve as a playground for the community's most daring residents. However, as Jasmeet works to bring the child to justice, the town's façade gradually fractures, revealing the horrors of communal violence, bigotry, and homophobia. While the film isn't a 'thrill-a-minute' mystery, Hansal Mehta's lens effectively depicts the emotions that drive criminal behavior. However, this examination of immigrants' emotions frequently overshadows the greater plot, making the murder investigation appear half-baked at times.

The Buckingham Murders

The Buckingham Murders is a slow-burn police procedural starring Kareena Kapoor Khan. It's a two-hour showcase of Kareena's talent as a performer. Mehta draws the best out of her. The actress, who once proclaimed herself 'the most commercial heroine', amazes with her unglamorous, subtle articulation of unresolved pain and devastation. Her quiet sadness and small acts of disobedience become the film's driving force. A scenario in which she recognizes her sadness from her father's perspective is quite moving. Kareena Kapoor will challenge you to take your eyes off her on-screen, and you will rightfully lose.

Performances

The film's supporting cast performs admirably alongside Kapoor. Ranveer Brar delivers an excellent performance as Daljeet Kohli, a guy who has lost his mother, kid, and business. He delivers an amazing performance that seamlessly integrates his character's various facets. Ash Tandon as 'Hardy' Patel and Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chowdhary do their roles with ease. At its heart, The Buckingham Murders is a story about mothers and sons. As a result, Prabhleen Sandhu as the 'unassuming' Preeti Kohli deserves special recognition for her portrayal.