THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS’ (ENGLISH-HINDI) REVIEW

This murder mystery takes place in London and is produced by Balaji Telefilms, Mahana Films, TBM Films, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Balaji Telefilms.

Hardy (Ash Tandon) and Jasmeet 'Jass' Bhamra (Kareena Kapoor Khan) work together to solve the death of a schoolchild. Surprising and horrifying things have come to light in the investigation.

Daljit and Preeti Kohli are anxious since their son Ishpreet, played by Sartaaj Kakkar, has not come home from school. Quickly, the police are led to believe that a murder has taken place, but whose killer is this? Hardy takes Saquib Chaudhary into custody; he is a friend of the Kohlis's family and the son of Kapil Redekar. However, is Saquib guilty of murder? Is it so? If so, why did he murder Ishpreet? Who killed Ishpreet and why didn't they?

Though it manages to capture the audience's attention from the very beginning, Aseem Arora's plot eventually becomes too predictable to keep them engaged. Screenwriters Aseem Arora, Kashyap Kapoor, and Raghav Raj Kakker could have done a better job of keeping viewers guessing, which is why the film falls short of expectations. The audience doesn't care much about any of the Kohlis—Ishpreet, Daljit, or Preeti—which is a big factor. The audience may not buy into the investigations for a variety of reasons, one of which is that the background of the people the suspicions lead to is usually divulged after they reach center stage. So, it's clear that viewers can't fully participate in the guessing game when they learn about the suspect's activities and patterns of behavior after they've become a suspect. The conversation delivered by Raghav Raj Kakker and Kashyap Kapoor is adequate, but the spark is absent.

In the role of Jaspreet "Jass" Bhamra, Kareena Kapoor Khan does a respectable job. She gives a powerful performance as the investigating officer, and Jass's own sorrow enhances her portrayal. When playing Hardy, Ash Tandon is completely at home. The role of Daljeet Kohli is well-played by Ranveer Singh Brar. Prabhleen Sandhu's portrayal of Preeti Kohli is superb. She brilliantly portrays all of her character nuances. Sanjeev Mehra's performance as Kamalpreet Bhamra is average. As Ishpreet Kohli, Sartaaj Kakkar delivers solid acting. As Saquib Chaudhary, Kapil Redekar makes a strong impression. As Naved, Rahul Sidhu is excellent. In his role as Miller, Keith Allen excels at times. As Prithvi, Manish Gandhi makes an impression. Haider Javed brings sincerity to his role as Talwinder Singh nicknamed Syringe. Adwoa Akoto (as Sharon Mark), Mairaaj Kakkar (as Ekam Bhamra), Darren Kemp (as Simon), Jonathan Nyati (as Cowden), Rukku Nahar (as Harleen), James Groom (as Vernon), Ruchika Jain (as Muneera Chaudhary), Assad Raja (as Saleem Chaudhary), Sarah Jane Dias (as Indrani), Bill Caple (as Larry), Choy-Ling Man (as Perry Evans), Lacey Megraph (as Florence), Hridik Pandey (as Ali), Farhan Baqi (as Akram), Zain Hussain (as Humza), Nicholas Gecks (as judge Osmond), Amardeep Singh Sidhu (as Dr. Singh), Saskia Robbins (as Shane), Emily-Jane Sheppard (as Amber), Shivani Malhotra (as Shalini) and the others lend the desired support.

Hansal Mehta has maturely handled the drama, which is a positive quality in his directing. However, it must be added that the narration is too class-appealing; there isn’t much for the masses in his narration and in the drama too. Karan Kulkarni and Bally Sagoo’s music is just about okay. Lyrics (by Shellee, Devshi Khanduri and Niren Bhatt) are appropriate. Ketan Sodha and Night Song Records’ background music enhances the impact of the proceedings. Emma Dalesman’s camerawork is very appealing. Dominic Kinniard’s action and stunt scenes are realistic. May Davies’ production designing is of a good standard. Amitesh Mukherjee’s editing is sharp.

On the whole, The Buckingham Murders is an ordinary fare but it is more suitable for OTT viewing. As such, its chances at the ticket windows aren’t bright at all.