The Buckingham Murders is a 2023 Indian crime thriller directed by Hansal Mehta, featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead role. She portrays a British-Indian detective grappling with personal loss while investigating the harrowing case of a child’s murder in Buckinghamshire. The screenplay is crafted by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker, and Kashyap Kapoor.
Produced by Kareena Kapoor Khan alongside Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, the film had its world premiere at the 67th BFI London Film Festival on October 14, 2023. It later saw a theatrical release on September 13, 2024, earning widespread acclaim from critics.
Cast and Crew
- Director: Hansal Mehta
- Screenplay: Raghav Raj Kakker, Kashyap Kapoor, Aseem Arora
- Story: Aseem Arora
- Producer: Ekta Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Shobha Kapoor
- Star Cast: Kareena Kapoor Khan
- Keith Allen
- Ranveer Brar
- Cinematography: Emma Dalesman
- Editor: Amitesh Mukherjee
- Production company: Balaji Motion Pictures
- Mahana Films
- Miracle Pictures
- Genres: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Distributor: Pen Marudhar Entertainment
- Release dates: 14 October 2023 (London)
- 13 September 2024 (India)
- Running time: 107 minutes
- Country: India
- Languages: English, Hindi
The Buckingham Murders Movie 2024 Trailer
Film Star Cast
- Kareena Kapoor Khan as Jasmeet “Jass” Bhamra
- Keith Allen as Miller
- Ranveer Brar as Daljeet Kohli
- Prabhleen Sandhu as Preeti Kohli
- Sarah-Jane Dias as Indrani Rai
- Manish Gandhi as Prithvi
- Ash Tandon as DI Hardik Patel
- Kapil Redekar as Saquib Chaudhary
- Rahul Sidhu as Naved
- Sanjeev Mehra as Kamalpreet Bhamra
- Jonathan Nyati as DS Cowden
- Darren Kemp as DS Simon Clark
- Charles Craddock as James Thomas
- Rukku Nahar as Harleen
- Haqi Ali as Imam
- Adwoa Akoto as DS Sharon Mark
Story of the film
The death of her child, who was murdered by a heroin addict, is causing Indian-British investigator Jasmeet “Jass” Bhamra to mourn. Following her relocation to Buckinghamshire, Miller gives her the case of an Indian youngster who has gone missing, Ishpreet. Speaking with Ishpreet’s parents, Daljeet and Preeti Kohli, she finds out that the child was adopted while accompanied by her supervisor, DI Hardik “Hardy” Patel. Furthermore, Jass learns that Patel has relatives who used to peddle drugs.
After utilising CCTV to find Ishpreet’s last known position in a park, the police begin a nocturnal search. Patel sends his exhausted employees home before dawn and heads into the park with his subordinate Simon. Ishpreet’s lifeless body is discovered in an abandoned car.
Police identify the owner of the vehicle as a Muslim man whose nephew, Saquib, is observed operating it on the day of the murder. After more research, they discovered that Saquib was with the son of the local Imam, Naved, on that particular day. Saquib killed Ishpreet in a fit of rage when she was carrying them cocaine, according to Naved’s interview.
Jass is not convinced, but Saquib is taken into custody. After attempting to reason with Miller and Patel, she hits him after he makes fun of her for losing her child. Miller takes her out of the case.
Now that she has a desk job, Jass continues to covertly look into the murder. She learns that Patel’s sister is in a coma as a result of the medicines that Saquib gave her. She begs Saquib to tell her the truth when she pays him a visit in prison. He admits that although he did argue with Ishpreet, he did not murder him. In addition, he claims that he and Naved are in love. Jass begs with a reticent Naved, claiming that Saquib would be imprisoned for life as a result of his testimony. Naved, who is upset, claims that he made a bargain with Patel, who promised to free Saquib in a few years, provided he lied about the murder. When Jass utilises this information to tell Miller the truth, Patel shoots and ends his own life.
Inmate Saquib is released. Jass’s attention is on Daljeet, who has emerged as the new major suspect. He obtained a substantial life insurance policy in Ishpreet’s name because he is impoverished, and his transportation company is having trouble. In addition to having an affair with Indrani, they find out that he is physically abusing Preeti. Meanwhile, it is seen that Daljeet’s relative Prithvi is pursuing Preeti for sex. As he sees this, Daljeet becomes enraged and kills him.
Production
Alongside Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan produced the movie, which was her debut producing endeavor. According to her, Kate Winslet’s role in the film was inspired by her character from the miniseries Mare of Easttown.
Eighty percent of the language in the Hindi-English film is in English. Keith Allen and other supporting performers were primarily British.
Songs/Music
Payal Dev, Karan Kulkarni, and Bally Sagoo wrote the music. Lyrics for the movie were written by Devshi Khanduri, Niren Bhatt, Shellee, and Kunaal Vermaa.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer |
| 1 | “Sada Pyaar Tut Gaya” | Devshi Khanduri | Bally Sagoo | Vicky Marley |
| 2 | “Yaad Reh Jaati Hai” | Kunaal Vermaa | Payal Dev | B Praak |
| 3 | “Halki Khanak Si” | Shellee | Karan Kulkarni | Shelley |
Release
Theatrical
The 67th BFI London Film Festival hosted the premiere of The Buckingham Murders on October 14, 2023. On October 27, 2023, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre hosted the first screening of the Mumbai Film Festival. On September 13, 2024, the film was released in theatres.
According to Mehta, the movie will be the introduction of a planned franchise.
Home media
The movie debuted on Netflix on November 8, 2024.
Review
Both spectators and critics gave The Buckingham Murders favorable reviews.
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregate website, has an average rating of 6.7/10, with 79% of the reviews from 14 reviewers being favorable.
Lachmi Deb Roy, who gave The Firstpost a rating of 4/5, commented in her assessment that The Buckingham Murders, directed by Hansal Mehta and starring Kareena Kapoor Khan, is a must-see for everyone, not just for grieving parents, since it is immersive, captivating, and edgy. The film’s intense quiet heightens its suspense.
India Today’s Zinia Bandyopadhyay rated the film four stars out of five, saying that it is a masterfully crafted movie with outstanding performances. A must-watch for fans of well-crafted thrillers with a gripping plot and multi-layered storyline.
The Times of India’s Renuka Vyavahare rated it 3.5 out of 5, saying, “This may not be an action-packed, intense crime thriller as you would expect, but its understanding and expression of grief, isolation, and repressed anger is noteworthy.”
NDTV’s Saibal Chatterjee rated the movie a 3 out of 5, stating that Kareena Kapoor Khan did a fantastic job on her part.
According to Rediff’s Sukanya Verma, who rated the movie three stars out of five, Kareena’s solemn performance stayed with me long after I had left the theater. Her quiet battle as a mother grieving over the death of her young child and her composed leadership as a detective looking into a missing child’s case further demonstrated her mastery of the craft.
A Bollywood Hungama critic rated The Buckingham Murders as a mediocre murder mystery and gave it two stars out of five.
According to Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express, who gave Kareena Kapoor Khan’s performance 2.5 stars out of 5, her mere presence makes everyone else seem like they have a supporting role.
Writing for Film Companion, Sahir Avik D’Souza viewed the movie as a straightforward police procedural drama that was anchored by Kareena Kapoor Khan’s powerful performance, which he found convincing in a setting far different from her prior work. The movie’s murder mystery, however, was “without bite,” he remarked.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025l, April 12). The Buckingham Murders. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Buckingham_Murders#Plot
- The Buckingham Murders (2023)? 5.9 | Crime, drama, mystery. (2024, September 13). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15245240/
