THE BUCKINGHAM MURDERS

India, 2024, 106 minutes, Colour.

Kareena Kapoor, Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar Keith Allen, Prabhleen Sandhu, Manish Gandhi, Rahul Sidhu, Kapil Redekar.

Directed by Hansal Mehta.

This is an Indian production, financed, range of Indian actors led by one of the most famous actresses in India, Kareena Kapoor. It was filmed in England, using both English and Hindi – however, the Netflix release is complete Hindi dialogue.

The film opens with the shocking killing by a drug addict of people in the bowling alley, especially the young son of police Inspector, Jass Bamhra, played by Kapoor. Devastated, she transfers to the police department in High Wycombe and is immediately asked to participate in the investigation of the murdered 10-year-old boy.

This means that the film works as police investigation, a great deal of screenplay attention to the police precinct, the variety of perso the nnel, their interactions, the methods, the uncovering of the truth. It also means that the film works as a murder mystery. And, quite a number of twists in merge and, for most audiences, the ultimate villain will be more than a surprise.

The film explores tensions between migrants to the UK from the subcontinent, the range of different cultures and religion, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim.

Jass remains deadly serious throughout, a touch of relief as she remembers happy times with her son. She is also aggressive, having punched the killer at the opening of the film, and also attacking one of her fellow officers who is very prickly in his work with her. He is also shown at the bedside of his sister, hospitalised with severe drug overdose.

There is the focus on the family of the dead boy, his being adopted, the difficulties of his father and antagonism towards a former partner. There is the put upon mother.

Eventually, a suspect is arrested, interrogated, a confession. But, Jass is not satisfied and pursues her investigation, uncovering quite a number of further complications raising issues of drug deals, boys used as couriers, disapproving of homosexual relationships…

And, there is a surprise conclusion to the resolving of the mystery.

1. An Indian production, filmed in England, Hindi and English (Hindi with English subtitles for Netflix)?
2. The title, police procedural film, murder mystery? Expectations of police work, detection? Murder mystery, victim, possible suspects, plot twists, unexpected guilty?
3. The background of race riots in Leicester and other cities, racial issues? Again pervading the film? Migrants from the subcontinent, Hindu,Sikh, Muslim?
4. The opening, the intensity of the shooting, the bowling alley, the glint in the eye of the killer, the victims? In court, suit and tie, addict, his self pitying plea that he was ignored, his anger, shooting?
5. Jass Bamhra, in court, serious, the death of her son, the verdict, her physically attacking the killer? Her grief, flashbacks throughout the film, the grief and anger pervading the film, her work as a detective?
6. Her relationship with her father, the conversation about her maturity when young, her father regretting she didn’t have a childhood, the death of her mother? Her abilities, joining the police? Her decision for a transfer, a lesser rank? Her going to High Wycombe?
7. Her arrival, Miller in charge, the assignment, the murder of a boy, her wanting out, later demanding in? The other members of the force, Hardy and his working with her, the multiracial staff, black, white, men, women?
8. The search for the boy, everyone in the park, his eventually being found, in the car? His parents, their situation, the father and his collaboration in the business, religious differences, losing customers, atmosphere of feud? Sikh? Antagonism towards Muslims? The later confrontations in the street? His wife, quiet, sad, put upon? The later interviews, his self-assertion, the revelation of his affair and meetings, that he was violent towards his wife, son as adopted, age, insurance policy and its being blocked? Suspicions on him despite his protestations?
9. The finding of the body, the autopsy, DNA and prints? Leads?
10. Hardy, confrontation with Saquib, under suspicion, drugs and addiction, his age, his mother being protective, his father and the partnership in business and the consequences?
11. Saquib, the interrogations, surly? His friendship with Nadem, his statement and his story, the murdered boy, the drugs, dispute about the payment, so keep and his anger, drowning the boy, the body, the car? Hardy and his harshness, the background of his sister, addiction, in the hospital, vegetable state, his visits, motivations?
12. Jass, serious, stern demeanour, the clashes with Hardy, her punching him, transferred to desk work, off the case? Yet her persistence in investigation? Her interview with the parents after the finding of the body?
13. Nadem and his arrest, fear for his father, his version of the story?
14. Her continued suspicions, about Saquib, getting Miller’s permission to have 10 minutes with him, his surliness, and breaking down his resistance, the twist in the plot, the homosexual relationship between Saquib and Nadem, the kiss, the swimming, their keeping it quiet, family, Nadem and his father the imam?
15. Further developments, the Sikhk household, the two brothers, four years in prison, the almost death of Hardy’s sister, his doing the social media programs warning people against drugs? His younger brother, the visualising of his over attention to the wife? The husband, returning, hearing the young man with his wife, attacking him, bashing him to death?
16. The suspicions on Hardy, his setting up of Nadem, Nadem’s phone call, in the car, Jass and Miller following, the revelation of the truth about the body, Hardy and the setup, his killing himself?
17. The further investigations, interviewing the girlfriend of the husband, the business deals?
18. Jass, suspicions, to the airport, the confrontation with the wife, the interrogation, the flashbacks, the different interpretation of her behaviour, her resentments about the boy, her husband, the relationship with the young man, her using him, the flashback to his drowning the boy and leaving him?

Audience interest in the complexities of the plot, social, religious and cultural differences, business differences? The nature of the police detection? The murder mystery, the different involvements? The solution, unexpected?