Buckingham Murders - A walk in the park

 

Movie: The Buckingham Murderss

Language: British English and Hindi

Year: 2024

Director: Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, Prabhleen Sandhu, Kapil Redekar

Mohan's Measure:  ⭐

Netflix's never-ending obsession with showing India and Indians in a macabre light continues.  While the setup is meant for a classy noir, the desire to show the worst makes no room for poetic justice or the inner morality that is necessary for the genre.

Ms. Khan plays her character with toned down makeup and a sense of stoicism.  But, playing a hard nosed detective is simply not her forte.  Her facial expressions seem more apathetic than concerned, hardly wavering from this mannequin-like stare.  We are supposed to sympathize with her because of her PTSD memories, but there is an ingenuous feeling about her acting that prevents us. 

Film noir is generally a character study, but the director seems to be unaware of this.  Except for a few rude awakenings, we get to know little about these people or the complexities that drive them.  What is revealed is mass appeal to audiences looking for indiscretions and alternative lifestyles.

And, there, my friends is the rub of it.  There is not a single Indian in this movie who is shown as just being an honest Joe, doing his/her job, because it's the right thing to do.  I am not sure whether that says something about us as a society or about Netflix as a company.  Either way, I am glad I am the odd man out.