The Story of The Buckingham Murders
The Buckingham Murders isn't your standard procedural. It's a film about the people behind the badge—specifically, Jasmeet Bhamra, a detective carrying the weight of a tragedy that shouldn't define her career but inevitably does. When she transfers to High Wycombe, hoping for a fresh start after losing her own child in a shooting spree, she's assigned to investigate the disappearance of another child. Fresh wounds reopen. The case becomes personal before she's even reviewed the first file. What unfolds is a tense, character-driven mystery where the investigation becomes inseparable from Bhamra's own unresolved grief, forcing her to confront whether she's truly ready to hunt for answers when her own questions remain unanswered.
Director Hansal Mehta constructs the narrative around this psychological tension—the case isn't just a puzzle to solve, it's a mirror reflecting back everything the protagonist has lost. The missing child case serves as the spine, but the real story lives in those moments when Bhamra realizes she can't separate her professional duty from her personal devastation. It's a deliberate choice that elevates the film beyond simple whodunit territory.
Behind the Making of The Buckingham Murders
Produced by Mahana Films, Balaji Motion Pictures, and TBM Films, The Buckingham Murders represents a significant undertaking in cross-cultural storytelling. The film was written by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker, and Kashyap Kapoor—a trio tasked with grounding a British setting and a British-Indian protagonist with authenticity. Director Hansal Mehta, known for his unflinching approach to difficult subject matter in films like Shahid and Aligarh, brings that same uncompromising sensibility here.
Kareena Kapoor Khan's involvement extends beyond acting; she's credited as a producer alongside Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor of Balaji Motion Pictures, giving her creative stake in the project's direction. The 2024 release represents her foray into more complex, morally ambiguous territory—a departure from some of her earlier work. The film's 107-minute runtime is lean enough to maintain tension without padding, suggesting the filmmakers trusted their material rather than inflating it with unnecessary subplots. While the film hasn't dominated box office headlines or major awards ceremonies, it's found its audience on streaming platforms, where character-driven thrillers often perform stronger than they do in theatrical releases.
What Makes The Buckingham Murders Stand Out
Honestly, what's striking about this film is how it refuses to separate the investigation from the investigator. Most crime thrillers treat the detective as a vessel for the plot—someone we follow as they gather clues and chase leads. The Buckingham Murders does something different. Bhamra's trauma isn't background noise; it's the actual subject. Every decision she makes, every suspect she interviews, every dead end she hits—they're all filtered through her grief. That's a harder sell than a straightforward mystery, and it's not surprising the IMDb rating sits at 5.63/10, suggesting the film's approach didn't land universally.
What doesn't work for some viewers—the emotional heaviness, the refusal to provide neat answers—is precisely what makes it compelling for others. Kapoor's performance anchors the entire enterprise. She doesn't play Bhamra as a stoic professional masking her pain; instead, the mask slips constantly, sometimes in public, sometimes in private, always painfully. There's a scene where she's interviewing a witness and her composure fractures for just a moment—not melodramatically, but with the kind of quiet desperation that suggests she's barely holding it together. That specificity of performance is what separates The Buckingham Murders from formulaic crime television.
The film also benefits from its willingness to sit in discomfort. It doesn't rush toward resolution or provide the cathartic closure audiences often expect from thrillers. Instead, it lingers on the messy reality that some cases don't close cleanly, and some grief doesn't resolve just because you solve a puzzle. That's not always satisfying. But it's honest.
How to Stream The Buckingham Murders Online
The Buckingham Murders is currently available across major OTT platforms, making it accessible to viewers who prefer streaming over theatrical releases. Check the "Where to Watch" widget at the top of this page on Movie OTT to see which services in your region are currently carrying the film—availability shifts regularly, and Movie OTT tracks these changes across Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, and other major platforms. If you're planning to watch, it's worth verifying availability before settling in, as streaming rights are fluid and titles rotate on and off catalogs regularly. The film's 107-minute runtime makes it a manageable evening watch, suitable for viewers who want something more substantive than typical streaming fare but don't want to commit to a lengthy miniseries.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Who directed The Buckingham Murders?
Hansel Mehta directed the film. He's known for his work on challenging, character-driven narratives like Shahid and Aligarh, bringing that same unflinching approach to this crime thriller.
Q: Is The Buckingham Murders based on a true story?
The film isn't based on a specific real case, though it draws on the emotional reality of how personal trauma intersects with professional responsibility in law enforcement. The story was written by Aseem Arrora, Raghav Raj Kakker, and Kashyap Kapoor as an original screenplay.
Q: What's the runtime of The Buckingham Murders?
The film runs 107 minutes, keeping the narrative tight and focused on the emotional core rather than padding it with unnecessary subplots.
Q: Where can I watch The Buckingham Murders?
The film is available on major OTT services. Use the streaming availability widget on this page to find where it's currently streaming in your region, as availability varies by location and changes frequently.
Q: Why is The Buckingham Murders rated 5.63 on IMDb?
The film's rating reflects its challenging approach to the crime-thriller genre. Some viewers appreciate its refusal to separate the detective's personal trauma from her professional investigation, while others find the emotional heaviness and lack of neat resolution frustrating.
Final Thoughts on The Buckingham Murders
The Buckingham Murders won't be for everyone—and that's okay. It's a film that prioritizes emotional truth over plot mechanics, character complexity over procedural satisfaction. Kareena Kapoor Khan delivers one of her most nuanced performances, and director Hansel Mehta's commitment to that discomfort makes the film linger long after it ends. If you're drawn to crime thrillers that challenge rather than comfort, this one's worth your time. Just don't expect all your questions answered by the credits.
