Mumbai:
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Tuesday said she was happy to get a chance to work with Hansal Mehta in his upcoming film ‘The Buckingham Murders’ as she praised the filmmaker for making her feel comfortable on the sets.
The UK-set murder-mystery, which is also Kareena’s production debut, sees the actress play Jasmeet Bhamra aka Jass, a police officer grieving the death of her child who is tasked with investigating a missing child.
Kareena praised Hansal for staying true to the authenticity of the story.
“This film would not have been what it is without the man himself, the captain of the ship, Hansal Mehta. The way he has shot, the way he has made me into a character as well, made me so comfortable. . . . We loved this story, we loved screenplay… There is no one better than Hansal who has made this movie with such good content.
“When Hansal sent it to me, I was like, ‘We have to do this.’ the most special to me,” he shared here.
The actor was speaking at the trailer launch of ‘The Buckingham Murders’, also produced by Ektaa Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor under Balaji Telefilms and TBM Films.
The film will be released in the original language (English and Hindi) as well as a Hindi version.
Kareena said that language is no longer a barrier for cinema these days.
“I don’t think it’s a different kind of film. You can’t say that these days because a film has song and dance, so it’s put in a box, which is a mass picture. If the film is good, people will watch it…
“He (the character Jass) lives in the UK, so when you’re there, you only speak to people in English. So the characters who know Hindi, we speak in Hindi, the ones who are English, we speak to them in English. It’s a different mix, and I think he has been perfect to shoot this movie and make this movie with the right emotions.” He also described producer Ekta as the “backbone” of the film.
“I want to thank my friend Ekta, who always believed and dared to stand by me and say, ‘We will do this, we will do this together’. Whatever we have done, we have always been I am very confident this time. Hansal, who is known for films like ‘Shahid,’ “Citylights” and of the web series “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story”, said his new film has universal appeal.
“It is important to bring authenticity. In London, the person watching it feels like it is his film, and here the person watching it connects with the feeling of the mother. Mother’s feeling is universal and the whole world is related to it. It’s not all India, we have made a Hindi version as well. I don’t see this film as the whole of India but as the whole world,” he said.
A mother’s feeling has no language, Kareena added.
“It’s a feeling. And Jass is a mother. And it’s also her journey beyond research. So I think being a mother myself, she understands the fact that there is no mother’s love language. Her eyes show love and pain, nothing else important .
“I think that’s what connected me to the character… Somehow, there was so much soul here that I felt like this is the right moment to know this character and play it,” she said.
Ektaa, who has worked with Kareena in films like ‘Udta Punjab’, ‘Veere Di Wedding’ and ‘Crew’, said ‘The Buckingham Murders’ is a ‘complete metamorphosis’ for the star.
“I have worked with Kareena on four films now. She’s a star, but she’s also a great actress… I thought we had a woman with size, power. You can’t get stories out there in a medium that’s completely male-driven, a completely different kind of commerce, unless you use your intelligence and make it commercial…
“At the same time, back it up with a great actor and a big star. I knew that for that the actress had to agree to appear in a different film. And the only one I was sure who was brave and eligible as far as stardom is concerned is Kareena. We approached her, we had decided that if she says ‘yes’, this film will be made, and he came on board as an actor and producer.
The Buckingham Murders also stars Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar and Keith Allen. It is written by Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor and Raghav Raj Kakker. It is scheduled to release in theaters on September 13. PTI SSG RDS BK BK
