Bombay:
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan on Tuesday said she is happy to have got the opportunity to work with Hansal Mehta in her upcoming film “The Buckingham Murders”, and praised the filmmaker for making her feel comfortable on the set.
The UK-set murder mystery, which also marks Kareena’s feature debut, will see the actress play Jasmeet Bhamra, aka Jass, a police officer grieving the death of her son and tasked with investigating the disappearance of a 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 shot it, the way he made me feel like the character, made me feel so comfortable… We loved this story idea; we loved the script… There is no one better than Hansal to make this film which has such great content. He has stuck to the authenticity of the film…
“When Hansal sent it to me, I was like, ‘We have to do this.’ I think we made it happen, that’s the most important thing. I’m so happy that in my career, I got the opportunity to work with him. I’m so happy that it’s in a film where I think this character is most special to me,” she told reporters here.
The actor spoke at the trailer launch of “The Buckingham Murders”, also produced by Ektaa Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor for Balaji Telefilms and TBM Films.
The film will be released in its original language (English and Hindi) as well as in a Hindi version.
Kareena said that language is no longer a barrier in cinema today.
“I don’t think it’s a different kind of cinema. Today, you can’t say that because a film has music and dance, then you put it in a box that it’s a mass film. If a film is good, people will watch it…
“She (character Jass) lives in the UK, so when you are there, you speak to people only in English. So characters who know Hindi, we speak to them in Hindi, those who are English, we speak to them in English. So it’s a different mix and I think he was perfect to shoot this film and make this film with the right emotion.” She also described producer Ektaa as the “backbone” of the film.
“I would like to thank my friend Ektaa who had the faith and courage to always stand by me and say, ‘We will do this, we will do this together’. No matter what we did, we were always super successful. I am very confident again this time. It is going to be fabulous.” Hansal, known for films like “Shahid”, “Citylights” and also the web series “Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story”, said his new film has a universal appeal.
“It is important to bring authenticity. The person watching it in London will feel that it is their film and the person watching it here will connect with the emotion of the mother. The emotion of a mother is universal and the whole world connects with it. It is not pan India, we have made the Hindi version as well. I see this film not as pan India but pan world,” he said.
A mother’s emotion has no language, Kareena added.
“It’s a feeling. And Jass is a mother. And it’s also her journey beyond the investigation. So I think being a mother, she understands the fact that there is no mother’s love language. Her eyes show love and pain, nothing else that matters.
“I think that’s what connected me to the character… Somehow there was so much soul in her that I felt like it was the right time to feel this character and play her,” 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 in four films so far. She is a star, but she is also a great actress… I thought we had a woman with stature, power. Stories cannot be brought to the public in a medium that is totally male-dominated, totally a different kind of commerce, unless you use your intelligence and make it commercial…
“At the same time, back it with a big actor and a big star. I knew for this, an actor had to be okay with putting themselves out there in a different film. And the only one I was sure of, who is brave and legitimate when it comes to stardom, is Kareena. We approached her, we decided that if she said ‘yes’, this film will be made. And she came on board as an actress and producer,” she said.
“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 slated to release in theatres on September 13. PTI SSG RDS BK BK