Ever since the first trailer of The Buckingham Murders dropped last month, viewers marvelled at the raw, de-glam look of Kareena Kapoor, who plays a cop in the film. As the film was released last weekend, many praised the actress for her look and performance as well. In an exclusive conversation with DNA, the film’s director Hansal Mehta talks about the actress’ conviction and shares his reaction to the film being compared with Kate Winslet’s Mare of Easttown.
When asked how he had the conversation about Kareena’s raw look in the film, Hansal responds, “There was no conversation on it. Mickey Contractor was doing her makeup and he is known to present women in the most beautiful avatars ever. The same Mickey said I am not going to do anything to her face. There will be no kaajal under her eyes and I will let the circles show. Kareena just embraced that. The conversation ended then and there.”
The filmmaker informs that in order to create the authentic look for Kareena, the film crew sourced all costumes from local stores instead of going to designers. “When we went for the look test, all the costumes were cheap readymade from local British stores. None of them were stitched for her,” says Hansal.
In The Buckingham Murders, Kareena plays a cop who has lost her son, after which she moves to a small town and investigates the death of a child. Many viewers compared it to Mare of Easttown, in which Kate Winslet plays a detective in a small town investigating a gruesome murder while battling with personal tragedy. “I watched Mare of Easttown and I knew (this will happen). The grieving mother is a universal emotion,” says Hansal with a smile when the comparison is brought up.
However, the filmmaker rubbishes all such comparisons, saying, “These people who find these very heavy parallels between the two are very reductive in their thinking. It’s a sign of mediocre and lazy thinking. These comparisons are done to cover up your laziness. You begin to sound very intelligent ki ‘maine yeh pakda’. But you have caught nothing.”
The director says that the film’s story was written and narrated to him way back in 2018, a year before Mare of Easttown even went into production. He quips, “The story was written in 2018 and it was pitched to me by Aseem Arora on the sets of Chhalaang. So, are we saying that Mare of Easttown has stolen Aseem’s story?”
But the filmmaker has a tongue-in-cheek response to the comparisons. “I am flattered actually, as should Kareena be,” he says, “It’s Kate Winslet and Mare of Easttown so to be compared to that is fine. But to say it’s a rip off and all that is just a sign of mean and lazy thinking.”
The Buckingham Murders has grossed over Rs 8 crore in its first four days with strong hold on weekdays. Given its relatively low budget, the film is expected to break even by the end of its run.
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