‘Hansal Mehta perfect for The Buckingham Murders’

ACTRESS Kareena Kapoor Khan on Tuesday (3) said she is happy she got the opportunity to work with Hansal Mehta on her upcoming film "The Buckingham Murders" as she praised the filmmaker for making her feel comfortable on the set.

The UK-set murder mystery, which also marks Kareena's production debut, will see the actor play Jasmeet Bhamra aka Jass, a cop grieving the death of her child who is tasked with the investigation of a missing child.

Kareena praised Hansal for staying true to the authenticity of the story.

She said, "This film wouldn't have been what it is without the man himself, the captain of the ship, Hansal Mehta. The way he has shot it, the way he has made me also kind of be the character, made me so comfortable... We loved this story idea; we loved the script... There is no one better than Hansal, to make this film that has such good content. He has stuck to the authenticity of the film...

"When Hansal sent it to me, I was like ‘We have to make this’. I think we made it happen, that is what is most important. I am so happy that in my career graph, I had the opportunity to work with him. I am so happy that this is in a film where I think this character is most special to me."

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 is releasing in original language (English and Hindi) as well as in a Hindi language version. Kareena said language is no longer a barrier in cinema today.

"I don't think it is a different type of cinema. Today, you can't say that because a film has song and dance, so you'll put it in a box that is a mass picture. If a film is good, people will watch it," she said.

"She (character Jass) lives in the UK, so when you are there, you talk to people in English only. So characters who know Hindi, we talk in Hindi, those who are English, we talk to them in English. So it is a different mix and I think he has been perfect to shoot this film and make this film with the correct emotion."

She also described producer Ektaa as the "backbone" of the movie.

"I'd like to thank my friend Ektaa who had the belief and guts to always stand by me and say, ‘we'll do this, we're going to do this together’. Whatever we have done, we have always been super successful. I am very confident again this time. It is going to be fabulous," said the actress.

Hansal, known for films such as "Shahid", "Citylights" as well as web series "Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story", said his new movie has a universal appeal.

“It is important to bring authenticity. The person watching it in London will feel it's his film and the person who is watching here will connect to the mother's emotion. A mother's emotion is universal and the entire world connects to it. It's not pan India, we have made the Hindi version as well. I see this film as not pan India but pan world,” he said.

A mother's emotion has no language, added Kareena. "It's a feeling. And Jass is a mother. And it's also her journey apart from the investigation. So, I think being a mother myself, she understands the fact that there is no language of mother’s love. Her eyes show love and pain, nothing else that's important.

"I think that is what connected me to the character... Somehow this just had so much soul in it that I felt that this is the right time for me to feel this character and to play it," she said.

Ektaa, who has worked with Kareena in films such as "Udta Punjab", “Veere Di Wedding” and “Crew”, said "The Buckingham Murders" is a "complete metamorphosis" for the star.

She said, “I have worked with Kareena on four films now. She is a star, but she is also a great actor... I thought that we have a woman with stature, power. Stories cannot be brought out in public in a medium that is run totally by men, totally by a different kind of commerce unless you use your intelligence and make it commercial...

"At the same time, support it with a great actor and a great star. I knew, for that, an actor had to agree to be ok to put themselves out there in a different film. And the only one I was sure, who is brave, and legitimate as far as stardom goes is Kareena. We approached her, we had decided that if she says ‘yes’, this film will be made. And she came onboard as an actor and a producer."

The movie also stars Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, and Keith Allen. It is penned by Aseem Arrora, Kashyap Kapoor, and Raghav Raj Kakker. It is slated to release in theatres on September 13.

(PTI)