Sneha Jaiswal's Blog, page 62

You Never Heard of Me #1 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads)

If there’s one thing I’ve come to appreciate most about comic book series, it’s how a strong first issue can give readers a clear sense of the plot and direction, even within its short length. So the urban-fantasy series “You Never Heard of Me” by Iolanda Zanfardino and Eliza Romboli is off to a solid start.

The story follows teen William, who comes from a family of gifted seers. Each generation passes down a magical ability to see the best and worst moments of a person’s life with just a touch—whether it’s from the past or the future. William’s ailing grandmother currently holds this power, and his dad is next in line to inherit it. But what happens when it skips a generation? Chaos, confusion, and plenty of adventures!

Issue #1 opens with a stunning sunset scene of William sitting by the seashore, skipping stones, until his sister interrupts his peaceful ‘me time’ to drag him back home. The creators quickly introduce us to William’s family: a grandmother who loves to help others, an overworked mechanic dad keen on gaining powers, and a laid-back, athletic sister. While his dad sees the family gift as a blessing, teen William views it more as a curse.

The artwork by Eliza Romboli in You Never Heard of Me is riveting from the very first panel, instantly pulling readers in. As the story unfolds, the color palette keeps shifting —starting with vibrant sunset hues and transitioning to calmer, more colorful tones. It’s this lively use of color that makes it hard to go back to black-and-white comics! This dynamic style is something you’ll also find in Eliza’s other series like Alice in Leatherland and A Thing Called Truth.

Iolanda Zanfardino’s storytelling keeps pace with the energetic artwork, delivering a rich teen fantasy filled with magic, lore, and family drama. William is a fun take on the loner archetype, with a few quirks that set him apart from typical teen leads. For instance, while most teens are glued to their phones, William is refreshingly different—he’s always forgetting his phone, much to his father’s annoyance.

Overall, Issue #1 of You Never Heard of Me is a whirlwind of entertainment, taking William through an emotional rollercoaster in just 25 pages. Surprisingly, the chapter wraps up on a more relaxed note, a welcome change from the usual cliffhangers that make the wait for the next issue feel like torture. But I’m definitely looking forward to Issue #2!

Check out You Never Heard of Me if you’re on the hunt for a teen fantasy comic book series.

Read Next: The House Graphic Novel Review

Also Read: Nobody Wants This – Netflix Series Review (Short Audio Version below)

Reply Review: Forgotten Tapes & Unspoken Feelings

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Oh what a sweet little film! But it needed a few more minutes, or maybe a sequel would be great.

Written and directed by Elle Mills, the 2022 short film “Reply” is about teenager Sam (Anthony Rosenthal) finding a whole new side to his mom Casey when he stumbles upon a video-tape made by her when she was a teen (Ciara Riley Wilson plays the teen version). The tape documents Casey’s last summer before college, when she was supposed to build a tree-house with her boyfriend Jackson (Corey Fogelmanis), but is instead assisted by new neighbor Hayden (Ava Capri).

“Reply” opens with teen Sam playing the found footage on an old TV, taking viewers back to 2006, when flip phones were all the rage. Although CDs were already common, it’s a bit curious that Casey chose to record her treehouse project on a DVD—especially since digital recording options were becoming more accessible by then. But the DVD adds a lot more nostalgia to the tape, the slightly grainy footage evokes a sense of lost innocence, a time that will never come back.

Just 15 minutes long, ‘Reply’ is a beautiful short film about both how love can find people in unexpected places, and how many let fear hold them back from trying new things and settle for what’s more familiar and comfortable. Ava Capri (‘Love, Victor’/‘Do Revenge’) is charmingly likable as Casey’s curious new neighbor Hayden. As soon as she moves in next door, Hayden offers to help Casey with the treehouse, and within minutes, an endearing bond begins to blossom between them. The onscreen chemistry between Ava and Ciara Riley Wilson is very cute.

‘Reply’ feels like a song, and while it explores teen love and the messiness of emotions, it also delves into how little we truly know about their parents. Through the old tapes, Sam gets a glimpse of his mother’s younger self, allowing him to see her in a new light and understand her more deeply as a person. The ending feels a bit abrupt, yet it wraps up on a positive, playful note. I just wish it had lasted a few minutes longer!

Rating: 8 on 10. You can watch ‘Reply’ on YouTube.

Read Next: High End Dying Review – The Horrors of Fine Dining

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

My Damn Business Review: Jung Jae Bin Closes the Deal

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Actor Jung Jae Bin is so blindingly good-looking, that half the reason I clicked on this Korean mini-series was to simply moon over him a bit. Okay, maybe, that was the whole reason. Sorry husband, if you’re reading this, I love you more, always.

My Damn Business is a short Korean office romance series, spanning just seven episodes of 10-11 minutes each. Jung Jae Bin stars as Team Manager Han Woo-jin, who finds himself at a company on the brink of closure. To save it, he has only three months to wrap up loose ends, relying on the help of his new assistant manager, Yoon Su-an (Jeon Yu Bin). With nobody else working on their floor, a romance brews between the two good-looking co-workers.

The first episode opens with a cringey yet comedic scenario that sets up both tension and intrigue between Han Woo-jin and his junior, Yoon Su-an. When Yoon mistakenly hands Han a pen drive containing some steamy gay comics, things get awkward fast. Han begins to flirt with Yoon, who is initially hesitant but eventually succumbs to his boss’s charm. As the series progresses, a silly misunderstanding adds a touch of drama, followed by the brief appearance of a potential rival, before the pair ultimately get their happy ending.

That’s pretty much all there is to My Damn Business, but despite its modest budget, the series is surprisingly engaging, making the most of its limited setting focused on a failing company. Jung Jae Bin shines as the charming, flirty boss, while Jeon Yu Bin appears slightly more stiff than needed in a few scenes. Still, the two have great visual chemistry, making it easy to root for them as a couple. While the story itself is rather predictable, the fresh pairing is easily the show’s biggest strength.

Rating: 6 on 10. You can watch ‘My Damn Business’ on YouTube.

Read Next: Love in the Big City Review: Nam Yoon Su Dazzles in Seoul Hues

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Peaceful Property Series Review – Ghosts and Gags

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Home Vimarnsukmun is a carefree, wealthy young man living abroad, forced to return to Thailand after his grandfather dies, leaving several properties for Home (yes, that’s his name) to inherit.  Home plans to sell off everything, however, rumours about his properties being haunted makes him team up with Peach, a chef who can see and exorcize ghosts. Sort of!  

Directed by Dome Jarupat Kannula, Thai series “Peaceful Property” (original title:  บ้านหลอน On Sale) is a horror-comedy spanning 12 episodes. The show stars New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun as Home, while Tay Tawan Vihokratana plays Peach, who recently gains the power of seeing ghosts and somehow manages to drive them away by cooking them food. Home and Peach’s quirky ghost-busting team is completed by Home’s grumpy lawyer/employee Kan (Mook Worranit Thawornwong), and Peach’s cheery content-creator sister Pangpang (Jan Ployshompoo Supasap). It’s kind of like the new Ghostbusters, but with a Thai comedic twist, and without any gadgets!

The biggest strength of “Peaceful Property” is its star-cast, all of whom are charming, funny, and adorable in their own ways. Jan and Tay make a cutely chaotic sibling-duo, while Tay’s Peach is a nervous, serious, soft-spoken chef who is scared of his new ghost-seeing powers, Jan is hilarious as his loud, annoying, energetic sister Pangpang, who is always going live on her channel to sell all sorts of knick-knacks. New Thitipoom (“Warp Effect”/“Cherry Magic”) is comedically likable as Home, although, for a character living in America, his English is extremely basic, on the bright side – whenever he utters a few English phrases, it’s funny. His vocabulary is largely limited to – “Oh my God!” and “What the F…?!. Mook as lawyer Kan is the only serious adult in the amateur ghost-busting crew, who reluctantly goes with the crew to different properties to chase away deadly spirits. So, most episodes feature the protagonists tackling a new ghost at a different property, and a lot of these spirits have tragic or sad back-stories.

New Poramath Samart is wacky as Home’s bodyguard/security guard, Suradech, who is almost always by his employer’s side—sometimes even in the bathroom! Actors Ong Kasab Champadib and Tui Puttachat Pongsuchat play Home’s surviving relatives, Uncle Somkid and Aunt Phon. The latter is shown to be disappointed about not receiving a significant share of the properties as inheritance and throws scary tantrums over it. But there’s also something off about the seemingly kind Uncle Somkid right from the start, hinting that family feuds over the inheritance are bound to erupt. I don’t know if it’s me, but Tui Puttachat looked like she would pass off as Mook’s mom – they look quite similar. Anyway, a bunch of other popular GMMTV actors make cameos in the many haunted tales of Peaceful Property, including Tanapon Sukhumpantanasan, who plays Tay’s friend.

From a poor young factory worker wrongly accused of theft, to a beautiful dancer abandoned unceremoniously by his lover, the ghosts come from different walks of life. A lot of the times, the make-up and CGI for the supernatural scenes and demons are hilariously bad, probably deliberately, so the show is almost never scary. And as far as the comedy aspect is concerned, it does have a quite a few ‘laugh out loud’ moments, but the series begins to lose pace by episode 5. There’s a very unnecessary and serious twist introduced in the second half of the show, which sort of changes the tone of ‘Peaceful Property’ for a bit and doesn’t feel convincing. But honestly, the on-screen chemistry between the characters and the friendships they build while fighting off spirits together feel quite authentic.

If you’re looking for a low-stakes horror-comedy show with a talented, engaging cast, “Peaceful Property” is a fun, one-time watch.

Rating: 6 on 10. You can watch ‘Peaceful Property’ on YouTube.

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Groupies Comic Book Series #Issue 2 Review

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

The dreamy, glossy artwork by Tula Lotay is the life of ‘Groupies’ by Helen Mullane, a dark, retro comic-book series about a group of beautiful young women and their adventures with the hottest rising band in town – The Moon Show. However, all the love, fame, sex, drugs and rock-n-roll comes at a heavy price.

Also Read: Groupies Comic Book Series #Issue 1 Review

“Wow, we’ve really made it. We’re with the band. And not just any band. The up-and-coming, everybody wants a piece, we’re gonna be bigger than The Beatles, achingly hip, band of the moment.”

Issue #2 of Groupies kicks off with the protagonists hitting the road alongside the band, delving into the highs and lows of tour life. It’s not all glitz and glamour, especially as the story unfolds through the eyes of Vera, the fiery one in the group. Jealousy brews as her friend Lisa Storm hooks up with Si, the sexiest member of The Moon Show, right under Vera’s nose. But that’s not the only thing gnawing at her—she’s deeply troubled by thoughts of Amina, who hasn’t been picking up her calls for days. And if you’d remember – Amina met a gruesome fate in the first issue.

Vera’s character receives more depth in this issue. Even though she remains arrogant, jealous, and vain, her genuine concern for her friends shines through – she makes constant calls and inquiries about Amina’s whereabouts. Adding to her anxiety, Lisa seems to be entangling herself in some dangerous affairs as well, leading to much tension between the girls. While hints of demonic entities and a possible cult-like presence are teased at the start, this chapter gradually provides readers with more clarity about what’s unfolding—and whether there might be a ‘devil’s bargain’ at play.

At the cost of sounding repetitive (sorry, but I can’t help it) — Tula Lotay’s art in Groupies is a sight worth beholding. She draws the women like dreamy sirens from a fantasy fiction book, yet, from their outfits, you know it’s the ’60s/’70s. I already mentioned in the previous issue’s review how Lisa’s character design looked inspired by Bollywood diva Parveen Babi, a very popular actor during the ’70s. And interestingly, Tula Lotay confirmed to me in a tweet response that Parveen Babi was indeed the inspiration for the character. The looks scream 70s glam.

While readers might not have noticed Vera too much in the first issue, but since she narrates this edition, she stands out a lot more this time around. Her short, curly blonde hair, is reminiscent of were Medusa—the mythical Greek woman who had live snakes on her head instead of hair and would turn men to stone if they gazed into her eyes. Vera isn’t as potent, but it will be interesting to see how her character shapes up in the next few issues.

Overall, this edition of Groupies is entertaining, cinematic, and packs in a few dark twists toward the end. Hanging out with the hottest boy band suddenly doesn’t seem as exciting, lucrative, or fun as it’s touted to be. Will Vera and the girls continue to live life on the edge with the rising rock stars, or will they cut their losses and head back home? A cliffhanger promises more blood, death, and gore in the upcoming issues.

You can read Groupies on Kindle Unlimited.

Read Next: The House Graphic Novel Review

Also Read: Nobody Wants This – Netflix Series Review (Short Audio Version below)

Dan Da Dan Episode 7 Review: Kindness Wins

Follow us on Twitter | Instagram

Well, that was an unexpectedly emotional episode! It begins with a realistically animated scene of a woman rushing through a dimly lit city street at night, searching for something. She grunts and pants, as if utterly exhausted or in excruciating pain—almost as if she’s bleeding… But soon, the scene shifts to the present, where Turbo Granny in cat-form has just outwitted the new demon who swallows Momo, Okarun and Aira.

Episode 6 of Dan Da Dan ended with Momo managing to set the demon, Acrobatic Silky, on fire with the help of the cross-shaped lighter that Aira hilariously tried to use for an exorcism. It’s Turbo Granny who figures out that the cross is actually a lighter. L-O-L. Titled “To a Kinder World”, Episode 7 focuses on the final moments of the battle between Acrobatic Silky and the others, while also revealing the creepy spirit’s tragic past. So, we finally understand why she desperately stalked Aira and insisted on being called ‘mommy.’

The animation in this episode was fun and dynamic, with the color palette and style shifting significantly depending on the scene. While the fight sequences are drenched in vibrant neon pink hues, Acrobatic Silky’s life as a human is portrayed in a slice-of-life style, almost as if it were lifted from a nostalgic Studio Ghibli movie, complete with moody, wistful music accompanying the final moments of her turbulent past.

“To a Kinder World” is undoubtedly the most melancholic chapter of Dan Da Dan so far. While it includes a few comedic moments, it lacks the truly wacky scenes of earlier episodes. We also catch glimpses of Aira’s past, revealing key details about her family life, and in the present, she proves herself to be more than just a spoiled, pretty-faced brat. The episode ends on a sombre tone, highlighting how the smallest acts of kindness can change the course of someone’s life. Is this the beginning of a new friendship between Momo, Okarun, and the haughty Aira? Maybe!

You can stream ‘Dan Da Dan’ on Netflix and CrunchyRoll.

Read Next: Look Back Movie Review: Where Art’s a Lifeline

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

Vijay 69 Movie Review: More Ageist Than It Aims to Be

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

“When the trailer for Vijay 69 was released on Netflix’s YouTube channel, I remember my first thought being, ‘Why can’t Anupam Kher play his own age, and why have they made him look so much older?’ I assumed Anupam Kher was probably over 70, but he was 69 in real life, at the time of the movie’s release, yet seemed so much older. The creators didn’t need to slap make-up and a fake wig on Anupam for the role at all! Our grandfather is 84, and he doesn’t look as old or dowdy as Kher’s character in Vijay 69. Anyway…

Directed by Akshay Roy, who’s co-written the story with Abbas Tyrewala, Anupam Kher plays retired swimming coach Vijay Mathew, who decides to participate in a triathlon to become India’s oldest man to complete one at 69. Vijay makes this resolution after an existential crisis makes him want to achieve something significant before death. Chunky Pandey plays Vijay’s best-friend Fali, a Parsi doctor, who ostentatiously laughs at Vijay’s new dream. And everybody else, from Vijay’s cynical daughter (Sulagna Panigrahi) to his over-friendly neighbour (Guddi Maruti), have the same reaction. Will Vijay get to participate and finish the triathlon? That’s pretty much the story.

Despite its interesting premise, Vijay 69 tries too hard to be funny, and one of the most irritating aspects of the film is Chunky Pandey’s exaggerated portrayal of the eccentric Parsi doctor, Fali. If the creators had simply made Chunky a typical nutty North Indian doctor in his 60s, it could have been much funnier. Vijay and Fali’s friendship is certainly amusing in some scenes, but the gratingly over-the-top Parsi accent forced on Chunky by the directors is far too distracting. Or they should’ve just cast a Parsi actor in the role and maybe then it wouldn’t feel so irksome. Anupam Kher on the other hand as Vijay, a potty-mouthed oldie (he is very generous with the ‘c’ word, the Hindi one), with anger issues, is adequately convincing, however, there’s something so cosmetically sentimental about the script… that it makes Vijay 69 more cringe-y than inspirational.

A major sub-plot in Vijay 69 is about how an 18-year-old boy called Aditya, played by Mihir Ahuja (‘Feels Like Home’/’The Archies’), is also aiming to participate in the triathlon and become the youngest Indian to do so. Aditya’s father gets extremely jealous with the media attention Vijay gets for being a 69-year-old aspiring triathlete, so he attempts to scuttle his chances. Thankfully, a cutesy friendship is formed between the older man & Mihir Ahuja’s character, so the two cheer each other on. I was hoping for the friendship, and was glad the film took that turn. However, the media circus around Vijay’s participation is far too farcical, and didn’t need the kind of space it gets in the film. And to stretch the story over its 2-hour runtime, the writers also put in another sobby sub-plot about Vijay wanting to dedicate his triathlon attempt to his late wife, who passed away due to cancer.

The film made me think of my grandfather more than once, who is easily one of the fittest members of the family; he wakes up and does over an hour of yoga, then walks more than 8,000 steps every day. Every single day. If he decided to take part in a triathlon, there would certainly be some debates at home, but no one in the family would laugh at the idea or think he was crazy—and we’re all from a second-tier city, not savvy Mumbaikars like those in the world of Vijay 69, which tries to be an age-positive movie but ends up being annoyingly ageist in parts. This could’ve been so much more breezy, comedic, and heartwarming, but in its current state, it’s at best a decent one-time watch if you’re looking for a family entertainer and don’t mind some 90s style melodrama.

Rating: 2.5 stars on 5. Stream Vijay 69 on Netflix.

Read Next: Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Leads Sharp Cast in Blunt-Edged Thriller

Also Read: Do Patti Review: Kajol Unravels Kriti’s Seeta-Geeta Act (Short Audio Version Below)

Eccentric Romance Review – Absurdly Aimless

Rating: 1.5 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

Either someone who loves watching Thai BLs* and Korean BLs pitched this show, or maybe the creators thought “we should get a hot Korean guy and a cute Thai guy to romance each other and BL fans will go crazy”. And then they forgot to work on the story, because the Korean series “Eccentric Romance” has a ridiculous plot, if you could even call it that.

Spanning 12 episodes, the series stars Yoon Jun Won as Seong Hun, a Korean student who shares a close friendship with Jay, a Thai student played by Save Saisawat. Strangely, despite neither speaking the other’s language, they understand each other perfectly! To add to this absurdity, Jay and Seong Hun have one class called ‘Health & Happiness’ in common, where they conveniently befriend two other Korean students majoring in the Thai language, so Jay doesn’t have to speak a word of Korean. Then, Seong Hun and Jay join a gym where the trainer loves Thai culture, as does the lady at the reception (because apparently if you love a country’s culture, you can understand the language too). Now, these five Korean people who understand Thai constantly hang out in the series, because it would be too weird if Jay had to interact with more characters without speaking a word of Korean while living in Korea. L-O-L.

What’s the story? Jay and Seong Hun have more than platonic feelings for each other, but they are friends, so they hide it. But at the gym, when Jay begins to flirt with the trainer Jin (Go Byung Wan), Seong Hun asks Jay to stay away from the trainer because he suspects the man could be a murderer! While Jay tries to prove Seong’s suspicions wrong, Seong tries to find more evidence against Jin, and while doing so, the friends becomes closer.

Ultimately, “Eccentric Romance” is a weird mash of college-comedy and murder mystery and in the end it gets neither right – neither the romance, nor the mystery. The lead actors look good, maybe even have decent chemistry, but it doesn’t matter, because the story is too silly, and makes no sense.

Rating: 1.5 stars on 5.

*BL is short for ‘boys love’, a term used for gay romances.

Read Next: Sugar Dog Life Review: Filling Plates, Romance on a Diet

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)

The Blouse – Graphic Novel Review

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads)

Séverine, a young university student leads a banal, unnoticed life, largely ignored—even by her boyfriend—until she borrows a white silk blouse, which changes the way men perceive her. Another way to synopsize ‘The Blouse’ by French creator Bastien Vives – woman wears a boring shirt, nobody notices, but once she puts on an expensive, form fitting, cleavage revealing blouse, and boom! – every man wants her. Of course.

Séverine becomes obsessed with ‘The Blouse’, wearing it everywhere, especially where the attention would matter – like college presentations, or parties. If the reader must take-away some meaning from this graphic novel, then perhaps it’s about how like power corrupts the kindest individuals, beauty corrupts people too. We don’t know if the blouse is magical or not, but it sure makes Séverine feel a lot more confident, beautiful, sexy, and immediately transforms her into a more reckless, sex-starved, degenerate. For instance, before the blouse, Séverine could not stand being in the same room as someone smoking, but later, she turns to smoking herself and starts cheating on her boyfriend. Interestingly, the boyfriend continues to behave the same way with her, not noticing any difference, so the blouse’s effect could just be placebo. 

Maybe Bastien Vives’ message is simpler – those who are aware of the hold their good looks have on the beholder, tend to be jerks. Either way, this graphic novel was made engaging only due to Bastien’s artwork. Séverine and the other characters who have limited space in the book, never make a strong impression, their personalities feel hollow. You should read the graphic novel “Beauty” by Hubert and artist duo Kerascoët, for a more fun, and absolutely fantastic exploration of how someone’s superficial allure can be life-changing.

In the second half of The Blouse, a sudden act of violence feels like an unnecessary, racially charged jab at a minority community. The scene could have been altered in countless ways to convey the same predictable message— that even as things spiral, all Séverine can focus on is the blouse.

Rating: 2 on 5 stars.

Read Next: The House Graphic Novel Review

Also Read: Nobody Wants This – Netflix Series Review (Short Audio Version below)

The Buckingham Murders Review: Kareena Leads Sharp Cast in Blunt-Edged Thriller

Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)

It’s become some sort of trend in murder mysteries to dwell into the personal baggage of the detective leading a case, instead of the good old razor-sharp focus on finding out who the killer is. And acclaimed Bollywood director Hansal Mehta has hopped onto that train with the 2024 thriller The Buckingham Murders starring Kareena Kapoor as grieving cop Jaspreet Bhamra, who transfers to new city and takes up the case of a missing child.  

Now, this ‘detective with personal baggage’ trope works in some mysteries, like Rautu Ka Raaz or even Do Patti, but feels excessive and unnecessary in others, like Fool Me Once, Killer Heat, where my review title (Killer Heat: Sun, Suspense, and a PI With Baggage) literally took a dig at it. In Buckingham Murders, the emphasis on Jaspreet, aka Jass, and her trauma over losing a son to murder is handled with just the right balance. Unfortunately, it’s the murder-mystery that’s slow, predictable, and relies on some twists that tend to feel slightly outdated.

The case: School student Ishpreet Kohli (Sartaaj Kakkar) goes missing, and Saquib (Kapil Redekar), a teenager with a drug problem, becomes the primary suspect due to some damning evidence. However, Jaspreet Bhamra also has her eyes on other suspects—Naved (Rahul Sidhu), Saquib’s friend who suspiciously abandons him and was at the scene of the crime; Tejinder “Syringe” (Haider Javed), a drug peddler who had slapped and humiliated Ishpreet just days before his disappearance; and even Daljeet Kohli (Raveer Brar), Ishpreet’s father, who struggles with anger issues, financial troubles, and an unhappy marriage with his wife, Preeti (Prabhleen Sandhu). Plus, Ishpreet was adopted (the trailer reveals this, so it’s not a spoiler).

Jaspreet’s biggest challenge in solving the Ishpreet case is her new boss Hardik Patel (Ash Tandon), who undermines her from day one and seems to have some personal beef with the people involved in the case. Kareena Kapoor, whose last thriller title was Jaane Jaan, delivers a gritty, and poised performance as Jaspreet, a senior cop grappling with the murder of her own young son. She in-fact declines to work on the Ishpreet case the second it comes her way, but her senior Suptd. Miller (Keith Allen) asks her to buck up and be professional about it – “Duty comes first”. Keith Allen lends the right amount of ‘no nonsense’ attitude in his little cameo as Jaspreet’s clear-sighted and astute boss.

None of Kareena Kapoor’s usual bubbly screen presence is on display here, though a hint of Geet from Jab We Met seeps through in a scene where Jaspreet lets out a scream to release pent-up frustration. However, instead of carrying the serious, cathartic weight it needs, the moment feels more reminiscent of Geet’s loud, comical rant to her ex over the phone.

Despite sharp performances, engagingly understated cinematography, “The Buckingham Murders” doesn’t generate enough intrigue and mystery over its primary murder case. In-fact, even the ‘big’ twist about Saquib, the primary suspect, is quite predictable. There are only a handful of suspects, which makes it easy to guess who might’ve had a stronger motive to bump off the boy. So, in the end, neither the murderer, nor the motive comes as a surprise.

Hansal Mehta’s crime drama Scoop was so good that my expectations for this mystery were pretty high. Oh well, from a pure murder-mystery standpoint, The Buckingham Murders isn’t all that gripping. However, as a Bollywood drama set abroad, it’s a compelling one-time watch, focusing on a grieving mother/cop who’s determined to solve a child’s murder and make sure the real perpetrator is brought to justice.

Rating: 6 on 10. You can stream The Buckingham Murders on Netflix.

Read Next: Meiyazhagan Review: An Introvert and Extrovert Walk into a Wedding…

Also Read: Nobody Wants This Review – The RomCom We Need (Short Audio Version below)