Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Ranveer Brar, Keith Allen, Kapil Redekar, Adwoa Akoto, Mairaaj Kakkar
Director: Hansal Mehta
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan has been taking on some off beat and under-stated roles lately and this film now streaming on Netflix is one of those less than starry outings.
Jaspreet ‘Jas’ Bhamra (Kapoor Khan) is a dedicated and determined British Indian cop who is struggling with her mental health since the death of her adolescent son Ekam (Kakkar). In an attempt to escape the tragic memories surrounding her, Jas decides to take a transfer and ends up in a police force in Buckinghamshire.
When her very first assignment in the new role turns out to be an investigation into a missing Indian-origin boy of a similar age as Ekam, Jas’ first instinct is to recuse herself from the case. However, not being given much of a choice in the matter, she finds herself getting drawn deeper and deeper into a web of lies and deceit. Jas sets about untangling the knots to uncover a seedy underbelly of drugs and exploitation, even as she battles the hostility of her new colleagues unhappy with her being parachuted into their domain.
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The case soon takes a sinister turn with murder and a flurry of suspects, each with a plausible motive. Will Sergeant Bhamra succeed in bringing the killer or killers to justice in time before more havoc strikes in Buckinghamshire?
This murder mystery set in the heart of England’s migrant communities is a well-meaning attempt at tackling a broad range of issues, from cultural clashes and race issues to police funding cuts and mental health. However, this broad-brush approach to such a wide spectrum of concerns in contemporary Britain ends up striking a rather hollow note.
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The thriller aspect of the script is way too slow-paced to keep the audience hooked. As a result, a snippy running time of just under 110 minutes seems to be the only thing going for this film with a climax that is quite predictable and rather obtuse. While a make-up free Kareena Kapoor Khan’s subdued performance has much going for it, the actor is let down by a less than fully fleshed out script with her character’s motivations beyond a grieving mother never fully explored.
Perhaps one for fans of compact films set in a realistic milieu, falling a little short on the thriller front.
