Suspense, humour, social comment

Nonika Singh

‘Murder Mubarak…’ the title might sound like an oxymoron, but is indicative of its two threads: mystery and humour. Besides, in Homi Adajania’s wacky world, nothing ever is as it seems. And as he moves into the whodunit genre, we once again get a bunch of eccentric men and women. Even the no-airs ACP Bhavani Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) investigating the murder is unlike any police officer you may have come across. There is a bunch of pretentious high society people who hide their true personas behind their best face masks. It’s quite an ensemble cast, from Dimple Kapadia, Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor to Brijendra Kala, and it takes a while before the introductions truly sink in.

When the title itself screams murder, a body is just round the corner. There is a decoy body as well before we learn that it is indeed handsome zumba instructor Leo (Aashim Gulati) who has died. Aashim’s very first scene tells us he may not be a good guy. The victim is clearly no saint. Since the suspects are too many, it reminds you of Agatha Christie’s ‘Murder on The Orient Express’. Only it’s based on Anuja Chauhan’s page-turner ‘Club You to Death’ and adapted by writers Gazal Dhaliwal and Suprotim Sengupta. Each player has a motive to kill. Who could it be? The drug-snorting Yash Batra (Suhail Nayyar) or his mother Roshni Batra (the delightful Tisca Chopra). Or the B-grade heroine of C-grade horror films, Shehnaz Noorani (Karisma Kapoor).

Diva Kapoor makes an entry like a true diva and gets to display some acting muscles too. But then, in an ensemble cast where each actor is gifted, she isn’t the scene stealer. Tripathi though invariably is. Vijay Varma as the conscientious lawyer Aakash Dogra draws attention, both as an actor and as a possible accused, too. The fact that he has played dubious parts with conviction makes it easier for us to doubt him. Then there is the phenku Raja Sahib (Sanjay Kapoor as Rannvijay Singh), who rubs in his ‘exalted’ status by insisting everyone should call him ‘Hukum’ and goes around tipping a paltry Rs 20 as a mark of his generosity and royalty. Widow Bambi Todi (Sara Ali Khan) appears both unhinged and stable. She dances when mayhem is let loose at the club. When socialites laugh at the expense of the not so privileged, she censures them, “Guys, it’s not funny.” Indeed, no death, especially murder, ever is.

Of course, in a murder mystery, what matters isn’t so much as to who the killer is, but how we get there. Tripathi’s Hercule Poirot-like act and deadpan humour ensure we stay invested. Sara Ali Khan stands firm amidst the bevy of talented actors. The director’s special touch is visible in dialogues and in the superficial behaviour of the rich. The lines delivered by Roshni, ‘Poor should die young, old age is so hard on them,’ not only drip with black humour, but are also a pointer. Clues obviously abound in a mystery where each character is up to something. Blackmail and an orphanage connect most of them to the murdered man. But which one of them has been desperate enough to go for the kill? When the big reveal happens, some of the dialogues — like ‘detective and shayar are two sides of the same coin’ — begin to make sense.

Indeed, there is a love story in this murder story. Dare we compare it with another ‘mystery meets love’ cinematic outing? And dare we name the other film for the fear of letting the cat out of the bag? If you think the song ‘Kinha Jammiyan Kinha Le Jaaniyan’ playing in the background as lovers make out is a misfit, wait for the anti-climax. If you are wondering why should a club be the epicenter of the murder and the drama matter so much in the lives of these pseudo- snobs, particularly Bambi, well, at more than one level, the elite club is a reflection of their manufactured image, the artifice by which they come to terms with their dysfunctional lives.

The mood alternates between suspense, humour and a bit of social comment, making ‘Murder Mubarak’ somewhat delectable and fun if not outright essential viewing. The problem is it never becomes more than the sum of its parts and interesting characters.

The actors dazzle in their space but their sparkle is not enough to lend this Netflix outing enough brilliance.