Murder Mubarak: Social Satire Meets Ensemble Whodunnit
A murder of the gym trainer Leo at a posh Delhi club opens a can of worms. Everyone is a suspect where the dark secrets of Delhi High Society Club patrons are at stake. A charming outsider ACP Bhavani Singh investigates the case in Agastha Christie’s desi Poirot style.
The best part of the movie is the ensemble cast and loyalty to Anuja Chauhan’s brilliant writing and class satire.
Pankaj Tripathi is back in action and is effective – just another day for him at the office. Sanjay Kapoor is brilliant and continues his Merry Christmas form as a royal Rannvijay Singh – tipping 20 rupees but packing food to cover his dilapidated ruined status. Karisma Kapoor is equally magical as a former diva and B-grade movie star of C-grade movies. Vijay Varma and Dimple Kapadia are not given due justice and feel wasted – their arc should have been stronger. Sara Ali Khan tries up to keep things moving but she has a long way to go. A lot more characters like Tisca Chopra add colour to the proceedings though in a very fleeting manner.
The Delhi class divide is beautifully portrayed. “Poor people should die young!” announces Tisca Chopra or the fact that two trainers from Arunachal and Karnataka are called twins. Smart writing exists – ACP Bhavani says “It’s easy to be branded anti-national these days!”
The movie sticks to its genre and the secretive layers get unveiled gradually to keep us hooked. Though the movie could have done with sharper editing and crisper execution.
This is no ‘Knives Out’ nor Homi’s own ‘Being Cyrus!’
Watch it once for Pankaj Tripathi and Idiosyncrasies of Delhi Gentry!
Kaathal is a ground breaking and bold movie that makes a case for the acceptance of homosexuality in a traditional and conventional society.
A woman (Jyotika) seeks divorce from her husband (Mammooty) due to a loveless marriage, which resulted from his homosexual orientation. All of this happens against the backdrop of a local election, where the husband is the candidate.
Jyotika liberates herself as well as her husband by filing for divorce when Section 377 decriminalised homosexuality.
Mammooty gives a powerhouse performance with Jyotika – no over the top melodrama. Pure emotions and relationships at work – fragility, vulnerability, complexities shown in no frills manner. Very nice to see the strong friendship and bond between the couple despite filing for divorce – they do not become enemies or haters. Mammooty’s expressions and Jyotika’s silence touch us!
Great direction by Jeo Baby and a strong supporting music!
‘The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth’ Review: Shocking & Sensational Series Of Mayhem Murder!
Glam Gossip
Media Trial
Family Secrets
The Sheena Bora case, yes – Shenna Bora case, was one of the most sensational topics in the media. It was India’s Amber Heard – Johnny Depp moment or our own Kardashian coverage! There were more and more twists and turns as the case progressed – exactly the details that media loves! And the spicier story was even hotter because of the rich and famous media power couple – Peter Mukerjea was the former head of Star TV and Indrani was the INX Media Channel founder.
The movie ‘Dark Chocolate’ was based on the same case.
How it changed from Sheena Bora case to Indrani Mukerjea story is the magic of the times we live in!
‘The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth’ is a real true crime docuseries. A 25 year young bright and beautiful girl Sheena Bora is suddenly off circuit. Her fiancee’s tries to find her whereabouts and is not successful. He confronts his dad Peter Mukerjea and his step-mother Indrani Mukerjea, who claim that she has gone abroad for studies. He does not buy it. The interesting part is that Sheena is Indrani’s daughter – even her claims about Sheena’s father are very shocking!
Indrani has three marriages – none of which resulted in Sheena’s birth. Earlier, she had claimed that Sheena was her younger sister. After allegations of cover-up by Mumbai police, the case was handed over to CBI. As things stand today, all the four accused – Indrani, Peter, Sanjeev (2nd husband) and driver are on bail.
As you watch the series the list of questions are endless – why did she claim Sheena was her sister? Why did she hide that Sheena was missing? Why and how did she enroll her second husband in the alleged murder of Sheena and torture of her? Why did Peter kept silent? What was the role of Mumbai’s top cop Rakesh Maria?
Sheena’s body was found in Pen in Raigad district. It was just a conicidence that Indrani and her accomplices visited the same location for exploring farmhouse property. It was just a coincidence that DNA of the body proved that it was Sheena – defence disputed it.
Who knows the truth?
Was there a cover-up?
Why the expose happened?
Who knows the real truth?
Will Sheena Bora get justice?
Questions that remain unanswered!
The documentary tries to be as objective as possible and gives a well-rounded view of every perspective. The testimonies are complemented well with actual footage and events. Access to Indrani is a big plus and they fact check her claims as well. Her intervention when her lawyers speaks (Alleged) and how lawyer asks her to ‘Chill’ are important unedited footage. Indrani’s bold statements will produce a factory of Instagram reels. She is Sheela of Wild Wild Country!
Indrani Mukerjea!
Imperfect Mom!
Gold Digger!
Secret Past!
Social Climber!
Who knows her?
Let us not forget that the documentary also has its point of view and soft corners – which could influence our understanding and hence opinion of the actual incident. And that is the intent – the documentary allows the audience to be the judge, jury and executioner.
Let’s not forget the ethics and responsibilities in the whole episode.
Covid was one of the biggest disruptors of our times – which forced us to evaluate our whole lives and existence. Our perspectives towards everything changed – career, health, family, relationships and self. We reprioritised our life and made several promises to self and the world.
As the world has bounced back to normal, we seem to have forgotten the covid lessons. How many of us are still living the covid promises that we made? Are you?
