Review of Murder Mubarak: Few movies can capture the insider-outsider gap so well, both warmly and sharply. This one comes the closest to recreating Anuja Chauhan’s world.
At last, a movie captures the delightful tonal qualities of Anuja Chauhan’s novels, which are so Delhi and quirky. In this particular novel, Chauhan focuses her gaze on class through a particularly classist location in Delhi, a club where members wait forever to join because they never leave—unless they are murdered.
From their roadside chaat stall, ACP Bhavani Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) and his sidekick are dragged into the upscale surroundings of the Royal Delhi Club. Is it a substitute for the Golf, Raisina, Gymkhana, or a combination of these? You make the decision. The assassination of a handsome fitness instructor unleashes a wormhole that wriggles quite appetizingly due to Bhavani’s shrewd insight into human nature and his seemingly kind gaze.
Everybody is under suspicion. The broke ex-royal Rannvijay Singh (Sanjay Kapoor) brings leftover food home under the pretense of donating it to the needy; Shehnaaz Noorani (Karisma Kapoor), the B-grade heroine of C-grade films; the hilariously named Cookie Katoch, who is constantly inebriated and enjoys sipping tequila and beetroot while sculpting on the side (Dimple Kapadia); the immaculate Roshni Batra (Tisca Chopra), who is devoted to her son. There are other people on the list as well, people like the chubby, sniffly club manager (Deven Bhojani), who plays Tambola with a battle-like gleam in their eyes when they’re not prying into other people’s affairs.
“It’s amazing how much this club means to me,” said the speaker. This priceless statement, devoid of irony and entirely unintentional hurt, describes Bambi (Sara Ali Khan), the naughty Todi girl who is simply being Bambi and leaving a trail of lovers and a dead spouse in her wake. In contrast to the girl standing opposite him, who offers kind words to Guppi Ram (Brijendra Kala), the cat-loving old server who isn’t quite all there, and breathy kisses to childhood friend Akash, aka-Kashi Dogra (Vijay Varma), the “log” refers to “people like Bhavani,” who refuses to be put in his place because he knows exactly who he is.
The group is really good. Except for one distinctive hmmm and a penchant for adding “ji” to every name, which causes a great deal of humor: the dead guy is “Leo ji,” and Bambi becomes, of course, Bambi ji. Pankaj Tripathi as Bhavani Singh remains Pankaj Tripathi. I’m glad Karishma Kapoor is back. And for Khan to realize once more that she is a character actor. Sanjay Kapoor had a poignant experience. Verma doesn’t seem as smooth as he should, so I’m not sure about that, but it’s okay because he’s always entertaining to watch. Furthermore, the murder mystery—which also hints at blackmail and long-forgotten secrets—unfolds very nicely (unfortunately for those who recognize the murderer from reading Chauhan’s “Club You To Death”). The stunning revelation comes as a huge shock.
The film’s disjointed sections detract in some manner from it. For instance, you would have preferred that Bambi’s deceased spouse had a little more to accomplish while he was alive. A significant portion of the story revolves around an orphanage and an abandoned infant, and it could have used a little more explanation. The plot features fast recovery loops, but your eye doesn’t settle in as much as it should. Although “Murder Mubarak” is the closest any movie has come to recreating Chauhan’s world, very few manage to capture the insider-outsider difference as sharply as well as warmly. Watch it, smile, and read if you haven’t already.
Cast Members of Murder Mubarak. Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Dimple Kapadia, Dijay Varma, Karisma Kapoor, Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor, Brijendra Kala, Aashim Gulati, Varun Mitra, and Deven Bhojani
Director of Murder Mubarak: Adajania Homi
Rating for Murder Mubarak: 2.5 stars