Sara Ali Khan’s Bambi Todi, in the movie Murder Mubarak says that the RDC club is her home as well as her prison. And she calls it a wonderful prison. A prison where Delhi’s rich socialites come to escape from the ‘real world’ they find terrifying.
The plot is the king in this film based on the novel, ‘Club You to Death’ by Anuja Chauhan. Adapted by the author herself along with Gazal Dhaliwal and Suprotim Sengupta, the murder mystery will surely keep you hooked. Certain twists were predictable and there were a few tropes—the gym trainer who knows everything and a disgruntled ex.
The movie boasts a stellar star cast— Karisma Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Pankaj Tripathi, Dimple Kapadia and Tisca Chopra among others. Nearly all the characters have been utilised well in this slow burner.
Murder Mubarak is a whodunit that steers away from Homi Adajania’s usual style (read Finding Fanny and Being Cyrus). Or rather it speaks volumes of the director’s versatility (Cocktail, Angrezi Medium). While the whole setting is rather macabre, Tripathi’s quirkiness interspersed with those of the characters like Dimple Kapadia's Cooks or Karisma Kapoor's Shehnaz add to the fun quotient—not ‘haha’ funny though.
The movie could also be called a satire on Delhi’s high society. With men, who want to reiterate their masculinity, aunties, who gossip a plenty—the film holds up a mirror to the world of the rich and privileged. A world ensconced in exclusive parties, flashy cars, flashier jewellery and some more. Adajania, successfully showcases them as they might be creatures in a zoo.
Camera work by Linesh Desai helps set the tone, and so do Tripathi’s funny quips as ACP Bhavani Singh. The movie's attention-to-detail element is what brings home the point.
The characters might not have had much acting to do, rather, just be themselves. Adajania has tried to give Pankaj Tripathi a Benoit Blanc from Knives Out-like demeanour. And Tripathi, with a slight UP twang, more or less manages to pull it off and easily outshines all others.
It is probably the second Hindi thriller to come on an OTT platform after Killer Soup, a mini-series starring Konkona Sen Sharma and Manoj Bajpayee, that could go on a watchable list. The club from the ‘Raj’ era is a character in itself- a gateway to upper-class life. A life, where everyone has something to hide, from a secret love child to struggles from drug abuse. Rules, however, are rules and must be adhered to at all costs, as the club’s manager, played by Deven Bhojani says. “Murder is not permitted here,” he quips.
Film: Murder Mubarak
Cast: Sanjay Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Vijay Varma, Sara Ali Khan
Director: Homi Adajania
Rating: 3/5