Murder Mubarak: A Murder Mystery Weighed Down by Convoluted Plot

Murder Mubarak is a highly anticipated mystery film directed by Homi Adajania which dropped on Netflix on March 15. The film stars an ensemble cast, including Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan, Vijay Varma, Karisma Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia. The film follows police officer ACP Bhavani Singh, played by Pankaj Tripathi, who investigates a murder at an elite Delhi club.

This movie has been adapted from Anuja Chauhan’s book Club You to Death and we can clearly see the mix of quirky elements in this flick by way of wealthy suspects, a middle police officer and avaricious social climbers. Of course, Prince Harry the cat also adds to this. It’s not easy to adapt a book, especially when you have a large ensemble cast, but director Homi Adjania has tried to do his best to give his talented cast meaty roles in this film that revolves around class and privilege. But with so many people, some of the story gets diluted and lost while trying to explain the intricate relationship amongst them all.

Some of the characters are stereotypical (e.g. narcissist actress, golddigger), while some don’t have scope for performance due to less screen time. And some are just there for the glam factor. The film proceeds at a slow pace and it gets trying just to keep track of them all while constant red herrings keep getting thrown in. The murder mystery becomes less thrilling and more tiring.

As for performances, Pankaj Tripathi shines as the cop and elicits a chuckle or two from the audience and Vijay Varma, Tisca Chopra, Sanjay Kapoor and Karishma Kapoor are really good too. Sara Ali Khan performed well in some scenes and in others just hammed it.
Sadly, it was the screenplay and execution that let down the talented cast. At 2 hours and 21 minutes, Murder Mubarak has Homi Adjani’s stamp but it’s unfortunately lacking in substance.