While at the BFI London Film Festival, where the title world premiered this past week, the filmmaker sat down for an insightful ‘Selfies Interview’ and discussed a bit about the film as well as why he loves having Kareena in his project. Read on to get to the video…

Audiences attending the upcoming Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival are in for a treat. The filmmaker of such audience favorites as Woodstock Villa and Shahid, the latter also multi-awarded both internationally and in India, has made another film — this one a thriller set in the UK and starring the darling of Bollywood films Kareena Kapoor Khan.

The star reposted the news on her Instagram account as soon as the announcement was made to the press, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Mumbai Film Festival opening gala will feature the Asian premiere of Hansal Mehta's atmospheric thriller which received a standing ovation at its premiere in London. The film offers an exploration of grief and our longing for closure, as a British Indian detective, played by Kapoor Khan, still coming to terms with her own tragic loss is assigned the case of a murdered child in Buckinghamshire.

This also marks the star’s first producing venture and she is in great company with Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor rounding out the producing team on Mehta’s film. The script is from a story by Aseem Arrora, and co-written with Raghav Raj Kakker and Kashyap Kapoor.

The festival also confirmed that Kareena Kapoor Khan will all attend the film’s red carpet event on Friday, October 27 at the NMACC (Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre).

Anupama Chopra, Festival Director at Jio MAMI, says, "Hansal Mehta and Ektaa Kapoor have redefined storytelling across formats. In The Buckingham Murders, they join hands with another formidable artist - Kareena. We are delighted to announce The Buckingham Murders as the opening film at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.”

While in London, I sat down with the filmmaker for a quick Selfies Interview which explains Mehta’s feelings about labels, often imposed on filmmakers particularly when they come from the world at large. But also the film he likes to revisit from time to time…

Addressing the festival’s choice to feature his latest film as the opening night selection, director Hansal Mehta expressed, “The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival has been home to me ever since my rebirth as a filmmaker with Shahid. Coming back here with The Buckingham Murders as the opening film is indeed a proud moment for me personally. It's the story of South Asian communities settled outside India, and it is heartening to see the world take notice of the kind of cinema we are now capable of producing in India. This movie is our labour of love. It’s a thriller, but at the heart of it is a human story about people we may know. Our biggest superpower is our inherent storytelling abilities, and those combined with stellar performances from our extremely talented actors and cutting-edge technology make the South Asian film industry a force to be reckoned with.”

Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), has brought the best of contemporary world cinema and talent to the city of Mumbai since 1997. With its new expanded vision to spotlight South Asian and South Asian diaspora filmmakers, Jio MAMI becomes the hub for South Asia, discovering and connecting emerging talent to the worldwide festival ecosystem.

Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival is back with its on-ground edition after three years, complete with a new vision to host the world’s biggest and most prestigious South Asian Film Festival. The festival is focused on building an ecosystem for new cinematic voices, facilitating the exchange of ideas, collaborations, and business opportunities, while bringing the best of world cinema to Mumbai.

The festival will run from Friday, October 27 to Sunday, November 5, 2023, in Mumbai, India. The full program was announced on Monday, October 9, 2023 and will be published on the festival’s website soon.