The controversy surrounding the Hindi dubbed version of The Buckingham Murders on Netflix has finally been cleared by filmmaker Hansal Mehta, who calls it a “technical glitch” and not a decision taken by him or his team. The mystery thriller stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, and was initially released in cinemas in two versions, a blend of Hindi-English and a pure Hindi version.
Since then, the movie has been streaming on Netflix, but the movie was a bit disappointing to some viewers when, instead of totally dubbed in Hindi, only the fully dubbed version was available, which affected the authenticity of the original dialogues.
A user on X voiced over this, tagging both Mehta and Netflix. “Disappointed with #TheBuckinghamMurders Hindi dubbing,” he wrote, urging Netflix to release the original version so as not to tamper with its authenticity. To that, Mehta came back almost instantly, assuring the user that this is not his fault, that the only choice was to release it dubbed. “This is a tech mess up by @Netflix,” he stated, adding that Netflix had assured him they were working to correct the issue.
Mehta asked people to see original Hindi dubbed version of The Buckingham Murders
Mehta also asked people to see the Hindi (Original) version since he could not use it for the release initially due to this technical glitch. Filmmaker had, in the original version, consciously used a mix of Hindi and English as he was casting actors from the story’s regional setting. He wanted the accents to be true to those regions as it is a film with an interesting plot, all situated within a British backdrop.
In order to reach a larger population, Mehta and his team opted for a 50:50 release strategy in the theatres where half the screens would be running the original Hindi-English version while the rest, the one that has been simply dubbed in Hindi. Technical glitches notwithstanding, at present on Netflix, this film goes beyond the bare technicalities as it touches an audience due to a well-thought-out story and brilliant performances by its actors.
The Buckingham Murders, which has done the rounds at many film festivals, finally hit screens in India on September 13, which will only heighten interest in its streaming release.
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