The concept of Lord Curzon Ki Haveli looks like an intriguing one on paper: the dark, mysterious dinner in an old English mansion, secrets that lie within a locked chest, and a crowd of people that you cannot quite trust. It reads as an ingredient to a mystery that is exciting and on the edge of your seat. However, the excitement dies out soon after the film progresses. What might have been a bright and witty thriller turns out to be a pile of incongruent thoughts and poor performance.
The film is set in an isolated home in the English countryside. It begins with the meeting of two couples at the dinner table. Rohit (portrayed by Arjun Mathur) and his wife Sanya (Zoha Rahman) invite Ira (portrayed by Rasika Dugal) and Basu (portrayed by Paresh Pahuja) to have a good night out. It all appears lovely and everything, but later, there is an unusual twist of the night when Rohit and Sanya invite a chest that is mysterious.
It is the focus of curiosity and fear for everyone on this chest. What’s inside it? Why is it locked? This mystery is attempted to be the primary source of suspense in the film, but the tension never really comes through.
Whereas the content creates an impression of something unexpected to occur at first, the storyline starts to lose its course. The conversations are tiresome, and rather than creating tension in the play, the characters continue to go round in circles discussing the same issues.
The greatest problem with Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is the writing. The movie is attempting to be smart and profound, but it turns into a perplexing and tedious one. The conversations resemble the lines of a play on the stage – too practised, too artificial. The characters give long monologues on identity, privilege, and racism, but they never seem natural.
At times, you feel that the movie has something to say on the side of immigrants, racism or cultural identity. These issues are dealt with in a shallow manner. They do not appear to be thought-provoking but pretentious.
The movie appears fashionable; there is no denying it. The design of production conveys the mysteriousness of an English mansion in the olden times. The lighting is somber, and the camera shots attempt to make the space claustrophobic.
However, even though the movie has a lovely appearance, the vibe does not create actual tension. The background music is also not that impressive. It does not create suspense or make the scenes more emotional.
However, even though the movie has a lovely appearance, the vibe does not create actual tension. The background music is also not that impressive. It does not create suspense or make the scenes more emotional.
