Name: Lord Curzon Ki Haveli
Genre: Thriller, Dark Comedy
Released: 2025-10-10
Rating: 6.0
Cast: Rasika Duggal, Paresh Pahuja, Arjun Mathur, Zoha Rahman, Tanmay Dhanania

Four South Asians dine together in London when one of them casually declares, “There is a dead body in the trunk.” What seems like a joke quickly spirals into a Hitchcock-style thriller full of dark humor, secrets, and shifting loyalties. 

Lord Curzon Ki Haveli

Times of India

News18

Storytelling, characterisation, and performances take centre stage in any chamber film, where the setting is confined and the scope for visual spectacle is limited. As a debutant director, actor Anshuman Jha makes an ambitious choice by crafting a story set entirely over one evening within the walls of a house. Yet, he manages to hold the audience’s attention throughout.
The film opens with the ribald couple, Rohit (Arjun Mathur) and Sanya (Zoha Rahman), making their guests wait outside while they indulge in intimacy. Their loud, carefree behaviour clearly irks the humourless Basuki, who grows more uncomfortable as the evening progresses, especially when the couple slyly gets Ira drunk.
What begins as a clash of personalities gradually unfolds into a night of secrets, confrontations, shocking revelations, and something more sinister. The narrative blends black comedy, whodunnit, and drama, while subtly reflecting on identity and self-perception. Basuki sees himself as British, looks down upon Indians, and clings to misplaced and fierce loyalty to the empire—an ironic nod to Lord Curzon, infamous for his racist beliefs.
While thematically rich and consistently engaging, the pacing falters at times, and certain threads are left unresolved. The dark humour doesn’t always land, but the film effectively exposes the hypocrisy of expatriates who seek docile Indian brides from small towns and trap them into loveless, even abusive, marriages. It also touches upon the issue of illegal immigration, adding another layer to its social commentary.
Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is, at its core, a Rasika Dugal vehicle. As Ira, a seemingly simple Ludhiana girl with a secret streak of rebellion and indulgence, she delivers a remarkable performance. Dugal captures the transformation from demure to capricious with finesse—she’s wickedly good in the scene where she taunts Basuki after he suspects her of infidelity. From obedient to defiant, from restrained to explosive, she nails every shade of emotion.
Paresh Pahuja shines as the grumpy, hard-nosed doctor. He perfectly embodies a man consumed by obsession and suspicion, transitioning smoothly from ill-tempered to vulnerable. Arjun Mathur is compelling as the roguish and outspoken Rohit, while Zoha Rahman holds her own as the bold and uninhibited Sanya, though her backstory feels underexplored.
Lord Curzon Ki Haveli may not appeal to those seeking a mass entertainer, but it stands out for its intriguing premise, dark undertones, and strong performances, making it a decent watch.

With Lord Curzon Ki Haveli, Anshuman Jha steps into direction for the first time, clearly tipping his hat to Alfred Hitchcock. It’s not really on the same level as Hitchcock’s classics, as it doesn’t hit that edge-of-your-seat brilliance. But Jha does manage to capture a bit of that old-school vibe. You can totally see his love for Hitchcock in a few scenes, and that passion keeps the film interesting, even when the mystery gets a little uneven. The film, which releases in theatres on October 10, 2025, is not flawless, but for a debut, it’s an interesting, gutsy attempt to bring a bit of Hitchcockian flavour to an Indian setup.

Lord Curzon Ki Haveli brings together five very different people under one roof – a repressed wife, her uptight husband, a lively friend, a mysterious man, and a pizza delivery boy. We meet Ira (Rasika Dugal), a free-spirited woman whose strict husband, Dr Basuki Nath (Paresh Pahuja), treats her more like a student than a partner. When the couple heads out one evening to visit Ira’s friend Sanya (Zoha Rahman), they also meet her charming but shady companion, Rohit (Arjun Mathur). The mood is awkward right from the start, with Basuki being very grumpy, Ira trying to keep the peace, and their hosts seem to be hiding something.
Things take a strange turn when Basuki notices a large trunk in the living room and jokingly asks what’s inside. Rohit casually replies that it’s Lord Curzon’s dead body. The comment instantly changes the tone of the night. What starts as a harmless dinner soon spirals into a tense mind game filled with suppressed emotions, buried secrets, and shocking revelations.
At one of the festivals where the film was premiered, Anshuman had said, “The suspenseful story and its dark humour stayed with me, and then I am a huge fan of Hitchcock’s Rope. I realised, in India, we have stopped making chamber films." Well, Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is not really at the level of Hitchcock’s classics like Psycho, Rear Window or Vertigo because those had that perfect mix of mystery and tension. But Jha gives it a good shot. You can see he’s inspired by Hitchcock in the way he builds suspense and uses silence. It’s like he’s tried to bring that style into his own world. It’s not perfect, but some moments really work and show his effort.

For his first film as a director, Anshuman Jha does a pretty good job. He keeps the mood tight and lets the tension build slowly, without making it loud or dramatic. The whole thing feels like a stage play as there are just a few people in one house, but a lot is going on between them. It’s not perfect, but Jha knows how to keep you curious. For a debut, it’s confident and shows he’s got a solid grip on storytelling.
The film’s got some witty lines, though a few of the wordplays don’t always land, for example, the double meaning of “asphyxiation" or Rohit’s pun, “England is a very FAIR country." Sanya also drops a line that hits harder: “How many brown skinned actors do you see in British films?" What really works, though, are the unspoken tensions between the characters: an unfulfilled wife and a content friend, a prudish doctor and a free-spirited stowaway, all set to Beethoven playing in the background.

The film sneaks in some thoughts about life in the West versus back home, especially from an Indian perspective. It looks at how some people can get caught up thinking the colonisers or the “West" are somehow better. There’s even a bit about illegal Indian immigrants, though it doesn’t hit too hard. Anshuman makes sure the film never feels preachy or moralising, but just let drama take centre stage.

Overall, Lord Curzon Ki Haveli is a fun, twisty ride. It’s not perfect, but Rasika Dugal and the cast keep it interesting, and Jha’s direction shows real promise. Worth a watch if you like a mix of mystery, laughs, and a little Hitchcock vibe.

Rasika Duggal is an actress best known for her performance in films like Anwar, Hijack, Thanks Maa, Kshay and Qissa. She has also appeared on popular soap operas, web series and short films.

Rasika Duggal

Paresh Pahuja

Arjun Mathur is a British- Indian actor who has appeared in Bollywood films like Luck By Chance, My Name is Khan and My Friend Pinto. Prior to making his debut, Mathur studied at Barry John's Institute, Mumbai and  Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, New York.

Lord Curzon Ki Haveli(2025)