Karan Tejpal’s ‘Stolen’ premiered on Prime Video last night after having a successful festival run across the globe. The reactions are now coming in for this edge-of-the-seat, taut thriller and you might want to check them before you add ‘Stolen’ to your watchlist.
For starters let’s see what ‘Stolen’ is all about. It’s described as a gripping action thriller set against a stark, rugged landscape in the hinterlands of India. The story follows two urban brothers who witness a baby’s kidnapping at a rural railway station and embark on a perilous quest. What follows is a case of mistaken identity that pulls them into a deadly chase, where their lives hang in the balance.
With backing from prominent industry figures like Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane, ‘Stolen’ already looked promising and the initial reactions certainly suggest the same.
People are finding ‘Stolen’ to be intense, crisp, compelling, and an engaging thriller that has a good screenplay and amazing performances from lead actors Abhishek Banerjee, Shubham and Mia Maelzer. One reviewer noted that the film transitions very smoothly from an investigative drama to a thriller and then to a social commentary on mob mentality.
The blending of suspense with a humane core in ‘Stolen’ has resonated well with the audience who are applauding the film for its genre-bending approach.
Although some critics also think that despite being a deserving one, ‘Stolen’ is a bit niche and isn’t that revelatory. We have had chase films like ‘NH10’, ‘Joram’ and more before and in that context ‘Stolen’ comes as just an addition to the genre without much new to offer.
That said, ‘Stolen’ has managed to impress the larger section of audience which feels it is a gritty, must watch thriller. The fact that, regardless of being a festival bound film, director Tejpal has kept the massy factor intact in ‘Stolen’ in sections like the chase sequence make it much more captivating. Overall, ‘Stolen’ on Prime Video is a film that provokes thought while delivering suspense and that does cement it as a standout film.