- Date of Release: 04 June 2025
- Genre: Drama, Thriller
- Language: Hindi
- Watch On: Amazon Prime Video
Stolen
Introduction
The cold open in the new Hindi film Stolen can be drawn from the premise of Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly (2013) wherein the central fulcrum of the story revolves around the disappearance of a child. The variation in Stolen though is synonymous with its title – the little child has indeed been stolen. The template of a genre film is to immediately kickstart the narrative, and so here, the setting remains that of a railway station where the supposed crime takes place in the middle of the night. Even when you are introduced to its characters, the pessimist tone of the drama shines through. It remains a neo-noir setup that almost makes the drama relatable, or alternately an incident that could so easily happen to any of us in reality. And this internal introspection to begin with, makes the hook in Stolen very powerful even as you start getting acquainted to the characters and their antics when put under pressure.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Gaurav Dhingra and Karan Tejpal, you can’t help but notice a clear demarcation in the social strata of all its characters when they are first introduced. Jhumpa (an incredible Mia Maelzer) comes across as a character from the fringes of the society that one wouldn’t typically notice around them (notice her subtle language barrier making her an indigenous character that immediately makes her an ‘outsider’ in the Hindi speaking belt). Characters like her often present in the background but have to also face the wrath of the society, both in terms of getting noticed and worse, if they have to seek justice from the society. So when you witness Jhumpa’s child gone missing, you parallelly see her being agitated but to no real avail. The cops continue to be brutal and suspicious towards her, she is questioned about her integrity (happens frequently throughout the film), and if not for the character of Raman (an understated Shubham Vardhan), she stood no chance in getting her child back.
On the other hand, you are introduced to the character of Gautam (a brilliant Abhishek Banerjee), and you immediately feel a sense of entitlement about him. Both Gautam and Raman are brothers, and belonging to a rich well-to-do family. On probing further, you notice two distinct features – Raman is at the railway station (a medium of transport for the middle class), only because he missed his flight. Secondly through a series of exposition, you get to know that Raman and Gautam’s mother is remarrying (again a stereotypical concept meant for the “rich”). From their attire to the watches that they don, you can clearly make out that the social strata of Gautam and Raman is drastically different to that of Jhumpa. But fortunately for Jhumpa, there is a streak of non-conformity that laces the character of Raman, even as she gets support from unexpected quarters during the police investigation.
This genre-drama heavily relies on the social commentary as much as it does on character dynamics. For instance, you observe a little conflict between Raman and Gautam about a certain past that isn’t established deliberately, although does enough to etch out the reactionary and contradicting actions of the two brothers. Even when Raman questions the cops much to Gautam’s dismay, there is the same streak of disagreement that acts as a connecting tissue. This, while having a strong sense of a commentary on the power dynamics in this country. There is a sense of disdain accompanying the characters of the two cops, Shakti (Shahidur Rahaman) and Pandit ji (Harish Khanna) who initially do not wish to look beyond the ‘usual suspects’ of the society. There is a sense of authority that is imposed on Jhumpa and a tea-stall worker, both members of the lower strata of the society, almost being in agreement that the truth lies somewhere in between (without once wanting to question the rich). The same foundation of this power crumbles when being challenged by Raman, thereby making Raman (and invariably Gautam) a party to the mess – almost highlighting the fact that if any chooses to challenge the authorities, the distance between the rich and the poor would be shortened in the eyes of the law!
There is a genuine tonality of pessimism even when the characters go on a hunting trail to the second location. In between a pit-spot and an ‘accident’, the core of the drama is further explored with a running stream of politics. It is here that the lines blur between the real and reel incident given how the news flashes from the Whatsapp University has become the source of truth for so many people in today’s world (a recent example of how media twists facts without even once verifying its source, as we recently saw in the ‘War’ news flashes). The events partly also reminded me of Sudhir Mishra’s impeccable film Afwaah (2023) that seemed to be cut from the same cloth. And so after a point in the film, the conflict of a missing child transitions into a survival thriller of sorts!
The political commentary in the narrative only grows in its second act wherein you witness the central characters having to survive a proper onslaught. The events resembled the Brazilian film Bacurau (2019) in a very different context, almost like lacing that film with the political flavour of today as a justification for the violence in the film. It is almost a precursor to the partial sanity that ensues wherein the damage is already done before realisation sets in. And here, even the criss cross lanes of a village (where characters run for cover) are symbolic of the quest for the truth that lies somewhere between the twisted shores of sham. Also, I liked how the symbolism was subtle while never losing sight of the social commentary that is prevalent in the drama, something that is perfectly addressed in the reels of the final act. And within the confinements of this space, you also witness the character arcs of all characters, from where they started and where it all ended, with lines literally blurring between the social stratas of the characters (some of whom remain mere pawns chained by the clutches of the powerful). All of it, in the quest for truth that is always hard to find and acknowledge. The screenplay here is wonderfully well penned and makes for a lasting impact while highlighting the ‘Two Indias’ that we reside in, a terminology insinuated by Vir Das in his impeccable standup!
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are conversational but laced with a brand of commentary that is subtly provocative and quite reflective of the times that we live in today. The BGM worked well with the silence in the narrative that created a raw and pessimistic atmosphere, creating an illusion of a neo-noir in the wake of a searing political commentary. However, there are a couple of junctures that broke the grammer of the narrative as far as the BGM is concerned. This is true in chase sequences that suddenly infuses the narrative with a blaring soundtrack that deviates from the rawness of the drama. But this remained a minor flaw in the overall scheme of things.
The cinematography is impeccable to the core, be it frames capturing the claustrophobic setup inside the car or aerial drone shots, all of which insinuated a neo-noir tone to the proceedings. The camera uses the lighting effectively, almost using it as a source of symbolism for the dark times prevalent today, and thereby creating a tense atmosphere and ambience in the drama. The editing is sharp and taut, maintaining the length of the drama to perfection while wonderfully assimilating the transition shots and in the process, maintaining the palpable tension in the drama. A huge shoutout to the costume department for accurately demarcating the social strata of the characters through the attire that they don.
Director Karan Tejpal has a very understated tone to his filmmaking style, something that is evident from his first shot. He prefers the camera to simply follow the characters instead of dumping information onto the viewers through individual scenes. His sensibilities are highlighted in the manner he approaches the social and political commentary of the film, always keeping it in the background and never wishing it to overpower the crux of the film. In the process, he handles this genre-film brilliantly while exploring the vulnerability of his characters along the way. The direction is brilliant here!
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast and full marks to casting director Mahendra Sharma for hand-picking some wonderful actors here. Shahidur Rahaman as Shakti and Harish Khanna as Pandit ji play polar opposite cop characters here with a little power hierarchy dynamic prevalent between the two, and with each character being representative of its age demographic. Shakti is hot-tempered and aggressive, newly exposed to the power dynamics of his department while Pandit ji is calm, calculated and mildly empathetic, having experienced the shifty nature of the police department accurately over the years. This fire and ice combo is wonderfully represented through its characters, something that also delves into the psyche with respect to the integrity of their profession (you see Pandit ji taking a bribe and in turn bartering the freedom of the characters). Both these actors make a lasting impression.
Shubham Vardhan as Raman is a non-conformist character with dollops of integrity that sees his fighting for an unknown stranger despite the resistance from his brother (who was * trivia time * – also his Rang De Basanti (2006) co-star two decades ago). There is a sense of assertiveness that laces his character while interacting with another character on a higher pedestal in the power food-chain. This, despite also showcasing traces of vulnerability along the way. And Shubham uses his body language to such perfection while depicting these character traits in an incredible job done.
Mia Maelzer as Jhumpa is a vulnerable character from the onset, having to fight it out daily for survival in the purest sense. And hence in the car chase skirmish, you see her as the most equipped to fight back against a mob, both literally and figuratively. In that sense, her core character trait along with vulnerability was resilience, from her struggles day in and day out. The only point where you notice her crack is talking on the phone helplessly to her known one, while wanting to end her life after her little baby is stolen. Mia captures the essence of her character just so intrinsically and beautifully, that literally hits the sweet spot! She was brilliant to the core and how using with raw expressions to such good effect!
Abhishek Banerjee is known to understand the nuances of his character, even with respect to the setting and then completely surrender to the vision of the director. Here unlike his character in Debashish Makhija’s Ajji (2017) who remained on the opposite side of the spectrum in terms of the power dynamics, Gautam remains a victim of the system despite being from the higher strata of the society. And Gautam is aware of this aspect, almost shown to be weary of it and resisting the sudden charge of his brother. In that sense when you witness Gautam at the end, there is a proper character arc which is showcased. And in between, there are bouts of vulnerability and fear that accompany his character. Abhishek wonderfully touches upon these facets in his character, almost bearing his soul to achieve the rawness and vulnerability of his character. His expressive eyes consistentky change over a period of time, with each passage telling a different story of survival. In a way, all characters are survivors of the system – some knowingly and some unknowingly, a concept that was expertly highlighted through his character, in what then turned out to be a brilliant performance that stays with you after the film has ended!
Conclusion
Stolen is a brilliant survival thriller with searing political undertones and stupendous performances that makes for a wonderfully poignant watch while mirroring the state of the society today. I just can’t recommend it enough! Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!