Stolen review: Karan Tejpal's film steals your attention and never lets it go
Actor Abhishek Banerjee's rise to fame with 'Stree' has been well documented. But his versatility and agility to take on a role that demands grit shine best with this week's release - 'Stolen'. Directed by debutant filmmaker Karan Tejpal, 'Stolen' made its mark at various film festivals before making its way to Prime Video. At a time when streaming titles can be challenging and taxing, 'Stolen', in its 90-odd minutes, zips through like a fast car that takes sharp U-turns and shifts gear when you least expect it.advertisementSet around the events leading up to what happens when a child gets stolen from a sleeping woman at a railway station, it revolves around two brothers - Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) and Raman (Shubham Vardhan) - who are in a rush to attend their mother's destination wedding. What seems like a casual encounter and banter between two brothers soon turns into a nightmare when a woman named Jhumpa (Mia Maelzer) claims Raman is a possible accomplice in the case of her missing baby.Local police get involved, tempers rise, and soon suspicion is drawn towards these brothers who, despite their pleas, are sinking into this quick sand of treacherous and murky terrain that doesn't trust outsiders from the city.
'Stolen' is fast, it's tense, and extremely taut. The events unfold so fast that you are left with no choice but to jump on this reckless ride to explore a very unpredictable place. The film explores various themes, like casteism, mob lynching, and the ever-increasing gap between the have and have-nots. advertisementDebutant director Karan Tejpal is able to bring out performances from his cast that are raw, unrehearsed and utterly engaging. While both Banerjee and Vardhan are at the forefront of this madness, the supporting cast is equally good. The camera work is superb as it moves from various terrains, capturing the ever-changing mood of the film. The writing and the dialogues are less dramatic or flashy. The attempt to keep most of the film real and gritty works beautifully.'Stolen' is one of the finest films to come out from a first-time filmmaker. Like the story it seeks to tell, the overall experience might not be near perfect. But then, the agony, fear, and pain of a mother for her child that it showcases make it impossible for you not to jump on this ride. 'Stolen' steals your attention from the opening frame and keeps you hooked till the very end.4 out of 5 stars for 'Stolen'.Trending Reel
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In the film's first scene, a veiled woman – the only one awake on the platform — steals the infant and flees. While running, she bumps into a train passenger, Raman Bansal (Shubham Vardhan), who has gotten off a train to attend his mother's wedding. Raman's brother Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) is asleep in the parking lot of the station, having driven there in the dead of the night to pick him up. When Jhumpa wakes up a few minutes later, and can't seem to find her infant daughter – all hell understandably breaks loose. She alleges Raman stole her child, who is holding a pink beanie, which fell from the baby when the thief bumped into him. A mob gathers around them, and like it happens in India's smartphone revolution, people start recording the confrontation. It takes Gautam to diffuse the rising tensions, when he asks a simple question to Jhumpa and the police constable nearby – 'Would a thief stick around at the crime scene, holding on to evidence that will implicate him?' 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