Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – A master thief accepts a mission to steal the legendary African Red Sun diamond. What begins as a meticulously planned heist spirals into a dangerous game of double-crosses and shifting loyalties.

My Take – With the Dhoom franchise being stagnant, it has been a while since Hindi cinema delivered a decent heist thriller. With the exception of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (2023), most of these star-studded affairs that have released over the decade or so, despite sparing a twist or two, have operated mostly as comedies, both intentional & unintentional, failing to meet the desired objectives: providing the necessary thrills, amidst the glitter and glamour.

Hoping to fill in this space, Siddharth Anand, still reeling in the successes of his directorial efforts Pathaan (2023) and Fighter (2024), borrows the title from an iconic 1967 film, re-teams with Saif Ali Khan, following their delightful stints with romantic comedies, Salaam Namaste (2005) and Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), and brings his latest extravaganza to Netflix.

Though he passes on helming duties to directors Kookie Gulati (Prince) and Robbie Grewal (Romeo Akbar Walter), his creative control is omnipresent, as the scale is grand, all with a promise of delivering a gripping blend of high-octane action and surreal flair.

However, while the film contains the right recipe, from song, action, foreign locations, a stunning cast to a few kisses thrown here and there, it’s all done in the absence of one thing that is supposed to hold it all – a stirring screenplay.

Operating within the same structure of the trashy, twisty Abbas-Mustan-coded pulp fiction we all used to love, but without the attendant guilty pleasures, David Logan’s screenplay here mostly chokes.

Sure, it works as a mindless caper that is never light on entertainment and the world of red diamonds, mafia dons, and museum heists is indeed so much fun, but the over-predictable nature of the narrative leaves you with a sort of forgettable experience. Forcing the cast, primarily Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, two dynamic actors oozing with boundless charm, to do all the heavy lifting.

The story follows Rehan Roy (Saif Ali Khan), a globetrotting notorious jewel thief, who is forced to come down to India when Rajan Aulakh (Jaideep Ahlawat), a wealthy art collector with criminal ties, uses his aging disgruntled father (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) as bait to garner his attention.

Hoping to lose his debt with Moosa (Laitongbam Dorendra Singh), an Istanbul crime lord with whom he shares a history of violence with, Rajan sets his sights on Prince Gamunu’s touring African ruby “Red Sun,” which is coming to India for an exhibition at a museum in Mumbai, and wants Rehan to flex his skills by stealing it.

As Rajan and Rehan engage in a battle of attrition, it isn’t the coveted stone alone that has Rehan’s attention. Rajan’s comely but unhappy wife Farah (Nikita Dutta), too, is in his sight. Making things more difficult for him is Vikram Patel (Kunal Kapoor), an ISS officer who has been unsuccessfully chasing Rehan for years.

No doubt, the film is packed with style, and when it begins to meander, the heist shifts from the ground to the sky, from an art museum in Mumbai where the precious stone is on display to a commercial jetliner ferrying a prince and his entourage to London. But no matter how hard it tries, the narrative struggles to lift itself out of its ordinariness.

The plot maintains a brisk pace, and the cinematography lends it a high-gloss look, but the film leans on familiar tropes—breaking into an impenetrable vault, a hapless love interest, and an estranged family dynamic.

In times where we have offerings such as three seasons of Money Heist, it is disappointing to see writers & filmmakers still sticking to the cookie-cutter cons of the 70s, where infrared rays guard a diamond, a password is waiting to be cracked and a blackmail story to whitewash the criminal intent of the flawed hero.

Though the sequences of rehearsing for the heist and the drama in the sky are created with finesse, the hinted history between Rajan and the shadowy overlord Moosa seemed more intriguing. The film has its share of loopholes, and some plot points feel convenient and unconvincing, like Rehan’s aide Nikki Taneja (Meenal Sahu) who appears only to assist him, with no context to ground her presence in the plot.

Agreed, the clash between force and wit and outsmarting those standing in the way keeps things engaging, in the end, when it comes to the nuts and bolts of the heist, directors Kookie and Robbie rob us of all kind of surprise, because the film will have you believe that everything, like simulating a medical emergency on a flight, all to showcase Farrah in an air hostess uniform, convincing the pilot to divert to the nearest airport, but then blackmailing the same pilot into crash-landing in a park, is planned.

Yet, the indisputable highlight of the film is watching Saif Ali Khan enjoy himself. He looks stylish, throws his usual I-know-what-I-am-doing swag around, and gets the work done. He banters, gets quite a few action scenes, and he sells the heck out of the dialogues with both attention to character and a strain of star power that seems destined to die with his generation.

Jaideep Ahlawat too is fantastic and is pitch-perfect as the menacing villain, managing to send chills down the spine even in moments of silence. The film tragically under uses Kunal Kapoor, who chews scenery impressively but his character simply lacks the required depth to resonate. Nikita Dutta sparkles in a glam avatar and manages to hold over own, even when the narrative short changes her. On the whole, ‘Jewel Thief‘ is an adequate glossy heist caper with standout performances, but unrealized potential.