Bollywood has always had a complicated love affair with the crime genre. From the suave swagger of Don to the chaotic charm of Bunty Aur Babli, and the high-octane mayhem of the Dhoom series, Indian cinema has danced around the idea of cool crime in every shade. Now, with Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins, streaming on Netflix, the industry attempts to polish its image once more — even if the shine sometimes feels a bit surface-level.
Produced by Siddharth Anand (the mind behind Pathaan and War), and directed by Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal, Jewel Thief isn’t just another Bollywood heist flick. It’s a self-serious, globe-trotting origin story about a notorious thief named Rehan Roy (Saif Ali Khan), drawn back into the underworld by a menacing art collector, Rajan Aulakh (Jaideep Ahlawat), who has his own blood-stained agenda. While the film stumbles in storytelling, it never lets its style or its lead actor’s charisma fade away.
Underneath The Red Sun Diamond, A Tale Of Ego, Greed, And Broken Bonds
The plot revolves around the coveted Red Sun diamond — a jewel as blood-soaked in symbolism as it is in screen time. Rajan, locked in a financial and criminal squeeze, manipulates Rehan into helping him steal the gem from a Mumbai museum. What follows is a game of psychological chess across Istanbul, Budapest, and Mumbai, but with the emotional depth of a puddle.
Rehan’s backstory is littered with familiar tropes: a disapproving father (played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda), a guilt-ridden past involving his mother’s death, and a younger brother he can’t seem to connect with. It’s the kind of origin pain that superhero movies lean on, and like many a Marvel or DC flick, Jewel Thief flirts with the idea of emotional resonance — but rarely lands it.
Jaideep Ahlawat’s Villainy Is Sznally Powerful, But Undermined By Hollow Writing
If there’s one element that could have elevated this film into truly explosive territory, it’s Jaideep Ahlawat. The actor — who’s earned his stripes in gritty roles across Indian cinema — steps into the shoes of Rajan with a hunger for menace. And yet, the script ties his hands. Ahlawat’s Rajan is more than just a criminal; he’s a maniac with a blood fetish, a temper that flips like a switch, and a penchant for symbolic cruelty (including an unsettling scene involving his pet dog).
But despite Ahlawat’s best efforts to inject life into every scene, Rajan’s motivations remain murky. Why does he trust Rehan so quickly? What’s his endgame beyond greed? The screenplay never probes these questions, leaving the villain’s arc feeling more like a cardboard cutout than a layered antagonist. It’s a missed opportunity, especially when the chemistry between Ahlawat and Saif Ali Khan crackles with untapped potential.
Saif Ali Khan Steals Every Scene He’s In—Even When The Script Lets Him Down
Saif Ali Khan is, arguably, the film’s saving grace. Whether he’s smirking his way through interrogations, pulling off daring escapes, or delivering one-liners with the kind of suave that made him famous in Omkara and Sacred Games, Khan owns Rehan Roy. There’s a playful confidence in his performance that suggests he’s well aware of the film’s flaws — and is having fun working around them.
One standout moment features a gravity-defying action sequence where Rehan walks up a wall. It’s delightfully absurd, and yet, it works. These are the moments when Jewel Thief taps into what it really wants to be: a stylish, star-driven spectacle. Khan’s presence turns even the most contrived plot twists into watchable sequences, giving the film a pulse it otherwise struggles to maintain.
The Unfortunate Romance That Fails To Spark — And The Film’s Biggest Emotional Blind Spot
Sadly, not all the film’s relationships land with equal weight. The supposed romantic tension between Rehan and Farah (Nikita Dutta) is about as believable as a diamond heist without lasers. Dutta, who rarely gets the chance to break through the script’s shallow writing, plays Farah — Rajan’s wife and a painter with an ill-defined role in the story. Is she in love with Rehan? Is she trapped? Does she even have a personality? The film never lets us in on her inner world, turning what could have been a femme fatale subplot into a hollow afterthought.
“The Heist Begins” Ends With A Hopeful Promise For A Sharper Sequel
For all its flaws, Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins wears its ambitions on its sleeve. It wants to kickstart a franchise, and in typical Anand fashion, it aims for mass appeal over nuance. The full title hints at a trilogy—or at least a series—and one can’t help but hope that the next installment sharpens the writing and deepens the character work.
There are glimmers of what could be a fun, fast-paced crime saga here: the cat-and-mouse dynamic between Rehan and STF officer Vikram Mehta (Kunal Kapoor), the international scope, and the iconic Indian legacy nod to the original 1967 Jewel Thief. These kernels have potential. They just need better polishing.
Final Thoughts: A Shiny Bollywood Heist That Needs More Than Just Glitter To Last
Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins isn’t the genre reinvention Bollywood fans might have hoped for. It’s uneven, occasionally illogical, and leans a bit too hard on style over substance. But it’s also bold enough to cast a seasoned star like Saif Ali Khan in a role that lets him shine, and ambitious enough to dream of a heist franchise.
Like the diamonds it revolves around, this film glitters. It doesn’t always cut deep. But in a landscape craving cool crime stories with more edge, even a glittery trinket like Jewel Thief has its place. Especially if the next part transforms that glitter into something truly precious.