Despite a promising cast including Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, this predictable heist drama stumbles with outdated tropes, forced humor, and hollow storytelling.
April 26, 2025:
Directors: Robbie Grewal, Kookie Gulati
Writer: Sumit Arora,
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat as Rajan Ahlawat,
Saif Ali Khan: Rehan Roy,
Kunal Kapoor as Vikram Patel
Nikita Dutta- Farah
Netflix’s Jewel Thief, starring Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Kunal Kapoor, and Nikita Dutta, promised thrills, glamour, and suspense — but ends up as a tired rehash of 1970s heist clichés, stretched thin over a glossy but soulless narrative.
Directed by Robbie Grewal and Kookie Gulati, and written by Sumit Arora, the film kicks off with the brutality of ex-mafia don Rajan Ahlawat (Jaideep Ahlawat) who now masquerades as a refined art collector but is knee-deep in financial trouble. His salvation? A legendary diamond — and the only man who can steal it — Rehan Roy (Saif Ali Khan).
What follows is a cookie-cutter chase involving interpol, an upright STP officer Vikram Patel (Kunal Kapoor), and a big, flashy diamond en route from Africa to Mumbai. You’d hope that such a setup might yield tension or surprises — but the plot unfolds with such utter predictability, it’s almost insulting.
Enter Farah (Nikita Dutta), Rajan’s traumatized wife, thrown in for emotional gravitas and romantic flair. But even that arc feels redundant, merely an excuse to squeeze in two lukewarm kissing scenes.
Also Read: Saif Ali Khan Steals the Spotlight in Netflix’s ‘Jewel Thief – The Heist Begins’
Saif Ali Khan tries to rekindle his 90s “cool rogue” energy, but in his mid-50s, the act feels misplaced and dated. Ahlawat brings suave menace but is bogged down by clunky dialogues and a script that gives him no room to rise. Kunal Kapoor and Nikita Dutta are wasted — the latter more like wallpaper than a character.
The dialogues are cringeworthy, the pacing limp, and the screenplay fails to offer any suspense or thrill. There are no twists worth remembering, no moments that jolt you, and certainly no emotional hook. Even the big climax, involving the actual heist, feels mechanical and unearned.
The film ends with a foreign escape, a trophy girl, and the tease of a sequel — something no one asked for.
In the age of streaming, where audiences crave layered stories and nuanced characters, Jewel Thief feels like a misfire that Netflix should have seen coming. It’s all packaging, zero punch — a film that wastes its talent and your time.
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Jewel Thief review, Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Netflix India, Bollywood heist movies, Indian thriller, Kunal Kapoor, Nikita Dutta, Netflix originals, Film critique, Streaming review