Stolen Review: Bollywood’s best thriller of 2025?
Directed by Karan Tejpal and fronted by the ever-gripping Abhishek Banerjee, Stolen packs a punch with a tight, 90-minute thrill ride that keeps you hooked till the very last frame!
In short –
- Karan Tejpal debuts with the best indian thriller of this year.
- Abhishek Banerjee and Shubham Vardhan deliver powerful performances.
- Filled with edge-of-the-seat moments, Stolen deserves all your attention this weekend.
Amazon Prime India was lacking noteworthy names in their Indian movies and show line-ups for a long time. But in 2025, they have really taken the competition one notch higher with their latest release, Stolen. Directed by Karan Tejpal, this movie is gritty, thrilling, tense, and entertaining, which makes it Bollywood’s best thriller in recent times.
Tension begins right from the beginning
The film begins at a small rail station in Rajasthan where Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) arrives to pick up his brother Raman (Shubham Vardhan), who are reuniting for their mother’s wedding. But at the same time, a woman named Jhumpa, whose daughter Champa has been kidnapped from the same station.
Jhumpa accuses Raman of stealing her child as she catches him with a cap that belonged to her child! But Raman is just dragged into this mess as he just crossed paths with a woman who ran out of the station with a baby while dropping the cap on the floor. With tension boiling, cops get involved with Raman being the prime suspect and a witness to this case, his elder brother Gautam tries to bribe their way out. While Gautam comes off as a privileged rich man trying to buy his way out of every mess, Raman stands in stark contrast — shaped by personal loss, he understands pain and chooses to stand up for Jhumpa when it truly matters.
They set out on a desperate mission to reunite Jhumpa with her missing child. But before they know it, a wave of fake news floods social media, accusing them of kidnapping the very child they’re trying to save! Fueled by viral WhatsApp forwards and blind rage, angry mobs begin to hunt them down. Will the truth prevail, or will they be swallowed by a storm of misinformation? The answer lies in a gripping finale you won’t want to miss.
Filmmaking
Debutant director Karan Tejpal delivers a masterstroke with Stolen. With his previous experiences of working as an assistant director with stalwarts like Rajkumar Hirani, Tejpal definitely has the genes of a master filmmaker. In this film, he employs some impressive camerawork, with shots that make you feel as though you are right beside the characters, stuck inside the car. This again is charged up by amazing sound work, particularly in a scene where the characters are fighting off a mob and trying to get into the car while the camera has been kept just inside the car. Like any high-end car, the outside noise gets muffled, and this is skilfully shown in this film too.
Performance
The film is made on a tight budget but with a really well-written script and star cast. Abhishek Banerjee shines in his role of Gautam, which will surely remind you of his character Hathoda Tyagi of Paatal Lok, another A-lister show from Amazon Prime India.
Shubham Vardhan does a decent job in playing Rama, who is struggling with personal grief and has a much more human side than his brother Gautam. His character has the guts to stand up against the wrongdoings and question the injustice.
The character of a poor labourer named Jhumpa, who loses her daughter, is exceptionally played by Mia Maelzer. Despite having very less dialogues, she has the scope of a lot of physical action, and she nails that perfectly. She uses her eyes to express the grief and anxiety that her character feels.
Societal Norms
Stolen isn’t just a gripping thriller—it’s a powerful reflection of the world we live in. Beneath the suspense and tension, the film unpacks some of today’s most pressing societal issues. It throws a sharp spotlight on how social media fuels misinformation, how mobs are quick to deliver their own version of justice, and how power and money continue to manipulate the system.
From the dark world of illegal surrogacy to the horrifying sale of new-borns for cash, Stolen doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths. At every turn, it forces us to question our sense of morality, the fragility of justice, and the cost of silence in the face of exploitation.
Cons
Despite so many great things, the film has a few shortcomings. Stolen is not a typical Bollywood masala film packed with unnecessary songs, but what I thought was that this movie needed a strong BGM. Especially in the car chase scenes, the director tried to keep it real with real sound and all, but a strong background music would have elevated them more.
Another shortcoming that I felt was that the climax was a bit flat. It needed some more thrills along with twists and turns. Every week a new thriller is getting released on the Indian OTT market, and this is making us happy as we are always looking for more. So, a more thrilling climax would have been the cherry on top.
Final Words
Stolen is a slick and well-made thriller that deserves all your attention. Frontlined by powerful performances, camera work, and script, this is really Bollywood’s best thriller in recent times. Watch it now streaming only on Amazon Prime Video.
My Rating – 3.5/5
Leave your comments about this film in the comments below.
Avik
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