Bollywood used to make fun crime movies. This is the country of “Don,” of “Bunty Aur Babli” of not one but three “Dhoom” movies (OK, maybe two). Heck, Netflix‘s recent “Dhoom Dhaam” (unrelated to the aforementioned franchise) threw its hat in the ring to respectable results. And while those other examples may be from a bygone era of joyful abandon, the current moment leaves a lot to be desired.
In its defense, Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal’s “Jewel Thief” does not purport to be any kind of caper, but the self-serious wannabe action drama in its place leaves much to be desired. One can’t fault producer Siddharth Anand for committing to more of the same after the success of projects like “Pathaan,” “War,” and “Tiger” — but those were theatrical releases, unlike this one, and did not star Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat.
Khan plays Rehan Roy, a notorious jewel thief working successfully abroad after his father (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) disowned him for his career choice. Rajan (Jaideep Ahlawat), a wealthy art collector with criminal ties, sets his sights on the magnificent Red Sun diamond, threatening Rehan’s family in order to lure him home and enlist his help on the heist.
The film tragically underuses Ahlawat, who chews scenery impressively as a villain but lacks any real depth or motivation. It’s hinted early on that Rajan is living a double life with his illicit activity, but David Logan’s screenplay doesn’t explore this further (except when he kills a dog; you should know this before watching). Despite his chemistry with Khan, the characters don’t a compelling rhythm — at least not one that still registers after just one thrilling phone call between Rehan and officer Vikram Patel (Kunal Kapoor), who have clearly been playing cat-and-mouse for years to the point of mutual respect and even affection. Again, this is not explored, and to the film’s detriment.
The only relationship “Jewel Thief” really wants the audience to invest in is the most taxing of all: the alleged love blooming between Rehan and Rajan’s wife Farah (Nikita Dutta, who cannot act and was ostensibly not hired to do so). It’s not Dutta’s fault that the character was written with all the depth of a goldfish tank, or that casting did not place such a heavy burden on someone more experienced or expressive. Does Farah love her husband? Is she even attracted to Rehan? Does she want to leave it all behind to pursue a life of her own? I couldn’t tell you, because it’s not written into the story or discernible on screen, even as subtext. Sometimes she looks worried. I can relate.
The indisputable highlight of “Jewel Thief” is watching Khan enjoy himself (if he’s not, that just makes the acting more brilliant) even when the filmmakers don’t seem to encourage it. He banters with Vikram’s underlings as they escort him through an airport; he gets quite a few action scenes, including one where the camera tracks him walking up a wall; and he sells the heck out of Sumit Arora’s dialogues with both attention to character and a strain of star power that seems destined to die with his generation.
All of that renders the actual heist more of a chore than an adventure, where more time is spent on the inner workings of a safe than taking advantage of Chekhov’s laser field. And per the full title — “Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins” — there is hope for a sequel, and Anand usually gets what he wants in that department. Part 1 has some kernels that could elevate its successor — heck, even diamonds come from coal.
Grade: C
“Jewel Thief — The Heist Begins” is now streaming on Netflix.
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