Sunny Kaushal and Yami Gautam’s heist thriller lands safely despite some mid-air bumps.
Cast: Sunny Kaushal, Yami Gautam, Sharad Kelkar, Indraneil Sengupta
Director: Ajay Singh
Writers: Shiraz Ahmed, Amar Kaushik
Streaming Platform: Netflix
In one of the scenes in Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, Neha (Yami Gautam) smugly tells a character, “Tu mere saath khel raha tha?” Par khela toh maine hain tere saath.” Thankfully, Ajay Singh’s Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga never makes you feel played despite some minor flaws in the writing.
What’s Yay: Performances
What’s Nay: A few predictable turns, lack of well-fleshed supporting characters
Story
Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga opens with an interrogation scene in which a passenger Ankit Sethi (Sunny Kaushal), badly injured with a broken nose, answers the questions shot to him by the cops after surviving a hijack ordeal. We are then introduced to Neha Grover (Yami Gautam), a flight attendant who seems to be lost in some thoughts.
The film then goes back in time. Eight months ago, a missing vegan meal on an Al-Barkat to New Delhi flight had played cupid for Ankit and Neha. While it was ‘love at first flight’ for the former, Neha eventually fell for her charming passenger after a few dates.
During one of their rendezvous, Neha learns that a failed business has left Ankit vulnerable to some dangerous gangsters. Further, the couple is hit by a tragedy following which Neha decides to help her beau in stealing some diamonds which are being smuggled on a flight, so that he can repay his huge debt. Unfortunately, their fool-proof plan gets thwarted when their plane gets hijacked by some masked men.
Meanwhile, RAW Deputy Shaikh (Sharad Kelkar) is convinced that there’s more to this attack than meets the eye.
Direction
The idea of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga sounds exciting on paper. The writer duo- Shiraz Ahmed and Amar Kaushik try to make it fly high with their narrative. While a major chunk of it soars, the remaining fails to take off. Also, if you are a heist thriller aficionado, then you can smell some of the twists a mile off.
Ajay Singh has a taut grip on his directorial reins because of which the events unfolding on the screen keep you hooked even when some predictability seeps into the screenplay. Having said that, the film does have some half-baked sub-plots and convenient writing which causes some disruptions in your journey.
Performances
Sunny Kaushal exudes a certain charm which helps him to sail through in portions where the writing of his character loses a bit of its colour. One wished that the makers had tapped into Ankit’s backstory which would have allowed the actor to bring in some more variations.
Yami Gautam gets a more-fleshed role and the actress makes sure to add a delicious touch to its twisted parts. While she always nails the vulnerability shade, she is convincing when asked to switch on her ‘sass’ as well.
Sharad Kelkar and Indraneil Sengupta barely get a chance to shine on screen.
Technical Aspects
Gianni Giannelli keeps the tension alive in the narrative with his frames. Editor Charu Takkar’s to-and-fro jump cuts might not appeal to some.
Music
Ketan Sodha’s background score lends the right mood to this heist thriller. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga has only one song ‘Janiya’ in its album track which is passable and doesn’t hinder the pace of the film.
Verdict
During their first coffee date, Neha (Yami Gautam) smilingly tells Ankit, “Kaafi tez hain aap.” Hearing this, the latter replies, “Aap ko slow pasand hain toh slow kar dete hain.” When it comes to the film, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga doesn’t make your journey ‘plane simple’ by taking the sluggish route. In this flight, there are hits and misses in the air, but you still manage to get a safe landing.
