Amazon Prime’s latest release, Stolen, marks the powerful directorial debut of Karan Tejpal, delivering a taut and unsettling political thriller that plunges viewers into the chaos of mob hysteria and fractured morality. The film draws inspiration from the tragic 2018 lynching of two men in Assam, falsely accused of child trafficking, and crafts a gripping narrative that holds a mirror to India’s deep-rooted social fault lines.
Set over the course of a single night, Stolen begins with a chilling incident on a rural railway platform: a baby named Champa is snatched away from her mother Jhumpa (Mia Maelzer). The tension quickly escalates when a young photographer, Raman (Shubham Vardhan), unknowingly picks up a woollen cap that belonged to the child, leading an angry crowd to accuse him of abduction.
Caught in the whirlwind of suspicion and rage, Raman’s brother Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) is pulled into a harrowing ordeal where class, caste, and fear dominate every interaction. The police, led by the enigmatic Panditji (Harish Khanna), provide little comfort, embodying institutional apathy rather than protection.
Abhishek Banerjee delivers what many critics are calling the finest performance of his career. Known largely for his comedic roles, Banerjee sheds that persona to portray Gautam with nuance and depth. His character arc—from cynical and self-preserving to someone who rises to moral courage—is both believable and compelling. Meanwhile, Mia Maelzer as Jhumpa anchors the film emotionally, portraying grief and complexity with a subtlety that keeps audiences guessing about her true motives.
Unlike many politically charged films, Stolen avoids didacticism. Its screenplay, co-written by Tejpal, Vardhan, Gaurav Dhingra, and Swapnil Salkar, is precise and thought-provoking, forcing viewers to confront uncomfortable realities without offering easy answers. The film explores how quickly societal order unravels when justice is left to the mob, and how fear and suspicion can distort human connections.
The thriller’s pacing remains tight throughout, with chase sequences and confrontations filmed in confined alleys and highways, heightening the sense of claustrophobia and urgency. Yet, Stolen manages to balance its grim subject matter without veering into exploitation or melodrama.
In a cinematic landscape often filled with loud and flashy entertainment, Stolen stands out as a quietly powerful statement on social justice, human fragility, and the dark undercurrents running through modern India. It’s a must-watch for anyone interested in meaningful political thrillers that challenge as much as they entertain.
Sources By Agencies
