“This isn’t what it looks like.”

HPP Officer

Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (literally “The Thief Has Escaped”) is a Hindi heist film centred around a diamond theft on a plane which is interrupted by a hijacking. Opening with a vegan meet-cute between air steward Neha and persistent businessman Ankit — which fluctuates between charming and awkward — the couple proceed with the crime only after a personal tragedy. With a running time under two hours, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga wastes little time on the planning stage, vaulting forward several months to the heist itself. The constrained space of the aircraft adds tension but limits the scope of the action primarily to Ankit taking repeated beatings. The story may not be particularly inventive or convincing but it unfolds at a rapid pace — replete with the mandatory heist twists, flashbacks, and double-crosses — keeping the audience engaged. The result is slick rather than smart, but it is effective entertainment that demands little from its audience beyond a willingness to overlook contrivance.

6/10