Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
Genre: Thriller
Year: 2023
Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Director: Ajay Singh
Cast: Yami Gautam Dhar, Sunny Kaushal, Sharad Kelkar, Indraneil Sengupta
Kid rating: G
A mid-air heist with diamonds and desperation, Chor Nikal ke Bhaaga is far from flawless. It does hold interest though and did exceed my expectations. Wonders never cease.
The lovely Yami Gautam Dhar (her first film was this sperm tale) stars as flight attendant Neha Grover, who meets businessman Ankit Sethi (Sunny Kaushal). Post meet-cute the smitten Ankit pursues Neha, and she finally agrees to the relationship. Soon after, trouble rears its head in the form of hoodlums who follow Ankit around and demand payment. Ankit tells Neha of his financial debt, assuring her he will take care of it, until goons physically assault the pair. Then the couple agree to smuggle diamonds to repay Ankit’s debt.
The operation must be done mid-air, so as to not alert authorities. Neha, as flight attendant on the plane and Ankit, posing as a passenger, are all ready to do their bit, when they’re preempted by a plane hijacking! Now Ankit will never get a chance to do his part, and it will be curtains for our lead pair. Or will it?
Chor Nikal ke Bhaga has much going on – first the love angle, then violent altercations with hoodlums, and then the smuggling op, the hijacking etc. etc. This is an energetic, fast-paced film, with a frantic vibe, oozing schemes and desperation. You never get to snooze, which is nice, even if you have to suspend logic and belief somewhat.
For a suspenseful thriller, the film does well. There are lots of twists and turns, with some unexpected backstories coming out. Some of the events which upend the narrative seem a tad flimsy though, like the time when Neha, in a moving cab, glances upwards to see an unfortunate event through an apartment window, many floors up! There were a couple more of these specific, chancy, extremely improbable coincidences which made me roll my eyes, but on the whole, they weren’t enough to put me off.
Yami is quite believable as the very-much-in-love flight attendant, who will do anything for boyfriend dearest. Sunny is the poor man’s Vicky Kaushal, and does not have half the oomph his older brother has. He manages the romantic hero role just barely and only impresses when the benevolence gives way to menace. Makes me think he might do well as a villain rather than a hero.
Director Ajay Singh delivers a decent film in Chor Nikal ke Bhaaga. I haven’t see his earlier work as Director, although Aamir (2008) where he served as Assistant Director was quite a remarkable film – so I do hope that Singh can continue to hone his filmmaking game. While Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga is not super polished or fastidious, it is an enjoyable, unpredictable thriller – a good Friday night entertainer. Go see!
