Jewel Thief movie review: Jaideep steals the show despite Saif being the chor

Jewel Thief—The Heist Begins is Saif Ali Khan’s first project after the gruesome knife attack earlier this year. Released on Netflix, Saif, as the thief, only scratches the surface in this thriller despite his unmatched charm. On the other hand, Jaideep Ahlawat shoulders it majorly, courtesy of his acting prowess, making it a bearable watch. 

A predictable plot 

The story for Jewel Thief, penned by David Logan, is extremely predictable from the word go. Saif (Rehan Roy) is forced to conduct a heist after Jaideep (Rajan Aulakh) threatens to defame his father. Parallely, he is on the run from Kunal Kapoor (Vikram Patel). Saif has to get the Red Sun, a priceless jewel for Jaideep, which sets the tone for this movie. To set things in motion with regards to their heist, the characters indulge in about 6-7 narrations throughout the film, which is a massive turn-off. It also ends with a clichéd outcome. There`s hardly any element that sets this one apart. 

The film is heavy on its stylised portrayal and is shot at some of the most beautiful locations, but we wish they’d spent that budget on writing and screenplay. What made it even worse were the dialogues written by Sumit Arora, whose resume includes Stree, Jawan, and The Family Man. For instance, Saif had to say something like – “We will steal it in the air,” but he says – “In the gagan.” Perhaps the line was meant to be funny, but it just didn’t land. 

Do the performances make up for it?

The answer is NO! Saif, who has done some incredible work in the past, generated a yawn here and there. Jaideep, however, makes up for it with his menacing act, but even that looked forced and unnatural. Giving an actor tattoos, coloured contacts, and some highlights is not the recipe for an iconic villain. Nikita Dutta, who is the only female lead, doesn’t contribute much to the narrative besides being a glam addition. What’s funny is that after 1.5 hours into the movie, you get to know what her character’s name is. Kunal Kapoor, presumed to be a phenomenal actor by default, also disappoints. 

Final verdict

Despite all the resources, Jewel Thief couldn’t even surpass the level of a Dhoom 2 (2006), which remains as one of the best heist movies in Bollywood. Intentional or not, this one ended up being a comedy rather than a thriller for bypassing the basics of the genre, which is good storytelling that keeps one on the edge of their seat.