Stolen Movie Review: A Disturbing Mirror To Society Disguised As A Thriller
There are films that entertain, and there are films that confront—and Stolen, directed by Karan Tejpal, leans powerfully into the latter. Clocking in at just 90 minutes, this Prime Video release wastes no time in delivering a taut, anxiety-inducing narrative that shakes you to your moral core.
The film begins with Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee), who arrives at a railway station to pick up his younger brother Raman (Shubham Vardhan) for their mother’s wedding. But a casual encounter with a woman named Jhumpa and her baby quickly descends into chaos when the infant goes missing—and Raman is suddenly accused of kidnapping.
What follows is less a whodunit and more a sharp, unsettling reflection of how fear, privilege, and mob mentality can spiral into horror in an instant.
Script Analysis:
The narrative unfolds with urgency and economy, pulling us straight into a chaotic situation where judgment overrides empathy. Shubham’s Raman is the compassionate everyman—quick to help, willing to put a stranger’s crisis before his own commitments. Abhishek’s Gautam, on the other hand, is pragmatic, privileged, and reluctant to “get involved”—a mirror for so many of us who ignore distress in the name of detachment.
But Stolen isn’t just about the brothers. It’s about the society around them—a volatile crowd quick to label, to judge, and to punish, all under the influence of a viral video and the algorithmic anarchy of social media. The film doesn’t yell its message; it lets it creep under your skin.
And in that discomfort, it triumphs.
Performances:
Abhishek Banerjee delivers a career-defining performance. His portrayal of Gautam evolves from passive bystander to a man haunted by conscience. It’s subtle, deeply internal, and painfully real. He communicates volumes in silences and blank stares, making his character’s inner shift completely believable.
Shubham Vardhan is equally compelling—bringing sincerity and emotional intensity to Raman. But it’s Mia Maelzer, as the devastated mother, who leaves the deepest scars. Her raw anguish blurs the lines between performance and reality. You don’t watch her grieve—you feel it.
Direction & Cinematic Treatment:
Karan Tejpal crafts a film that’s unflinchingly honest and visually sparse. There are no dramatic flourishes or glamorous frames—just gritty, grounded realism. The setting feels eerily familiar: a nameless, faceless town where rage spreads faster than reason, and justice is a luxury.
What makes Stolen even more haunting is what it doesn’t show—there is no flashback to the missing child, no over-explained emotional arcs. Just two men, swept up by a tidal wave of accusation and paranoia, fighting a battle that society seems determined they must lose.
The background score is minimal but effective, and the narrative’s tight editing maintains relentless tension throughout.
The Message Beneath The Mystery:
Beneath the surface of this “lost child” thriller lies a damning commentary on class, caste, media-fuelled hysteria, and our deteriorating ability to empathize. The distinction between privilege and poverty is made clear not through exposition but through lived behavior and casual dialogue. One such moment is when a police officer incredulously questions the concept of “a mother getting remarried”—a subtle but stark reminder of how different realities co-exist in the same country.
Jhumpa, despite being the true victim, is treated with suspicion—her grief seen as drama, her pleas met with disbelief. Stolen forces us to question who we trust, and more importantly, who we don’t—and why.
Final Verdict:
Stolen doesn’t aim to provide answers. It doesn’t tie its loose ends in a neat bow. What it does is provoke. It lingers. It demands that we look beyond the noise and assess how complicit we are in a system that rewards indifference and punishes vulnerability.
This is not a film for easy watchers. It’s a film for those willing to engage, to reflect, and maybe—just maybe—to change.
Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Stolen is a gripping, thought-provoking, and timely social thriller that deserves to be watched, discussed, and remembered.
