Stolen

Plot

In the early hours at a remote railway station in rural India, two brothers, Gautam (Abhishek Banerjee) and Raman (Shubham Vardhan), witness a baby being stolen from Jhumpa Mahato (Mia Maelzer), an impoverished tribal woman. While Raman, guided by moral duty, insists on helping Jhumpa, Gautam is initially reluctant. Their decision to assist propels them into a perilous investigation, where they are mistaken for kidnappers themselves, leading to a relentless and emotionally charged chase through hostile terrains.

Cast

Abhishek Banerjee as Gautam Bansal

Shubham Vardhan as Raman Bansal, Gautam's Younger Brother

Mia Maelzer as Jhumpa Mahato

Harish Khanna as Constable Pandit Ji

Sahidur Rahaman as Inspector Shakti Singh

Saarthak Dewan as Acchelal

Nirupama Verma as Gautam & Raman's Mother

Kritikka Avasthi as Indu, Gautam's Wife

Baby Tanya as Champa

Lovekush Kundu as Railway Police

Shrishti as Surili

Bhanu as Tea Boy

Kabeer as Senior Forest Official

Rakesh Singh as Dr. KT Dhingra

Alisha Soni as Rehab Warden

Mahendra Sharma as Rana

Roonj as Nurse

Altaf as Station Master

Bhakti Dange as Geetu

Production

The director of the film, Karan Tejpal, approached producer Gaurav Dhingra with an article about a real-life incident in which two young boys were mob-lynched in Assam in 2018. Deeply shaken by the event, Tejpal was determined to craft a film inspired by it. Pre-production began in 2019, but the production process was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, production resumed between 2022 and 2023.

As the producer, Gaurav Dhingra was committed to ensuring that the film was made on a scale that would resonate with a global audience. Swapnil Salkar, also known as 'Agadbumb', collaborated with Karan Tejpal and Gaurav Dhingra to co-write the dialogues and screenplay, shaping the film into a socially charged action thriller.

Initially, the team considered filming the entire movie in a single take. Although the idea was later dropped, the final film still features several long takes and immersive sequences. Stolen was shot in Pushkar, Rajasthan, with many of the mob members portrayed by real locals from the area.

Actor Abhishek Banerjee was excited by this unconventional filmmaking approach. He expressed his happiness at seeing the results match the vision they were shooting for. During production, crew members often had to walk several kilometers into remote desert locations to capture the film’s intense scenes.

The film had its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival in 2023 where it received a standing ovation and also received recognition at the Zurich Film Festival. Sharing his thoughts on Stolen being screened at the Zurich Film Festival this year, producer Gaurav Dhingra of Jungle Book Studio, said in a statement, "This is such a special moment for us. The way our film Stolen has managed to steal hearts internationally, we are grateful and excited for this outpour of love and bringing our film to The Zurich Film Festival. As a producer, I feel extremely honored to have this opportunity to put India on the world map through our film. Here's hoping this is just the beginning for us and many more Indian films in the global markets."

Release

Stolen has been available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video since June 4, 2025, accessible in over 240 countries and territories.

Following the release of the film, legendary actor Kamal Haasan hosted the Stolen team at his office in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He appreciated Banerjee's performance and praised the film’s powerful vision while remarking that the story of Stolen holds a universal appeal.

Reception

Indian critics praised the film’s raw depiction of class, and conscience. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 88% of 16 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.7/10.

Anupama Chopra reviewed the 2025 film "Stolen" calling it a "harrowing, claustrophobic drama" that "will horrify and just hook you". She noted that the film, which follows two brothers caught up in a police investigation of a stolen baby, effectively uses handheld cameras, long takes, and a documentary style as reported by The Hollywood Reporter India.

Hardika Gupta of NDTV stated "Abhishek Banerjee delivers what is arguably the best performance of his career, shedding the comic persona often associated with him and slipping into a role that requires restraint, fear and eventual resolve."

Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India writes in his review that "What I really like about Stolen is that it doesn’t pretend to hide its own blind spots. The decision to unfold from the point of view of the two urbane characters is a conscious one. It not only reflects the honest gaze of the makers and the fact that it’s these brothers who are the ‘hostile outsiders’ in this nameless region, it also reveals a sociocultural chasm that cannot be overcome with good intent and bleeding-heart-liberal vibes alone."

Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com rated 3/5 stars and said that "Stolen's crisp running time and Abhishek Banerjee's metamorphosis from callous to crusader ensure the stark bits duly haunt and horrify".

Tushar Joshi of India Today gave 4 stars out of 5 and said that "Actor Abhishek Banerjee delivers a powerful performance in the tense thriller 'Stolen', directed by newcomer Karan Tejpal. The film explores dark social themes while keeping viewers hooked from start to finish".

Shreyanka Mazumdar of News 18 gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and said that "Karan Tejpal’s Stolen feels like a gut punch. A 90-odd minute thriller that grips you from the first frame and doesn’t let go."

International acclaim

Stolen received critical acclaim following its premiere at the 80th Venice International Film Festival in 2023, where it was screened in the Orizzonti Extra section. The film was praised for its tight narrative, realistic performances, and social commentary. Critics highlighted Abhishek Banerjee’s portrayal of Gautam as one of the standout performances of his career.

The film won several awards at international film festivals, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress at the Beijing International Film Festival. It also won Best Film and Best Director at the Skip City International D-Cinema Festival in Japan, and received a Special Mention at the Zurich Film Festival.