Anupama Chopra reviews "Stolen," a harrowing claustrophobic drama from debut director Karan Tejpal. In this review for The Hollywood Reporter India, Anupama examines how the film explores the collision between two Indias - rich and poor, rural and urban, privileged and powerless - following the theft of a five-month-old baby.
Anupama discusses how co-writers Karan Tejpal, Gaurav Dhingra, and Swapnil Salkar have created a genre film layered with social commentary, inspired by the real-life Karbi Anglong lynching incident in Assam in 2018. She analyzes the performances of Abhishek Banerjee as the affluent urbanite Gautam, Shubham as his brother Raman, and Mia Maelzer as Jhumpa, praising their authentic portrayal of characters caught in horrific circumstances.
The review highlights the film's documentary-style visual approach using handheld cameras and long takes, comparing it to Sudhir Mishra's "Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin." Anupama notes how the film effectively shows the thin line between civilization and mayhem, though she finds the climax somewhat too neatly resolved.
"Stolen" is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video.
