Social media platforms have been abuzz with praise for Abhishek Banerjee’s “gritty” and “mesmerising” portrayal of a man on a mission to find a missing child in Prime Video’s latest survival thriller film Stolen, which premiered on the streamer on June 4.
Shubham Vardhan plays Abhishek’s on-screen brother in the film backed by Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane. Stolen tells the story of two city-based brothers, Gautam and Raman, played by Abhishek Banerjee and Shubham Vardhan, who get sucked into a nightmare while trying to aid a police investigation of a stolen baby from a rural railway station.
Sharing his views on X, a fan pointed out the raw realism of the film. “STOLEN has that rawww grit realism, like its so aliveee. Yk some times you hear about something and go “areyy yar, this feels straight out of a filmm” yeahhh this one carries that exact energyyy. Tightlyy packed with stunning performances,” he wrote.
Lauding Abhishek Banerjee’s performance in the film, an X user tweeted, “He brought so much depth and grit to the role — totally mesmerizing! #Stolen.”
Vouching for a mid-week movie recommendation, a netizen shared, “Amazing mid week movie on @PrimeVideoIN #Stolen. Highly recommended.”
A fan of Abhishek Banerjee took to X and expressed her excitement over watching the film. “Looking forward to #Stolen on Prime for the only Abhishek I like in the industry,” she posted.
Stolen marks the directorial debut of Karan Tejpal and is produced by Gaurav Dhingra. “With Stolen, I set out to tell a raw and honest story about two starkly different worlds that collide in unexpected ways.” Tejpal said in a statement.
“Having the support of filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane has only strengthened my creative conviction,” he added.
Talking about the film, Abhishek Banerjee said, “Stolen is India’s answer to raw, genre-driven filmmaking. I’m thrilled for audiences across the globe to experience this gripping thriller when it premieres on Prime Video.”
Stolen made a powerful debut at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, earning a standing ovation and launching a remarkable global festival run. It won Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress at the Beijing International Film Festival and Best Film and Best Director at Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival.
The Zurich Film Festival awarded it a Special Mention. In India, Stolen premiered at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and was later showcased at the 28th International Film Festival of Kerala.
The film features an ensemble cast including Harish Khanna, Mia Maelzer, Sahidur Rahaman and Shubham.
Karan Tejpal has co-written the movie alongside Swapnil Salkar-Agadbumb and Gaurav Dhingra.