‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ Fails to Shine – A Stylish Disaster Without a Story
Netflix’s latest heist thriller, Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins, starring Saif Ali Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat, crashes hard despite its glossy setup and promising cast. Directed by Robbie Grewal and Kookie Gulati, the film attempts to spin a grand diamond theft saga but ends up tangled in a mess of clichés, lazy writing, and a lack of compelling narrative.
Saif plays Rehan Roy, a suave conman hired by gangster Rajan (Jaideep Ahlawat) to steal the legendary “Red Sun” diamond. Despite the intriguing premise, the film suffers from a disjointed plot, underdeveloped twists, dry chemistry between leads, and a lackluster climax.
While the performances try to salvage the weak script, even Ahlawat’s brilliance and Saif’s swagger can’t save the uninspired storytelling. With forced kisses, foreign locales like Budapest, and shallow action, the film feels like a checklist of Bollywood tropes without the heart.
Critics have slammed the film for casual racism, lazy dialogues, and genre confusion, calling it worse than even the most mediocre heist dramas. Siddharth Anand’s production vision falters yet again, delivering a 1.5-star disappointment that, as one reviewer put it, “should never have taken off.”
Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins is now streaming on Netflix—but viewers may want to skip the ride.
