Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga is a 2023 Indian thriller on Netflix. Heist, hijack, and love story defined by Ajay Singh, it’s a production by Amar Kaushik, starring Yami Gautam, Sunny Kaushal, Sharad Kelkar, Indraneil Sengupta, and Barun Chanda. Set largely on a plane, it follows a couple who want to steal diamonds to settle massive debts—but things go way south when terrorists take control of the flight. It has great pacing, wonderful twists, and an amazing performance by Yami Gautam; it’s a fine ride. Yet at the same time, slow-wiry beginnings and some predictable elements keep it from being perfect. If you like thrilling movies bubbling with surprises, this one’s for you.
An Ingenious Tale that Offers Several Surprises
The setting is a false Middle-Eastern city, Al-Barkat. For Sunny Kaushal’s character, Ankit Sethi, diamond insurance turns into disaster. A mere 20 crore rupees alienate him from becoming a million-dollar success when the workers lose the client’s diamonds. A chance on this flight sees him meet Yami Gautam as Neha Grover, a flight attendant, talking about the goodies she has in her tray, made from vegan ingredients. Their meeting later turns romantic in a nightclub where they fall in love, and before long, Neha is pregnant. He proposes and gets a favorable response, but the worst happens when ruffians beat them and demand Ankit pay his debt.
To fix matters, they plot a heist. They aim at diamonds smuggled by a minister named Harish Sanyal and stowed on board. In a locked briefcase, the diamonds are hidden inside a phone case. Ankit gets the code to the briefcase from Sanyal’s secretary by offering her half the share. When an announcement is made that food is served to lapse the duration of time, Neha spills food on the courier’s clothes, and then he excuses himself to the washroom. Ankit seizes the opportunity to grab the briefcase but is interrupted when masked terrorists suddenly hijack the plane. They hold everyone captive and demand the release of a prisoner named Adil Mir. The plane, with tons of passengers, lands somewhere in Kullu, and the tumultuous storytelling continues beyond anything you can see coming. This is because the movie plot weaves between ‘now,’ ‘eight hours ago,’ and ‘eight months ago.’
Incredible Acting by Yami Gautam and Fellow Actors
Embodying Neha, Yami Gautam steals the show. She’s sweet and caring initially, but then reveals strength and secrets as the story proceeds. She makes you feel love, fear, and wrath with just her eyes and smile. She ends up creating Neha—a character to cheer for. Sunny Kaushal is great playing Ankit—a smooth-talking guy always in a mess with the energy he injects into the role. However, some have remarked that he and Yami felt like a paper couple early on. Their romantic scenes are adorable—dancing to their dream future and talking.
Sharad Kelkar plays an investigator named Abbas. Cool and intelligent, he does not get much screen time, which causes the movie to miss out on an interesting character. Indraneil Sengupta is a flight marshal who tries to do his bit against hijackers, but that’s all that comes to mind about him because his role is quite short. Barun Chanda plays the minister Sanyal with sneaky participation, which makes it even more entertaining. All the actors made the airplane feel like a real place where everybody is nervous and hiding something. Even small appearances, like hijackers or passengers, add tension.
Smartivity Directing and Setting Tight
Ajay Singh has done a tremendous job of direction. He took two big ideas—a heist and a hijacking—and merged them into one exciting tale. The only setting in this movie—the plane—looked claustrophobic and scary, as if nothing can save a person from inside. The camera work, done by Gianni Giannelli, indeed shows those tight spaces within the plane, the aisles, and bathrooms, making every movement seem very dangerous. Outside shots of the flying plane or the landing in Kullu look awesome and add to the potion. Ketan Sodha has given a loud music score that makes your heart race at times during the action. There’s a song called Jaaniye, a love song from Vishal Mishra, but nothing special. The visuals by Red Chillies VFX look as real as possible—the plane crashing or the hijackers’ moves.
The charm feels Hollywoodish, somewhere around Snatch or Now You See Me, full of tricks and surprises. It has its Indian take, with loads of humor like the hijacker complaining about his bad job in the Gulf. There is a cute throwback to Ek Dusre Se from the film Hum, which just tickles your funny bone. The narrative doesn’t even cross two hours, making it a fast watch with no time to languish, even with several time jumps throughout the movie.
Fresh Twist: Inspired by True Events?
Interestingly, while the film is fictional, Amar Kaushik revealed in an interview that the core plot of the hijack and heist was loosely inspired by multiple real-life news events involving diamond smuggling and aviation security lapses. Though not based on any one incident, the film brings in layers of reality, blending them with creative fiction. This gives the movie an edge that feels just close enough to be real, especially in a country where airport security and corruption often clash in the news. That tiny sliver of realism adds another layer of tension to an already thrilling setup.
Someone Has to Explain to Me: What’s Fun and What’s Not Perfect
The best thing about Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga is its twists; it begins as a love story and goes on to a heist, then a hijacking, and then… something quite different. The writers—Siraj Ahmed, Amar Kaushik, and maybe Raj Kumar Gupta—keep you on the edge of your seat. Right when you think you know what is happening, they flip the coin on you. Yami Gautam’s performance brings everything to the big reveal, and the ending is totally clever and satisfying. Set in the plane, this kept up the tension, while the movie moved very fast.
There were things against it too. The first act has too much of Ankit and Neha’s romance; it might bore you a little before the heist kicks in. Some things don’t seem right—for example, Neha getting over a huge loss so quickly. The twists are entertaining, but you might suspect one or two of them; some promise more than they deliver. Classic heist tropes are predictable: people betraying each other after you were led to believe they’d remain loyal. The geniuses behind the hijacking simply shouldn’t make it that scary. The whole investigator missing obvious clues or finding a phone with diamonds being way too easy is just a case of blunders upon blunders, crumpling accentuated tense moments. Other characters like the flight marshal or Abbas simply carried a minimum, which didn’t suffice to add interest. Some fans on X have stated that the movie feels “not fully cooked,” implying that it could have been bigger or smarter.
The Story of Love and Tricks
The film tells a tale of love, faith, and coming back. It quite literally explains the lengths that Ankit and Neha will go for each other—even to the point of theft. Neha’s story is one of enduring strength against all odds in a man’s world, who finds herself as a heroine. It’s nice the movie does not have a lot of bloodshed or brutality but rather builds excitement through intelligent scenes. Not quite in the same league as plane thrillers like Neerja or Airlift, which had solid narratives, this surely will serve its purpose. The critics rated it 7.2/10 on IMDb and 3.5/5 from sites like The Times of India. Apparently, it is “super fun” and “packed with thrills,” though some others claim it’s just “meh” and not anywhere near the very best. That being said, on Netflix, it is posed as a great watch since it is quick and keeps one glued.
Final Words
Unlike most movies, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga, at least in this regard, is both entertaining and thrilling. Wonderful delivery by Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal adds charm. It is magnificent—even with its opening, which is quite slow, and some areas feel predictable—due to the airplane setting and some exciting turns. You can think of it like a roller coaster having a few turns that are a little wobbly, but then ends up taking a great finish. If you are a fan of heist movies or thrillers where surprises keep lurking around the corner, then you will definitely like this one. You won’t have to worry about the little flaws—just watch it for Yami’s performance and for a story that keeps you guessing. This is just right for an excellent movie night.
Ratings: 3.5/5
The ratings obviously come from the exciting twists of the film, awesome acting by Yami Gautam, and the cool plane setting. The slow first half and some predictable twists, along with little story errors, have stripped away marks. It is a fun movie to watch once for thriller fans.
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