Prime Video has acquired Venice Film Festival selection “Stolen.”
The Indian Hindi-language crime thriller marks the directorial bow of Karan Tejpal and is produced by Gaurav Dhingra for Jungle Book Studio. The project is backed by a powerhouse lineup of executive producers including Anurag Kashyap, Kiran Rao, Nikkhil Advani and Vikramaditya Motwane.
The thriller follows two urbane brothers who witness a baby being kidnapped from an impoverished mother at a railway station in rural India. One brother, guided by moral duty, convinces the other to help the mother and join a perilous investigation to find the child.
The cast includes Abhishek Banerjee, Harish Khanna, Mia Maelzer, Sahidur Rahaman and Shubham Vardhan in lead roles. Tejpal co-wrote the screenplay alongside Swapnil Salkar-Agadbumb and producer Dhingra.
Following its Venice premiere in 2023, “Stolen” went on a remarkable festival run, collecting accolades across the globe. At the Beijing International Film Festival, it claimed best director, best cinematography and best actress honors. Japan’s Skip City International D-Cinema Festival awarded it best film and best director, while the Zurich Film Festival honored the pic with a special mention. Locally, the film premiered at the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival and screened at the 28th International Film Festival of Kerala.
“‘Stolen’ exemplifies Prime Video’s commitment to championing bold, meaningful storytelling that resonates deeply with audiences,” said Manish Menghani, director and head of content licensing at Prime Video India. “This edge-of-the-seat thriller is more than entertainment – it holds a mirror to society, delving into powerful themes of justice, trauma, and human resilience.”
The executive producers were unanimous in their enthusiasm for the debut feature.
“I was just totally blown by the film. From the very beginning the tension that brews, it reaches a boiling point so soon and then keeps bubbling till I was almost breathless,” said Kashyap. “What incredible performances from three leads, and this girl Mia (Maelzer), I saw her in ‘The Braid,’ now ‘Stolen’ and before that in [“Santosh” director] Sandhya Suri’s short film [“The Field”]. I am so surprised that India doesn’t know about this phenomenal actor.”
“‘Stolen’ is an adrenaline rush and a truth bomb rolled into one exciting ride,” added Rao. “Karan’s ability to keep me at the edge of my seat, while giving me complex characters and a raw, ringside view of contemporary India, is simply stellar.”
“It’s such a solid, taut, thriller and made by a debut director,” said Advani. “Abhishek (Banerjee) showed me a sizzle when we were shooting and I just wanted to see the film and then when I saw the film wanted to help any which I could.”
Motwane was equally impressed: “The first time I saw ‘Stolen,’ I was blown away. It feels like a complete film — it’s punchy, it’s racy, it hits you in the gut. It’s funny, there’s fighting, some great action and chase sequences. At the same time, it’s deep and political. It’s got everything — all wrapped in what seems like a fairly simple package on the surface, but it digs much deeper. That really hit home for me. All of that — and done within a genre space — makes it such a compelling film. The fact that this came from a debut director just blew me away.”
Producer Dhingra called the project “a taut, emotionally resonant thriller — a human story wrapped in urgency and suspense,” noting that “crafting this narrative and watching it resonate so powerfully on the global festival circuit has been a deeply moving experience.”
“Stolen” will stream exclusively on Prime Video in India and over 240 countries and territories worldwide beginning June 4.
variety.com
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