India’s ‘Jewel Thief’ Debuts At Third

The latest Netflix India original, Jewel Thief has landed the third spot on the platform’s weekly list of most-watched non-English movies this week. Featuring Jaideep Ahlawat and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles, the heist thriller landed online on Friday, April 25. Another Indian film, Court: State Vs A Nobody, made it to the list for the third consecutive week.

Two Indian films on Netflix global top 10

One Hindi and one Telugu film made it to Netflix’s list of most-watched films for the week ending April 27. Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins made it to the third rank while Court: State Vs A Nobody stood on the seventh spot. No Indian show made it to Netflix’s weekly list of most-watched non-English web shows this week.

Netflix global top 10: Jewel Thief

Directed by Kookie Gulati and Robbie Grewal, Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins recorded 7.8 million views and 15.4 million watch hours on Netflix. The film managed to secure the numbers in just three days on the platform.

Jaideep Ahlawat, Kunal Kapoor and Nikita Dutta play lead roles in the film which is set in rich locales of Budapest, Istanbul and Mumbai.

Jewel Thief is the story of a mafia boss (Ahlawat) who hires a thief to steal a coveted diamond. Khan plays the thief who is one of the coolest one around but agrees to carry out the heist only for his family’s sake. Kapoor essays the role of a cop who has been trying to catch the thief for a long time. Many sequences, especially the encounters between the cop and the thief are reminiscent of Dhoom – Bollywood’s most popular heist franchise.

The missing logic is very evident in the thriller that also fails to offer thrills and suspense. Jewel Thief is full of style but offers zero fresh content in a narrative that ignores the emotional depth of its characters. Even Khan’s bond with his onscreen father is not passionate enough to sell the emotional family angle that the film aims at.

Nonetheless, the film is full of glamour, glitter and a larger-than-life persona for both Ahlawat and Khan. It is a treat for fans of these actors to watch them in the cool avatar on this colorful canvas. Nikita Dutta plays her glamorous part perfectly and adds to the visual charm of Jewel Thief.

Netflix Global top 10: Court State Vs A Nobody

The Telugu film Court State Vs A Nobody slipped one rank, making it as seventh most-watched non-English film on Netflix this week. It recorded 1.4 million views and 3.5 million watch-hours in its third week on the platform. Last week, the film ranked on sixth and it stood on the fifth spot in its debut week. A month after it hit theatres on March 14, Court State Vs A Nobody had its digital premiere on Netflix on April 11.

Debutant Ram Jagadeesh has directed Court – State vs. A Nobody which stars Priyadarshi Pulikonda, Sridevi, Sivaji and Harsh Roshan. The film focuses on the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act – an Indian law dealing with sexual offenses against minors. It talks about the misuse of law and power. The film also highlights the plight of the powerless in the face of such adversities. At the box office, the film made a decent collection of $6 million.