“What’s in a name?” Everything! That’s what I initially thought before I watched the latest Netflix release ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’. With a title that sounded so promising, I thought it would be a banger. But how wrong was I? This review is a totally honest opinion about this 2023 Indian heist thriller directed by Ajay Singh and produced by Amar Kaushik, starring Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal in the lead roles. The movie follows the story of a flight attendant named Neha Grover (Gautam) and her boyfriend Ankit Sethi (Kaushal), who come up with a plan to steal a stash of diamonds on the flight to pay off Ankit’s outstanding debt to gangsters. However, their plan takes a disastrous turn as the flight is hijacked by a terrorist group, resulting in a hostage crisis. As the plot unravels, we find out that the hijacking is not a coincidence but a more sinister plan than what Ankit and Neha originally had in mind. But who is behind the plan? That you can only find out if you watch the movie. Unfortunately, the movie fails to deliver on its promise of being a suspenseful thriller. There are plenty of twists and turns in the movie as people try to deceive each other but the script is weak, and the direction is haphazard. The storytelling is too lazy for a suspense thriller and the dialogues are not convincing enough. There is revenge, vengeance, and wrath in the movie, but it fails to touch the audience’s hearts or minds.

The movie meanders around aimlessly, and even the acting skills of the leads Yami Gautam and Sunny Kaushal fail to make up for the weak storytelling. The remaining supporting cast also delivers a lackluster performance, making it a forgettable experience. I would blame Siraj Ahmed, Amar Kaushik and Raj Kumar Gupta’s writing and Ajay Singh’s direction for this emotionless movie more than the cast involved. Maybe a case of too many cooks? But not to name names of a few seen and unseen faces, some of the acting performances are totally blameworthy as well.

Another one of the weakest aspects of the movie is Ketan Sodha’s background score. A good background score adds to the movie’s overall impact, but in this case, it fails miserably. The score is excruciatingly bad and takes away from any potential suspense that the movie could have generated. The movie’s OSTs are also totally unworthy of even mentioning, making this movie a collective failure on all fronts There are some moments in the movie that are enjoyable, but they are rare. The few twists and turns that exist aren’t strong enough to carry the movie. Maybe I was over-expecting or maybe my standards have become too high, I can barely count the movie’s positives on one hand. As a viewer, you may find yourself checking your phone, pressing the fast-forward button too much, or being distracted by other things, which is never a good sign. Who should watch it? In summary, Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga is a disappointment. The movie falls short of being a well-made heist thriller and fails to deliver on its promises. There isn’t much to take positively in the movie, and it’s not worth investing your time in. This movie is meant for people who have a lot of time to kill and are looking for a mediocre watch. I wouldn’t recommend this movie, but if you do decide to watch it, do so with low expectations.   Rating: 1.5 stars Genre: Suspense/Thriller Actors: Yami Gautam, Sunny Kaushal Director: Ajay Singh Run time: 1hr 50mins