Netflix’s new hijacking thriller is a worldwide success — but why?

One of Netflix’s new thrillers is taking off explosively worldwide. Film about an Indian mid-air heist. Chor Nikal Ke BhagaThe title is not intended to be translated. The Thief was able to slip away) debuted among the top 10 most-watched movies and shows in 45 different countries, according to independent auditor Ernst & Young, making it the company’s third-most-streamed non-English-language property around the world. A light but propulsive film with numerous twists and turns, it’s the kind of mid-budget genre piece that would have made for a fun DVD rental on family movie night 15 or 20 years ago, so its appeal is hardly shocking. But the biggest surprise is just how well the film has fared compared to Netflix’s other Indian offerings, especially those with more bankable or recognizable stars.

This is unlike most Indian films that cross over to international streaming platforms, such as the Hindi version of the Telugu-language breakout. RRROr the Bollywood period piece Gangubai Kathiawadi — which reached the top 10 in 64 and 47 territories respectively, the highest numbers for Indian productions since Netflix began publicizing this statistic in 2021 — Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga It is an original Netflix film. Instead of a theatrical success story with fanfare, it began life as a streaming video.

Image by Netflix

Sunny Kaushal plays Ankit Sethi, a suave and flirty insurance agent, while Yami Gautam portrays Neha, Yami’s sweet, but strong flight attendant Ankit falls for. This romantic duo is roped into a desperate diamond heist at 30,000 feet — which also happens to coincide with a hijacking. They have both appeared before in Bollywood films (notably Gautam in 2019’s blockbuster war movie). Uri: The Operative StrikeBoth are needle-moving stars, but they can be used. Und doch Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga Has reached streaming numbers that are normally reserved only for Indian Alisters.

The movie is a success in South Asia as well as in countries with large South Asian diasporas like the Middle East. That isn’t entirely out of left field: The Hindi-language production, which takes place in India and a fictitious Middle Eastern country, hit No. The film reached the No.1 spot in India, Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and also made it to the top 10 in other Gulf and South East Asian states. These films are popular with both South Asians as well as non-South Asians. The film’s title is also likely to evoke tongue-in-cheek nostalgia for Hindi speakers, since it quotes a children’s nursery rhyme.

However, it also reached No. 1 in Ecuador and Venezuela, and broke through the top 10 in a number of other South American countries, where Indian movies aren’t such a sought-after commodity. The film didn’t receive anything close to the marketing blitz of major English-language Netflix properties (like Red NoticeOr Gray Man), and even Netflix’s Latin American region Twitter account has only mentioned the movie once — by its Spanish-language title El Vuelo de los Ladrones (or Flight of the Thieves) — well after its success. What gives then?

The streamer’s relatively opaque policies and metrics make it difficult to pinpoint exactly how the film initially found its global audience, but it isn’t hard to see how a movie pushed to the front page by the company’s mysterious algorithm might’ve attracted curious eyeballs. Unless you’ve mercifully disabled autoplay on Netflix, spending a few idle seconds hovering over a movie or show prompts a preview to start playing. It’s also possible to use the “Add” button. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga’s trailer immediately sells its most attractive and most broadly digestible elements: terrorism, romance, and a heist gone wrong.

The film’s dueling heist and hijacking sagas make for an engrossing watch, as if two different, equally intriguing movies have collided headfirst. Meanwhile, its central romance is performed with withheld smiles and nervous excitement — and eventually, with a straitlaced sincerity that verges on devastating, once it’s time for the leading couple to make difficult decisions. The leads are a major reason the movie works: They deliver fiery, dramatic performances on the same wavelength as the movie’s intense but grounded tone. This is because Indian films, musicals or not, often feature original music for marketing purposes. Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (“Janiye,” which plays over a lengthy montage of couple’s blossoming romance) is an earworm.

Even though it feels like the ending is all there is, the conclusion suggests a possible sequel. This in an age where IP has become a necessity. However, whether or not there’s a Part 2 of Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga on the horizon, it seems that India’s streaming revolution may have finally yielded a film whose global popularity is on par with the country’s blockbuster theatrical output. The recent crossover success of box-office hits like Tollywood’s RRR and Bollywood’s Pathaan bodes well for films that fit the storytelling mold non-Indians tend to expect from Indian movies — lavish musicals with over-the-top action — but Chor Nikal Ke BhagaThis will likely open the doors for viewers to see the more realistic Indian originals streaming online, which has gained domestic popularity in the past few years.

An efficient, skilled romp, with enough rug-pulls that you’ll feel dizzy. Chor Nikal Ke BhagaThe film is more about fooling the audience than it is having them follow along on an emotional journey. But that’s par for the course when it comes to junk-food thrillers. The genre’s guiding credo might as well be a gif of Pietro from Avengers: Age of Ultron quipping “You didn’t see that coming?” Director Ajay Singh packs the story into a tight 110 minutes, but disguises its bursting seams using breakneck momentum. Whether or not you’re still invested once the movie shows its hand, chances are you’ll be at least curious to figure out how every puzzle piece fits together as the characters navigate two intersecting thrillers at once. All things considered, that’s a bargain.

Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga Netflix streaming available now