Kaante to Kuttey: Why do heist-based films attract audiences?

You know how easily a film based on heist fills in theater seats and gets OTT subscriptions. Here is how it goes: A mastermind comes from the shadows, plans a smart and entertainingly intricate plot, plans to hire some of the best men in the businesses, and excites the audience as he unfolds his strategically written plan. And all this while, we crave for the adrenaline rush as we wait to see if these people with a plan can manage to escape. Now with years passing by and cinema evolving, we have witnessed some well-written heist-based films and they have always worked well amongst the audience. Here are some of the films based on heists that have attracted the audience’s attention over the years.

Aankhen (Available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube)

Aankhen is an highly entertaining and complex thriller with a beautifully written plot. Although the tale is hard to believe, the film’s concept has been introduced in Hindi cinema, and it is typically well developed and effectively done. The excellent cinematography, the proficient editing, the clever dialogues, and the unforeseen events are some of the factors that make Aankhen one the best heist films in the history of Indian cinema. Aankhen opened well at the Indian box office. The film made Rs 471.9 million net altogether and was declared a “Hit”. It was also the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2002.

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Johnny Gaddaar (Available on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar)

A true cinema enthusiast must watch Johnny Gaddaar because of its great star cast, taut direction by Shriram Raghavan, and anti-hero debut by Neil Nitin Mukesh. It is one of the best thrillers ever filmed in India. With several layers to unravel, this simple story about how a robbery went wrong and things went for a toss is one of the most rewatchable films ever made. While Johnny Gaddaar did not perform as expected at box office due to lack of niche audience present in 2007, if a film as smarty written as this gets a release in the current times, it would get one of the most historic openings ever.

Kaante (Available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube)

Kaante, one of the best action movies ever made in India, boasts a dream star ensemble. The plot of the film is a success, thanks to the polished direction and excellent acting. The movies appear to be immaculate technically, with Sanjay Gupta’s elegant direction, fantastic music, incredible background score, and stunning cinematography. The story is about 6 NRIs who plan to pull off a robbery, with one of them turning out to be an undercover cop. The film was a success at the box office, with first-week earnings of £1.8 million in India, nearly $1 million in the United States, and £268,507 in Britain.

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Special 26 (Available on YouTube)

A fantastic film with a clever twist in both the introduction and the resolution. The movie is worth seeing because all of the performers gave strong performances. The spectacular weekend box office hit starring Akshay Kumar, Kajal Aggarwal, and Manoj Bajpay, Anupam Kher, and Jimmy Shergill in supporting roles. The film was a super hit and earned 103 crores INR.

Kuttey

The almost three-minute-long trailer for Kuttey, starring Arjun Kapoor, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah, Konkona Sensharma, Radhika Madan, and Kumud Mishra, has been released. Unlike many others, it does not reveal too much about the movie’s plot. But the film carries high expectations from the audience due to its fantastic ensemble, smartly cut trailer, and heist genre. Releasing on 13th January, if the audience is anticipating the release of any film, it is this!