Director Kookie Gulati on ‘Jewel Thief’: India hasn’t seen a proper heist film in a long time

Mumbai:  “Jewel Thief” director Kookie Gulati believes India has not seen a proper heist film in a long time.

Asked what makes the Saif Ali Khan starrer stand out, Gulati told IANS, “Jewel Thief revolves around a diamond heist involving a rare African diamond called Red Sun. It’s been a long time since India has seen a proper heist film, and that’s what excited me. The cast is phenomenal—Saif Ali Khan, Jaideep Ahlawat, Kunal Kapoor, Nikita Dutta—such a unique mix. Saif is back in his classic cool avatar, the OG Saif we all love.”

The filmmaker claimed that actor Jaideep Ahlawat will surprise the audience as they will see him with a fresh look and tone.

Sharing what inspired the dual theme in the film, Gulati said, “Honestly, the biggest reason was Siddharth Anand. He’s the producer of the film, and when he called me saying he had a film he wanted to make, I jumped at the opportunity. A lot of my old friends are also involved, and I’ve always had a great rapport with him. I really look up to Siddharth as a filmmaker. This is his world, and it’s a genre I personally enjoy.”

He added that his debut film “Prince” was also set in a similar space, and hence he feels very comfortable in this world, so when he was approached for “Jewel Thief” he agreed immediately.

When Gulati was asked who was the brain behind “Jewel Thief”, he disclosed that Siddharth Anand is the guiding light of this film.

He shared, “It’s his story—he visualized and wrote it. But when a writer or producer hands over a project to a director, they expect him to make it his own, and I’ve done just that. When I came on board, some parts had already been shot by a previous director. Siddharth and I sat down, rewrote the script, and reshot it. I brought my own flavor to it and made it my own film.”

“Jewel Thief” will reach the movie buffs on 25 April 2025.

–IANS