‘The entire shoot paused after that.’
‘There was a heaviness on set — a shared recognition of the horror we were portraying.’
IMAGE: Abhishek Banerjee, Mia Maelzar and Shubham Vardhan in Stolen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
Amazon Prime Video’s Stolen has been getting raves.
Vikramaditya Motwane, one of Bollywood’s ace directors, who has made films like CTRL, Trapped, Lootera and Udaan, called it ‘India’s best action thriller of the decade, if not longer’.
“The story of the Bansal brothers grew from that moment, where two young men get brutally killed by a mob that mistakenly believed they were child kidnappers. They are driven by panic, misinformation and manipulated videos circulating rapidly on WhatsApp,” Stolen‘s debutant director Karan Tejpal tells Subhash K Jha.
“That tragedy became the seed for the film’s narrative and emotional terrain.”
Where did you get the idea for Stolen?
The idea began with a video I saw of the 2018 Karbi Anglong lynching in Assam.
It left a knot of fear in my stomach — a visceral, physical reaction I couldn’t shake.
I felt disturbed, and the only way I knew to process that feeling was to write.
The story of the Bansal brothers grew from that moment, where two young men get brutally killed by a mob that mistakenly believed they were child kidnappers. They are driven by panic, misinformation and manipulated videos circulating rapidly on WhatsApp.
That tragedy became the seed for the film’s narrative and emotional terrain.
IMAGE: Shubham Vardhan and Abhishek Banerjee in Stolen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
How much research did you do on mob lynchings?
I began researching what is known as ‘WhatsApp lynchings’.
I uncovered the broader, more unsettling social crisis behind the incident.
On one side, there is the collective fear within disempowered communities to protect their children.
On the other, the unimaginable grief of parents whose children become victims of that fear. It exposed a chilling cycle of mistrust, desperation and systemic failure.
Each element of the story — child trafficking, vigilante justice, the breakdown of law enforcement and the manipulation of truth — is a reflection of a different facet of the larger phenomenon that led to that lynching.
Stolen is also about the perils of privileged do-gooding.
At its core, Stolen is about a man forced out of his bubble, confronted with a brutal, unfamiliar reality and compelled to see the world through new eyes.
But more broadly, the film is a mirror to a fragmented society.
IMAGE: Producer Gaurav Dhingra, Karan Tejpal and Abhishek Banerjee. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
Was this inspired by any specific incident?
Stolen is not a reconstruction of a single event but a fictionalised emotional truth born from a very real one.
It attempts to understand how fear travels, how empathy erodes, and how quickly society can unravel when trust in its institutions collapses.
The casting features relatively unknown actors except Abhishek Banerjee.
The casting was driven by the strength of each actor’s craft.
I couldn’t have asked for a better ensemble.
With only five primary characters, every role had to carry weight; and each actor brought something unique to the table.
Abhishek is undoubtedly one of the finest actors today. His style is honest, instinctive and deeply rooted in spontaneity. Casting him as Gautam Bansal was an easy decision.
A consummate professional, he read the script within days and came on board without hesitation. It was a very straightforward process.
The chemistry between characters was crucial, especially for the dynamic between the Bansal brothers. I was keen to cast actors with a real-life connection, and Abhishek suggested his friend Shubham Vardhan.
From our first meeting, I wanted to work with him. He’s a meticulous, highly trained actor who can inhabit any character.
IMAGE: Mia Maelzer in Stolen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
What about the actress who plays the tribal?
Mia Maelzer was recommended to us by the incredible casting director, Dilip Shanker.
I saw Mia’s short film, The Field, which left no doubt that she was perfect for Jhumpa.
She’s an exceptional collaborator: Deeply committed, emotionally present and willing to give everything to the work.
The chase sequences in the village have a feel of guerrilla film-making. Were they shot with a secret camera?
No. The chase sequences were meticulously planned and designed to look as real and immersive as possible, to give the audience the feeling of being right in the middle of the action.
The crew brought exceptional skill and focus to the shoot, from the cinematographer to the action team, from sound to costume.
Everyone was aligned with the same vision, and it is truly a testament to their craft that it felt so raw and spontaneous.
The goal was always to create a visceral, lived-in experience. I’m glad that came through.
IMAGE: Abhishek Banerjee in Stolen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
Abhishek’s mob-lynching sequence is severely traumatic to watch. How traumatic was the shoot?
It was an incredibly emotional and difficult scene, especially for Abhishek.
On that day, the boundaries between performance and reality blurred.
He fully inhabited the pain and fear of those who have suffered such violence. After the scene, he broke down and wept.
It wasn’t just acting. It was a deep, visceral connection to the truth of the character and the boys whose stories inspired the film.
How did you shoot Abhishek’s lynching?
We shot the sequence as a continuous four-minute take, and we only did three takes.
The rest of the crew was on the razor’s edge in terms of preparation and precision.
For most of us, the focus was technical — hitting marks, timing movements.
For Abhishek, it was an emotional freefall. His response after the take reminded all of us of the weight and reality behind the fiction we were creating.
IMAGE: Abhishek Banerjee in Stolen. Photograph: Kind courtesy Karan Tejpal/Instagram
It must have been traumatising for the entire crew.
The entire shoot paused after that.
There was a heaviness on set — a shared recognition of the horror we were portraying. It was a sobering moment for everyone involved.
Your film questions the relationship between the empowered and the disempowered. Are you saying the empowered can afford the luxury of a conscience at their own peril?
With Stolen, I wasn’t trying to question or make a definitive statement. I was more interested in placing characters from different ends of the power spectrum in situations where their lives intersect and collide, and then dramatising how those encounters unfold.
In my view, the empowered are the most in need of a conscience.
They hold the influence, the reach, and the ability to effect change. Saying it comes ‘at their own peril’ is perhaps a narrative device used for dramatic tension in cinema.
In reality, we’ve seen many examples of the empowered using their position to do remarkable, transformative work, without it costing them everything.
More than anything, Stolen is a mirror to myself. A call out to my own conscience. A reminder to act, not just observe.
Which of the two brothers, the conscientious Raman or the escapist Gautam, is more you?
I don’t know if I would be a Raman or a Gautam. Most likely, a Gautam.
But having made this film, I hope I have the courage to be a Raman. Because the real danger is not in having a conscience, but in choosing not to act on it.
You had to struggle for three years for a release, until Amazon Prime Video intervened. Would you say the future of Indie cinema is bleak?
It’s the opposite of bleak.
In recent years, every A-list festival has featured at least one Indian film in the official selection — many of them going on to win top awards. Films like Girls Will Be Girls, The Match, Shadowbox, Sabar Bonda, Homebound and others are part of a growing wave of bold, diverse storytelling.
The crowning moment, of course, is All We Imagine As Light winning the Grand Prix at Cannes. It’s an extraordinary achievement.
Indian cinema is clearly on the rise, and it feels like we’re on the cusp of a new chapter, one where we’ll be exporting more cinematic gems to the world.
What are you working on next?
Over the past year, I’ve been working on two major projects as a screenwriter.
One is a feature film for Mira Nair, based on an original story by her. It’s challenged me in the best possible way and helped me grow as a writer.
The second is Dahaad Season 2, a successful Amazon Prime Video series created by Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar. I’m leading the writers’ room for this season, which comes with a larger set of responsibilities.
It’s a thrilling challenge to shape a story that lives up to the high expectations set by the first season. I’m fully invested in delivering a compelling, edge-of-your seat narrative.
I’m also developing two feature films: Nisaar (Sacrifice) is a romantic thriller and a deeply personal project. It’s being produced by Dheer Momaya and Jonathan Charbit.
The other is Ummeed, a horror film written by Abhishek Banerjee and produced by Dimpy Agarwal. It allows me to delve into a genre that has fascinated me for years.
