Movie Review: ‘Sikandar Ka Muqaddar’ a decent heist thriller

The film loses momentum midway and feels sluggish.

Hyderabad: Heist movies are not a new phenomenon, even in Bollywood. From ‘Jewel Thief’ and ‘Don’ (both versions) to ‘Dhoom’ franchise, ‘Kaante’, ‘Aankhen’, and the latest releases like ‘Chor Nikal Ke Bhaaga’, ‘Special 26’ and ‘Crew’, audiences have been, time and again, treated to multiple robberies.

Neeraj Pandey‘s latest directorial, ‘Sikandar Ka Muqaddar’, currently streaming on Netflix, joins the long list. What starts off as a gripping heist thriller, loses its pace and purpose midway, meanders in the corridors of a Mumbai court, finds itself in the narrow streets of Agra, with a touch of sophistication amid skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi, only to return to Mumbai — where it all began. Oops… that’s not the end. There are a few dusty rural roads in between.

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This is the story of Sikandar Sharma (Avinash Tiwary) and Jaswinder Singh (Jimmy Shergill) — who spend, or lose, 15 years of their life — and everything they hold dear — in a cat-and-mouse chase-game. The movie begins with a heist in a huge jewellery exhibition in Mumbai where diamonds worth Rs 50 – Rs 60 crore are robbed.

Enters Inspector Jaswinder Singh, who narrows down the list of suspects to three — Sikandar Sharma, Kamini Singh (Tamannaah Bhatia in a deglamourised role) and Mangesh Desai (Rajeev Mehta).

Jaswinder’s “instinct” tells him Sikandar is behind it, and he keeps at it for over two years when finally, the court acquits all three suspects for lack of proof. Jaswinder’s obstinate obsession with the case makes him go into a self-destructive mode — he takes to drinking, loses his job and ends up with a divorce from his wife Kaushalya (Divya Dutta in a cameo). Fifteen years later and after losing everything valuable, he’s still not at peace as this is his sole unsolved crime. So, who is the culprit? Is Jaswinder right in his obsessive chase led by his instinct? What happens to the three suspects? Watch the movie to find out.

The storyline is good and could have been better if the momentum was maintained. There are no adrenaline-pumping bike/car chases, there are no punchy or challenging dialogues, and no edge-of-the-seat thrilling moments anywhere — although the movie keeps the audience guessing who is the thief and what happened to the diamonds.

Somewhere along the line, however, the movie feels exhausting and drains us of patience and energy. Jimmy Shergill proves again why he’s a seasoned actor and surely steals the show in his portrayal of Inspector Singh. Avinash Tiwary plays a perfect foil to Jimmy’s Jaswinder. Tamannaah makes best use of the scope given to her in a non-glamorous role and she delivers well.

It’s cinematographer Arvind Singh who walks away with laurels as he makes sure the movie is visually appealing, while music by Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah is an asset. With a little over 2.5-hour duration, it’s a decent film but don’t expect it to be a perfect thriller.

Title: Sikandar Ka Muqaddar
Streaming on: Netflix

Director: Neeraj Pandey
Cast: Tamannaah Bhatia, Jimmy Shergill, Avinash Tiwary, Divya Dutta, Anil Pandey and Rajeev Mehta