At the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), a packed hall listened in rapt attention as the team behind Stolen peeled back the curtain on how a small, conviction-led film managed to touch hearts across the world.
What unfolded during the session, titled “How Stolen broke the mould and became a landmark for independent filmmakers,” was not just a discussion—it felt like a celebration of courage, creativity, and stubborn belief in a story that demanded to be told.
The panel brought together actor Abhishek Banerjee, writer-director Karan Tejpal, producer Gaurav Dhingra, and Prime Video India’s head of content acquisition Manish Menghani, guided by moderator Divyansh Jain.
Together, they retraced the film’s remarkable journey—from a kernel of truth to a globally recognised work of cinema.
When Divyansh asked Karan what compelled him to make Stolen, the director spoke with a sincerity that held the room. “Stolen is based on several true incidents… That’s how it all began,” he said, recalling the deeply disturbing wave of WhatsApp-fuelled lynchings across India.
One incident in Assam, where two young men were brutally killed, stayed lodged in his mind. The horror wasn’t just in what happened—it was in the laughter of unseen onlookers in the videos. That chilling disconnect pushed him to explore why ordinary people could be swept into such violence.
The conversation then shifted to why Prime Video chose to champion the film. Manish explained that the platform never judges stories by scale.
“We don’t look at films as big or small… is this a story that must be told, and must be told now?” he said. For him, the film’s strength lay in its honesty and the unshakeable conviction of its creators. “It really made me feel like somebody is telling me a story,” he added, praising its global-level execution.
Abhishek shared how physically and emotionally demanding the long-take sequences were. “I was basically managing everything at once… This experience really taught me the value of thorough rehearsal,” he said, giving a glimpse into the discipline behind the performance.
Reflecting on its future legacy, Karan called Stolen “a time capsule of our country,” while Manish emphasised how its moral dilemmas will continue to resonate.
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