Netflix’s Jewel Thief was supposed to be some kind of ode to Vijay Anand’s classic, but I don’t think the film does justice to the title. The storyline is extremely weak and predictable, and even after all the efforts put forth by the actors, the end product just isn’t up to the scratch. Also, the age old practice to treat the women characters just like a prop is just as frustrating. Nikita Dutta’s character deserved a better arc. I just hope that Robbie Grewal and Kookie Gulati, the directors of the film, come up with a more engaging narrative if they decide to make a sequel. That said, let’s break down all the major events in Jewel Thief to see how Rehan Roy conducts the heist.
Spoiler Alert
Why Did Rajan Want To Steal The Red Sun?
A famous Indian art collector, Rajan Aulakh, with a shady past, fell into trouble after he realized that Interpol had frozen his bank account. Rajan didn’t care about his own money, but that account held money from various other investors too. Rajan knew that if he didn’t pay them back on time, they would come after his life. Generally, Rajan was pretty good at concealing his tracks, but this time around his accountant had committed a blunder, and because of him, the information had leaked. Rajan was not somebody who forgave people, as he knew that in his line of business, people only got one chance. Because of his employee’s fault, Rajan had to auction off his entire collection of paintings. He knew that for his investors to not turn hostile against him, he needed to show them that they could still trust him. Rajan killed his accountant and he was talking to the curator of the Fortcrest Art Center when he got to know that Red Sun, which was often called the Pride of Africa, was in India. It was said that destiny always favored the one who had the Red Sun, a priceless crimson-colored diamond, in their possession.
The African prince, Gamunu, had organized a world tour where he was supposed to showcase the 318-carat diamond in all the major cities of the world. The diamond was being showcased in the Fortcrest Art Center in Mumbai because they had the best security system in the country. Rajan knew that there was only one man who could steal the diamond for him, and that was the infamous jewel thief Rehan Roy. So Rajan reached Rehan’s home and transferred a sum of 25 lakhs to his father’s account, under the pretense of donating money for the charitable hospital he ran. Rehan’s father owned a hospital where he treated patients for a nominal fee. But then Rajan’s right-hand man, Chunky took Rehan’s younger brother, Avi, aside and told him that the 25 lakhs was black money. He threatened to inform the ED if Avi didn’t convince his brother, Rehan, to come back to India. After Avi met Rehan in Budapest, the latter realized that he would have to go to India to keep Rajan from tarnishing his father’s reputation. It was not the easiest thing to convince Rehan since he hadn’t talked to his father for years, and moreover had decided never to return to India. There was a huge difference in the ideologies of the father and the son: Rehan just wanted to earn money so he didn’t have to face poverty, while Rehan’s father always believed in earning a life through hard work and sweat which was why he never approved of Rehan’s methods, no matter how good his intentions might be.
How Did Rehan Deceive Rajan?
Rehan was obviously a schemer, and he was a step ahead of Rajan right from the start. Firstly, Rehan made sure that once the diamond was procured, Rajan would have to sell it to Moosa, a mafia boss operating from Istanbul, who didn’t share a very good relationship with Rajan. Then Rehan drew up a fake plan to steal the diamond from the Fortcrest Art Gallery when, in reality, he had no plans of doing so. Rehan’s sole motive in making the entire mission look like a failure was that he wanted to take Rajan to Istanbul, as he knew that it was Moosa’s territory. Rehan knew that if the African prince got to know that somebody had tried to break into the museum, he would take the diamond back with him. Rehan had planned to steal the diamond on the plane itself, and he had made arrangements to lure everybody around him into his trap. Rehan had another challenge in front of him, as Vikram Patel, who happened to be in the Mumbai police department, had been trying to catch him for a very long time. But Vikram too got deceived, and before he realized what Rehan’s real plan was, it was a bit too late. The diamond, after the news of someone breaking into the museum was made public, was handed over to the Prince, who was going to take it to the UK. Rehan broke into the house of deputy director of the UK high Commission, Simon Jarvis and changed his bag, which contained a fake copy of the Red Sun. Rajan and Rehan, together with Farrah (Rajan’s wife), boarded the plane and put the plan into motion. Rehan, seizing the opportunity, went inside the security vault on the plane and replaced the real diamond with the fake one he had kept in Simon’s bag earlier. Rehan forced the pilot to land the plane in Istanbul and escaped together with Rajan and others. Rajan thought that he had been able to outplay the jewel thief at his own game. He was glad that finally he would be able to regain the trust of Moosa and have a flourishing partnership with him. Rajan had no clue that he had signed his death warrant the moment he decided to force Rehan to come on board by threatening his family.
Why Did Rajan Kill Himself?
In Jewel Thief’s ending, Rajan got the shock of his life when he got to know that the diamond he had given to Moosa to sell on the black market was a fake. He knew that Moosa wouldn’t leave him alive the moment he came to know about it. The sole reason why Rehan had made a crash landing in Istanbul was because he wanted Moosa to lose his temper and go after Rajan’s life. Rajan and Rehan had a fierce fight, and the latter left Rajan to meet his fateful end. Moosa arrived moments later to kill Rajan, not knowing that a trap had been laid for him too. Before leaving, Rehan had left a gas pipeline open. Rehan gave a cigarette to Rajan and left it up to him to decide how his life would end. When Moosa arrived at Rajan’s house, the latter asked him to let him smoke a cigarette as his last wish. The moment Rajan lit his cigarette, there was an explosion, and the entire house was burned to ashes, taking the two dreaded criminals with it.
The reason why Rajan sacrificed himself to take down his nemesis was because Moosa wouldn’t let him live. Back in the day, Rajan had betrayed Moosa, because of which the latter had given him a scar on his back. The wound had healed but Rajan still wanted his revenge. Firstly, he knew that Moosa would give him the most painful death possible, and secondly he was also aware that life wouldn’t give him such an opportunity to settle the score and make Moosa and his gang pay for what they had done to him again. It is said that revenge is a dish best served cold. More than being sad that he was about to meet his fateful end, Rajan was happy about the fact that he was going to take his nemesis with him. There could also be a possibility that creators would keep Rajan alive and show in the sequel that he somehow managed to escape from the fire, just in time. So maybe Rajan comes back all guns blazing, to take revenge on Rehan and make him pay for what he had done.
Will Rehan’s Father Forgive His Son?
For years the father hadn’t talked to his son. The day Rehan’s mother died, he decided that never in his life would he let himself be restricted by lack of money. His father still treated patients for almost no fee, and he intended to keep on helping the underprivileged. Rehan felt extremely angry when he saw that there was this man who wanted to save the world, but he couldn’t even save his own wife. The loss of his mother unleashed a rage in him he’d never managed to bring under control. Rehan ventured down the path which seemed the best to him, not thinking about the consequences it would entail. He had understood that being a good Samaritan does not help one’s own interests. But even after feeling so much hate and disappointment, the moment Rehan got to know that his father’s reputation was at stake, he left everything behind and came to his rescue. When Rehan’s father got to know about what his son had done to save his career and his reputation, he felt emotional. Moreover, he felt even more overwhelmed when he realised that Rehan didn’t even want credit for what he had done. Rehan didn’t wish for a pat on his back, probably because he thought he didn’t deserve his love. At the end, Rehan’s father forgave his son, and probably the entire heist made him understand Rehan’s perspective a little better. Though Rehan and his father didn’t meet at the end, I believe that they will be reunited in future and spend some happy times together.
What’s next for Rehan Roy?
Farrah and Rehan had developed a fondness for each other during the time the latter was working with Rajan. Farrah was abused and mistreated by Rajan, and she wanted to escape the miserable life too. Rehan made sure that Farrah was safe, as he was too in love to let her go and missed out on an opportunity to spend his life with her. After stealing the real Red Sun, Rehan and Farrah left India, and he took her to Piazza Della Signoria, in Florence, Italy, the same place which she was painting at the beginning of the film. At that point, Farrah had told Rehan that she had never traveled the world, which was why Rehan wanted to free her from Rajan’s clutches so she could fulfil her dream. In Florence, Rehan told her that he’d always wanted to settle down in a serene place like that, but Farrah suddenly reminded him that he didn’t need to lie to her. Farrah knew that Rehan had no plans of having a normal life, as his next target was a priceless Egyptian artifact that was supposed to arrive at a museum in Europe.
The makers have made it clear that they have every intention of extending the franchise and coming up with a sequel to Jewel Thief. I believe that Rehan will be able to steal the Egyptian artifact. But I also think that if Farrah stays with him, then there will come a time when he will want out of the business to not put her life in jeopardy. Apart from greed, there was another motivation fueling his intentions. Rehan had lost his mother because the family didn’t have the money to have her treated. I believe that Rehan thinks of himself as some kind of Robin Hood who steals from the rich and uses it for the welfare of the underprivileged.
Will Vikram Continue His Hunt For Rehan?
In Jewel Thief’s ending, Vikram had tracked Rehan to Italy, which meant that he was still not done with him. And even though Rehan managed to escape from right under his nose, I don’t think that Vikram was the kind of man who was going to give up on his quest so easily. For Vikram, Rehan had become an obsession, and the fact that he wasn’t able to catch him frustrated him more than anything else. If there was anybody in the entire police department who knew how the infamous jewel thief thought, it was Vikram. Yes, he was tricked and he wasn’t able to figure out what Rehan was up to in due time, but that didn’t mean that he was not capable of catching him. It was Vikram who figured out, before anybody else could, that Rehan’s entire act of breaking into the art museum was just a diversion. Had Rehan gone to London, Vikram would have definitely got hold of him but the unprecedented move of landing in Istanbul took the super cop by surprise. But it won’t be long before the two cross paths again. It will be fascinating to see how Rehan plans his next heist and if he is able to get the better of Vikram Patel once again or not.
