Special 26

Special 26 (2013) is based on a real event. In 1987 a group of con men posing as tax inspectors raided a jeweller in Mumbai and walked out with the gold. Nobody was ever caught. The film takes that idea and builds a crew around it. They stage fake government raids and collect the undeclared money of politicians and businessmen. The victims cannot report anything, because what was taken was already hidden. That is the clever part. Neeraj Pandey keeps it calm: no chases, no explosions, almost no songs. The tension comes from the detail of the plan. Akshay Kumar is not playing an action star here. He is measured and quiet. Manoj Bajpayee as the real CBI officer opposite him is the counterweight, and their scenes together are the best in the film. It runs 144 minutes and the middle section is long. Good for: heist and con films, true event adaptations, and the side of Indian cinema that does not rely on spectacle. Anyone who enjoys an Ocean's style plan will like this. Less good for: viewers expecting fast action or a Bollywood show will not find it. The restraint is deliberate.