Aahana Swrup
‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ is a Hindi-language action thriller film that follows a skilled thief who is forced into the bidding of a dangerous man in pursuit of a coveted gemstone, the Red Sun. Rehan Roy is a renowned robber who is perpetually wanted by the authorities. Rajan Aulakh is an art collector who is more than willing to break and bend the law for his own financial gain. As a result, when the world-famous Red Sun Diamond arrives in Mumbai to be showcased at the Fortcrest Art Centre, it’s only a matter of time before Rajan ropes the other man into carrying out the impossible heist for him.
As the plot progresses, the stakes eventually rise through the ceiling, and the duo finds themselves preparing for a second attempt to steal the Diamond—this time as it’s flying high in the sky aboard a Skyfly Airlines vessel. These two locations, which become real-life puzzles for Rehan to crack, oversee most of the action that unfolds in the narrative. Thus, their connections to reality naturally remain worth exploring. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Skyfly Airlines and Fortcrest Art Centre are Fictional Elements of Rehan’s Master Heist
‘Jewel Thief: The Heist Begins’ charts a fictional story in which the Red Sun Diamond’s heist takes the center stage as a cresting rivalry brews between the central characters. As a result, most parts of this narrative, including characters, plot elements, and locations, emerge as works of fiction. Consequently, both the Skyfly Airlines vessel and the Fortcrest Art Centre remain confined within the on-screen narrative, sporting no direct counterparts in reality. Instead, they’re simply narrative details created in service of driving the plot forward. The fictional Fortcrest Art Centre in Mumbai fulfills the role of a stereotypical high-security establishment that almost goes hand-in-hand with the heist genre.
With complicated security systems, intimidating security guards—and, of course, lasers—the Fortcrest stands as the perfect battleground for Rehan’s first attempt at the heist. As such, it sets up the thief’s characterization as a mastermind with skills and connections under his belt. Furthermore, as Rehan’s story advances, his stint at the Mumbai-based museum also becomes a carefully planned cog in his overarching plan. Therefore, the fictional location primarily fulfills genre conventions. Since the Fortcrest does a lot of the heavy lifting in the story’s world-building, it remains confined to its fictional world, retaining no counterparts in reality. Still, viewers can contextualize the location through other real-life museums and art centers in Mumbai, such as the Bhau Daji Lad Museum or the National Gallery of Modern Art.
Likewise, Skyfly Airlines also occupies a similar narrative function in the film. The idea of a heist taking place thousands of feet in the air adds a distinct personality to Rehan and his story. Even so, while the on-screen airlines are confined to the film, a parallel can be drawn between Skyfly and the real-life German airline Lufthansa. In 1978, one of the flights from the latter airline fell victim to a grand robbery, known today as the Lufthansa heist. However, save for their connection to an airborne robbery, both airlines share little else in common. As a result, Skyfly too remains firmly cemented in the realm of functionality.
Read More: Jewel Thief: Is the Red Sun a Real Diamond? Is Gamunu Based on a Real African King?
