Special Chabbis: reviews

What the critics say average 6.6 from 20 outlets

• 8.0 Bollywood HungamaTaran Adarsh On the whole, 'Special 26' is an intelligently woven, slick and smart period thriller with its subject matter as its USP. It's sure to get listed as one of the most gripping heist dramas based on real life occurrences. Read
• 8.0 NDTVSaibal Chatterjee 'Special 26' is an intelligently scripted, superbly acted, enthralling and believable heist film that is more than just that.
• 8.0 DNA IndiaMalavika Velayanikal A compelling heist drama based on real events. Read
• 8.0 The HinduSudhish Kamath It's that extra depth that the characters have and the socio-political subtext that makes this a really Special film. Read
• 8.0 Zee NewsResham Sengar Very rarely would you come across a logically scripted and intelligently-directed drama thriller churned out from the good ol' Hindi cine factory these days.
• 7.0 Rediff.comSukanya Verma There's so much confidence at display here, it's almost as though Pandey is challenging us to find flaws. Read
• 7.0 India TodayVinayak Chakravorty 'Special 26' is a thriller that reveals a young filmmaking brain at his creative best. Read
• 7.0 The Times of IndiaMadhureeta Mukherjee Inspired by a real incident, Neeraj Pandey cuts to the chor-police chase and weaves an intelligent, mind-racing thriller, keeping you tightly strapped to your seats. Read
• 7.0 FilmfareRachit Gupta On the strength of its actors' performances and filmmaking technique this film rises above its many narrative loop holes to give you a fairly entertaining experience. Read
• 7.0 SBSRussell Edwards Throughout the film there's a certain tension in waiting… and waiting for Kumar to unleash his irritating mannerisms followed by the joyous realisation that they are not coming. The film is all the more delicious for it. Read
• 7.0 Hindustan TimesAnupama Chopra 'Special 26' is the best Hindi film I've seen this year. Read
• 7.0 The Indian ExpressShubhra Gupta Its flaws are minor; on the whole, 'Special 26' is a gripping, well-made heist film. Read
• 7.0 CNN-News18Rajeev Masand 'Special Chabbis' works on account of its meaty, realistic plot and nicely fleshed out characters. This is solid, assured filmmaking, evident in the meticulous detailing of its 80s production design.
• 6.0 FirstpostTrisha Gupta 'Special Chabbis' is a perfectly enjoyable film about somewhat remarkable events. [...] There is texture here, but not enough heft. Read
• 6.0 FirstpostRubina A Khan On the whole, 'Special 26's second half is a good watch, but that's if you can sit through the languorous first part! Read
• 6.0 Deccan HeraldReuters 'Special 26' is not a bad film. It keeps the audience engaged. Sadly, it could have been much better. Read
• 5.0 The Village VoiceSimon Abrams The film is superficially tense throughout, but director Pandey doesn’t know what to emphasize when. Read
• 5.0 Outlook IndiaNamrata Joshi There are times when, instead of following the film's narrative, you end up playing 'spot the mistake'. Read
• 4.0 MintSanjukta Sharma 'Special 26' is a disappointment, and this has a lot to do with the fact that Pandey tries very hard to make it a safe Bollywood film. Read
• 4.0 DawnMohammad Kamran Jawaid And this is actually one of 'Special 26's main drawbacks: the characters are written for what they ought to be doing and little else. Read