Mumbai, April 9 (IANS) Director Kookie Gulati, who is gearing up for the release of his upcoming title ‘Jewel Thief’, has said that heist is the genre that he functions the best in.

Kookie has consistently delivered with genre-defying narratives, each offering something fresh, unexpected, and ahead of its time. With ‘Jewel Thief’, he returns to elevate the heist thriller to new heights, once again proving why he is a force to reckon with.

Talking about the same, Kookie shared, “When I came on board, some portions of the film were already shot. But I knew it had the potential to be so much more. I rewrote parts of the script, added songs, and scaled up the entire narrative to align with Siddharth and Mamta’s larger-than-life vision. It’s the kind of genre I thrive in, ‘Big, Bold, & Cinematic’”.

With ‘Jewel Thief’, Gulati is stepping into a world originally envisioned by producer-director Siddharth Anand. After being invited to the special screening of ‘Visfot’, Kookie Gulati’s previous film, Siddharth saw a certain spark in the direction that aligned with all the directorial parameters he was looking for, & this sparked the beginning of potential collaborations between Anand and Gulati.

When the opportunity for ‘Jewel Thief’ came up, Siddharth Anand chose Kookie Gulati to take the reins of the ambitious project. Recognising his flair for mounting grand-scale cinema, Siddharth entrusted him with the responsibility to carry forward and elevate the vision.

Talking about working with Kookie Gulati, Siddharth Anand said, "I have known Kookie for a long time. He has a unique vision for bringing scale and aesthetics to the screen. I have seen his past work and had been keen to collaborate with him for a while. When this project came along, Kookie fit into it like a glove. He has done absolute justice to what I envisioned Jewel Thief to be. It's all there for everyone to see”.

‘Jewel Thief’ stars Saif Ali Khan in the lead, and blends edge-of-the-seat suspense with narrative depth.

The director further mentioned, “I have always believed that stories should challenge expectations. Audiences today are sharper than ever. They want stories that keep them hooked till the very last frame. Jewel Thief is that film where nothing is what it seems and every twist is earned”.

‘Jewel Thief’ is set to release on April 25 on Netflix.