Film

Kaabil

Name: Kaabil
Genre: Action, Thriller, Drama
Released: 2017
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Yami Gautam Dhar, Ronit Roy, Rohit Roy, Narendra Jha

Vigilante

A blind man's quest for vengeance after a tragedy transforms him from gentle artist into an unlikely action hero. Kaabil is visceral and propulsive, hinging on the question of what a man without sight can actually do when pushed beyond grief into rage. Built for audiences who want their revenge measured in adrenaline and emotional stakes.

TMDb rating

3.5

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Drishyam2015

A father dismantles a murder case with cunning and planning rather than physical prowess. Like Kaabil, it's about an ordinary man's transformation into someone dangerous, driven by love and protection, with tremendous craft in the unfolding.

But The pacing can feel methodical and slow compared to action-heavy fare; it demands patience with procedural detail.

Pink2016

Three women fight back against systemic injustice with intelligence and moral clarity as their only weapons. Shares Kaabil's fury at violation and its conviction that the powerless can reclaim agency through sheer will and strategy.

But Courtroom drama territory—some find legal procedurals talky and repetitive, especially across 146 minutes.

Special 262013

A heist thriller about outsmarting the system using brains rather than strength. The pleasure of watching someone operate in the shadows, using what others underestimate about them, mirrors Kaabil's core satisfaction.

But It's an older Bollywood style that some find dated; the humor sits differently now than it did in 2013.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Kaabil

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Rashomon1950

Both interrogate how we perceive and interpret crime; both suggest that the person society deems least able to see might actually perceive most clearly.

Four witnesses to the same crime tell irreconcilable versions of what happened. A meditation on truth, perception, and who gets to decide reality. For Kaabil's central question—can a blind man see truth others miss?—Rashomon is the philosophical ancestor, asking whether sight guarantees understanding at all.

But It's a 1950 Japanese film without the narrative momentum of modern thrillers; the non-chronological structure and philosophical density will feel glacial if you want plot.

Natrang2010

A Marathi actor's obsession with performance consumes his life in ways both beautiful and destructive. Shares with Kaabil a fascination with transformation—what happens when someone becomes something other than what they were.

But The film moves through different registers toneally; some find the tonal shifts jarring rather than sophisticated.

Ugly2013

A missing-child case spirals into moral corruption across an entire family. Like Kaabil, it understands that tragedy doesn't ennoble—it reveals who people actually are when everything is stripped away.

But It's bleak and stays bleak; there's no catharsis, only the slow recognition of complicity and loss.

Airlift2016

An ordinary businessman orchestrates the evacuation of thousands during a crisis through sheer determination and problem-solving. Satisfying in the way Kaabil is: watching someone rise to an impossible occasion.

But Based on true events it occasionally veers toward jingoism; the patriotic angle might overshadow the personal story for you.

The Delta Force1986

A cop becomes the hunted after crossing a powerful criminal. Early John Abraham action thriller that understands vengeance as a spiral rather than a resolution, with strong physical performances.

But The action choreography shows its age; it's not as inventive as modern thrillers and the emotional beats can feel thin.

Raees2017

Shah Rukh Khan plays against type as a criminal who builds an empire through cunning and charisma. Released the same year as Kaabil, it's about transformation and the seductive logic of becoming what you never thought you would.

But It's a more conventional crime drama; some find the glorification of the criminal protagonist morally muddying rather than complex.

Baby2015

A small unit pursues terrorists across continents with improvisation and grit. Delivers the operational satisfaction Kaabil offers—watching the powerless become powerful through strategy and will.

But It's aggressively nationalist in tone; that messaging can overshadow character work and feel preachy rather than organic.

Sound of Metal2020

Both take a disabled protagonist and refuse pity—instead exploring agency, adaptation, and the psychological violence of being underestimated by a world that sees disability as absence.

A drummer loses his hearing and must rebuild his identity and purpose from silence. A sensory and spiritual immersion in what it means to navigate a world built for senses you've lost. Technically and emotionally stunning, with an ending that refuses easy triumph.

But It's deliberately quiet and introspective where Kaabil is kinetic; the reward is patience and introspection, not catharsis or action.

Memories of Murder2003

Both track obsessive men pursuing vengeance and asking what it costs. Both understand that transformation through rage isn't triumph—it's a kind of annihilation.

A serial killer case corrodes two detectives across a decade as the investigation becomes personal obsession. Korean thriller of tremendous craft about how vengeance and justice fracture a man. The moral complexity and emotional devastation are matched by extraordinary filmmaking.

But It's bleak, lengthy, and ends without resolution or redemption; it suggests that some hungers, once awakened, consume you whether or not you catch your prey.