Film
Khiladi
Other titles called Khiladi: the 1992 film, the 2022 film.
Khiladi is a high-octane Hindi action thriller about a professional thief caught between a dangerous heist and unexpected romance. It's watchable, propulsive cinema—heavy on stunts and double-crosses, lighter on subtlety. For audiences who want spectacle, fast pacing, and the familiar comfort of Bollywood's action-romance template executed with genuine energy.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a big, sprawling mix of action set pieces and a romance that stays earnest, and you don't mind the two bleeding into each other.
Skip it if your patience thins over a long runtime, or you dislike romance and violence sharing the same screen time; at 145 minutes, it asks for an evening.
What it asks of you: Block out nearly two and a half hours, and expect the film to move between fight scenes and love story rather than settling into one register for long.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Singham2011
A police procedural with unstoppable momentum and genuine surprises. Ajay Devgn at his charismatic best, delivering action beats that feel earned rather than obligatory. Sharper writing than you'd expect.
But Some plot turns rely heavily on coincidence and the hero's invulnerability can strain credibility if you're looking for realism.
Raid2018
A contained thriller about a tax raid that builds tension brilliantly across its runtime. Minimal music, maximal suspense. Ajay Devgn again, but here he's understated and the screenplay does the heavy lifting.
But It's a two-hour conversation between men in rooms—if you need action spectacle, this deliberate approach might feel slow.
Drishyam2015
A masterclass in plot construction. A man accused of murder uses his movie knowledge to outsmart the investigation. Every scene slots into the next with satisfying precision. Genuinely clever, not just loud.
But It's essentially a puzzle box—if you find no pleasure in narrative mechanics themselves, the emotional register can feel cool.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Khiladi
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Angaar1992
Both are action-romance hybrids where a flawed man is caught between crime and love, but Angaar shows how differently that story was told before the modern template crystallized.
A 90s action melodrama where lovers are torn apart by duty and revenge. It has the DNA of Khiladi—romance tangled with crime, operatic emotions, fast cutting—but it's from an era when Bollywood made these stories differently. A genealogy lesson in what action-romance used to sound and feel like.
But It's grainy, the subtitles are rough, and the pacing assumes viewers happy to sit with emotional scenes for real time.
More like this (8)
Commando - A One Man Army2013
Uncomplicated action cinema where Vidyut Jammwal uses actual martial skills instead of cutting around them. The sequences are inventive, the pacing relentless, and it knows exactly what it is without apology.
But Story is skeletal, dialogue minimal, and romance subplot feels obligatory. You're watching because the action is the point.
Bang Bang!2014
A globe-trotting heist romance with real production values and genuine stunts. Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif have chemistry, the set pieces are ambitious, and it has fun with its own ridiculousness.
But Plotting is tissue-thin, dialogue can cringe toward melodrama, and it asks you to accept logic you simply won't.
Badla2019
A cat-and-mouse thriller where Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu spar over a murder accusation. It twists smartly, the central mystery genuinely holds, and it trusts dialogue to carry tension.
But Confined and conversational—if you came for action, you'll be disappointed. Second half relies on exposition dumps.
Sooryavanshi2021
Akshay Kumar as a cop running down a terror plot. Enormous scale, confident direction from Rohit Shetty, and the action is designed to be felt in your chest. It's cinema at its most maximalist.
But Thin on character, heavy-handed with messaging, and runs past the point where it's earned your attention.
Jolly LLB2013
A courtroom underdog story where an incompetent lawyer fights a real case and discovers his conscience. Genuinely funny, surprisingly moving, and it works both as entertainment and as mild social commentary.
But Pacing sags in the middle and the inspirational beats can feel mawkish if you're not in the mood for sentiment.
Khatta Meetha2010
A romance between a highway contractor and a woman with baggage. Lighter than expected, well-acted, and navigates its genre without needing to shout. A solid, unpretentious afternoon.
But It's modest in ambition—nothing here will surprise you or stay with you afterward.
A Prophet2009
Both center a charismatic criminal protagonist moving through systems of power, but this one treats the moral cost as the actual story rather than backdrop.
A French prison thriller where a young man ascends through crime via intelligence and manipulation. Handheld, visceral, and structurally it's a heist story told in real time. Raw sophistication—tension that doesn't need stunts.
But Slow burn, subtitled, and morally bleak. The protagonist is not likeable and the ending offers no comfort.
Rang De Basanti2006
Like Khiladi, it's a Hindi action film with romance threaded through, but it's using action to ask questions rather than just to thrill.
A group of friends investigates a fighter jet crash and gets pulled into activism and violence. It's action cinema but animated by moral conviction rather than genre mechanics. Aamir Khan at his finest, and it captures something real about rage and powerlessness.
But It's political and earnest in ways that can feel heavy-handed depending on your distance from its argument. Also three hours.
People
Cast
Directing
- Ananjay RaghurajDirector
Recommended by
KILL, Jawan, Jaguar, Jailer 2, Thottam, Captain Miller, Kick, Garuda