Special 26
Special 26 is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language period heist thriller film written and directed by Neeraj Pandey. Based on the 1987 Opera House heist, the plot follows a team of criminals (Akshay Kumar with Anupam Kher), who pose as CBI officers and conduct raids, robbing politicians and businessmen of their black money. With the real CBI (Manoj Bajpayee) on their trail, they decide to pull off their biggest heist yet. The film also stars Jimmy Sheirgill, Kajal Aggarwal, Rajesh Sharma, Divya Dutta and Kishor Kadam.
| Special 26 | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Neeraj Pandey |
| Written by | Neeraj Pandey |
| Based on | 1987 Opera House heist |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bobby Singh |
| Edited by | Shree Narayan Singh |
| Music by | Original Songs: M. M. Keeravani Guest Composer: Himesh Reshammiya Background Score: Surinder Sodhi |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Viacom 18 Motion Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Box office | est. ₹103 crore |
Filming began on 23 February 2012 in Delhi. The film was shot in Chandni Chowk, near Jama Masjid, and Mumbai. A theatrical trailer was released online on 20 December 2012. The film was distributed all over India by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures and Wide Frame Pictures.
Special 26 was released on 8 February 2013. It received widespread acclaim from the critics. Several critics called it one of the best films of the year. It became a commercial success, grossing ₹103 crore (equivalent to ₹175 crore or US$22 million in 2023).
In 2018, it was remade in Tamil as Thaanaa Serndha Koottam starring Suriya in Kumar's role.