No, A Thursday is neither based on a real story nor a retelling of real-life incidents. A Thursday is a fictional Hindi-language psychological thriller written and directed by Behzad Khambata. It first premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 17th February 2022. Produced by RSVP Movies, the film stars Yami Gautam, Atul Kulkarni, Neha Dhupia, Dimple Kapadia and Karanvir Sharma.
A Thursday is based on the theme of vigilante justice and a common man challenging the system to get justice. The story addresses real societal issues like child sexual abuse and delays in getting justice. However, it is a purely fictional, dramatic thriller created for entertainment and social commentary. The film is often described as a spiritual successor to the 2008 movie “A Wednesday”, based on similar theme.
Plot Summary
A seemingly ordinary rainy Thursday turns chaotic when Naina Jaiswal, a beloved playschool teacher running “Little Dots” in Colaba, takes 16 children hostage in her classroom. She contacts the police, threatening to kill the children one by one if her demands are not met. Her demands include 5 crore rupees and a direct conversation with the Prime Minister.
A pregnant ACP Catherine Alvarez leads the initial negotiations. Later, senior police officer Javed Khan and a veteran advisor get involved in the negotiations. Amidst a tense stand-off, Katherine sends an armed police group inside the playschool. Enraged, Naina kills a child named Aakash on live television, shocking the nation.
The investigation reveals that Naina was raped when she was 16 and Catherine and Javed were in charge of the case. However, they ignored her case back then. The film builds to emotional twists, involving child sexual abuse and delayed justice, while exposing flaws in the system and raising questions on vigilante justice.
In the climax, Naina is arrested by armed commandoes. Her rapists are arrested and imprisoned.
Eerie Similarity With A Similar Incident
On 30th September 2025, a shocking hostage crisis mirroring A Thursday happened in Mumbai’s Powai. A man identified as Rohit Arya, a former schoolteacher from Nagpur, took 17 children and 2 adults hostage inside RA Studio in Powai. Like Naina in the film, Arya was reportedly suffering from mental health issues. Moreover, he was frustrated with the government over unpaid dues and alleged mistreatment.
Unlike the movie where Naina was arrested, Arya was shot dead by the police.