A Thursday

A Thursday

Year: 2022

Runtime: 129 mins

Language: Hindi

Director: Behzad Khambata

Echo Score: 67
DramaCrimeThrillerCrime

A Mumbai kindergarten teacher seizes her sixteen students, triggering a tense hostage situation that impacts the city and the entire nation. As police work to resolve the crisis, the underlying motive behind her actions is revealed, sending shockwaves through the country's leadership and raising profound questions.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen A Thursday yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

A Thursday (2022) – Full Plot Summary & Ending Explained

Read the complete plot breakdown of A Thursday (2022), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.

Naina Jaiswal, a teacher at the Little Tots play school in Colaba, Mumbai, who had been on leave for three weeks, unexpectedly returns a week early. The school sits across from the property owned by Rohit Mirchandani, Naina’s fiancé, where the couple lives. Parents drop off their children, and Naina asks one of the female parents to send a cake for her daughter Niharika’s birthday, delivered by the parent’s driver. After setting up a cartoon for the kids to watch, Naina calls the police station and informs them that she has taken 16 children as hostages. Niharika’s driver arrives with a cake and Savitri, the helper, returns to the school after forgetting her phone; both are taken hostage.

The police suspect it is a hoax, until Naina fires shots in the air. ACP Catherine Alvarez contacts her, but Naina says that she will negotiate only with officer Javed Khan. Javed is brought to the scene, and she tells him that she will free one child for every demand he meets, or else she will kill each child in alphabetical order, starting with Aakash. Her first demand is for a transfer of ₹5 crore to her bank account. Catherine and Javed, who shared a romantic history, are incompatible when working together. Catherine sends armed police inside, against Javed’s will. Enraged, Naina kills Aakash while being live on national television. The Commissioner of Police places Javed in charge and assigns Catherine to research about Naina.

Naina’s second demand is to speak to the Prime Minister, Maya Rajguru. Rajguru talks to Naina on the phone, but Naina urges her to meet in person. Naina then tells Javed to find and bring Rakesh Mathur and Charan Kumar, from a school in Goregaon. The police capture Rakesh, but are unable to locate Charan.

During a background check, Catherine learns that Naina has been taking antidepressants and seeing a psychologist, Dr. Juneja, since she was 16. She searches Naina’s house and finds receipts for medication prescribed by Dr. Juneja. Catherine contacts her, and Javed gets hold of Naina’s mother Kusum, whose revelation comes across as a brutal shock to Javed; Naina was raped when she was 16, and Javed and Catherine were then officers in charge of the case. They neglected Naina’s case, since they were pursuing a high-profile case to gain recognition. After begging them to help for two years, Kusum became resigned to their indifference; in the present, she blames Javed for being the root cause of the drama due to his and Catherine’s inaction.

Rajguru decides to meet Naina in person, accompanied by Javed, after Naina releases Savitri along with Aakash, whom she had spared. Naina brings up the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, which protects children below the age of 18 from sexual offenses. Naina asks Rajguru why is there no protection for people over 18, and demands that her rapists face the death penalty. Rajguru tells her that legislation is a complex task that requires time, but her rapists are found and imprisoned.

It is revealed that the driver is actually Charan, who had raped Naina as a child, while Rakesh restrained her. Naina had plotted to kidnap him when he reveals that he is Niharika’s driver while holding her hand, much to Naina’s shock. She shoots him dead in the presence of Rajguru and Javed. Armed Commandos enter the school and arrest Naina. She is taken to prison, and later, is assigned a teacher for the female inmates, while Rajguru makes an announcement that the capital punishment for rapists will be a death penalty.

Last Updated: October 01, 2025 at 10:25

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Cathartic justice crusades like in A Thursday

Stories where a victim takes drastic, dangerous action to force societal change.If you were gripped by the radical justice-seeking in A Thursday, this list features movies where victims of injustice take extreme, public measures to force change. These similar thrillers and dramas share a tense, high-stakes atmosphere and a focus on themes like revenge, trauma, and female empowerment.

catharticurgentangrytensegrippingrighteous

Narrative Summary

The narrative typically starts with a personal, often traumatic, inciting incident that reveals a larger systemic wrong. The protagonist then plans and executes a daring, public-facing act—like a hostage situation or a public confrontation—that creates a ticking-clock scenario. The story unfolds as the authorities react, the motive is gradually revealed, and the public becomes a witness, culminating in a resolution that sacrifices the protagonist's freedom or safety for a larger, societal win.

Why These Movies?

Movies in this thread are grouped by their shared core of a victim-turned-avenger using extreme methods to achieve justice. They create a similar emotional mix of stressful tension, righteous anger, and ultimate catharsis, focusing on heavy themes like trauma and institutional failure.

Tense hostage thrillers with a deeper agenda like A Thursday

Claustrophobic thrillers where a hostage situation slowly reveals a deeper, more personal motive.For viewers who enjoyed the gripping hostage crisis in A Thursday, this collection features movies with similar high-stakes standoffs. These films often start as a simple crime thriller but evolve into a deeper exploration of the hostage-taker's personal trauma or political motives, creating a stressful and thought-provoking watch.

tensesuspensefulanxiousgrippingclaustrophobicurgent

Narrative Summary

The narrative is typically confined to a single location under siege, with a clear power dynamic between the hostage-taker and the authorities. The structure is fast-paced and driven by escalating demands. The central twist or revelation is that the hostages are merely a means to an end; the true goal is to expose a hidden truth, achieve revenge, or make a political statement, forcing a re-evaluation of the protagonist's character.

Why These Movies?

These movies share a specific plot structure and atmospheric quality. They are united by the use of a hostage crisis as a narrative engine to generate constant tension, while simultaneously exploring deeper themes through the slow reveal of the perpetrator's hidden, personal agenda.

Unlock the Full Story of A Thursday

Don't stop at just watching — explore A Thursday in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what A Thursday is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

A Thursday Timeline

Track the full timeline of A Thursday with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

A Thursday Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Thursday

Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape A Thursday. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Thursday

A Thursday Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of A Thursday that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

A Thursday Spoiler-Free Summary

More About A Thursday

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about A Thursday: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About A Thursday

Similar Movies to A Thursday

Discover movies like A Thursday that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.