''The Networker'' is a 2025 Indian

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language comedy film directed by Vikas Kumar Vishwakarma and produced by Vikash Malik and Sharad Malik under the banners Gutargoo Entertainment and Navritu Films. The film stars

Vikram Kochhar Vikram Kochhar is an Indian actor known for his roles in Indian television and Hindi cinema. Kochhar graduated with arts degree from National School of Drama in 2009. Kochhar is known for his roles in ''Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola'' (2013), ''Gha ...

Durgesh Kumar Durgesh Kumar is an Indian actor from Bihar. He has had roles in Hindi cinema and web series. Early life and education Kumar pursued engineering upon arriving in Delhi in 2001. However, after facing challenges with entrance exam, he redirected h ...

Ishtiyak Khan Ishtiyak Khan (born Istayak Arif Khan; 15 April 1976) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema, bollywood movies and television shows. He came into limelight for his role as english teacher in the film Phas Gaye Re Obama which also ...

, Rishabh Pathak,

Brijendra Kala Brijendra Kala is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is known for his subtle portrayals of characters rooted in reality. He gained attention for his small roles in mainstream cinema. Early life Kala spent his childhood in Mathura, ...

, Vindhya Tiwari, and

Nikhat Khan Nikhat Hussain Khan (born 4 August 1962) is an Indian actress, model and film producer who works in Hindi films. Personal life Nikhat was born in Mumbai on 4 August 1962 into an Indian Muslim family, the daughter of Bollywood actor, director ...

. It follows the story of Aditya, a failed

multi-level marketing Multi-level marketing (MLM), also called network marketing or pyramid selling, is a controversial and sometimes illegal marketing strategy for the sale of products or services in which the revenue of the MLM company is derived from a non-salarie ...

(MLM) entrepreneur, who collaborates with two partners to launch a fraudulent venture that spirals into one of the largest con jobs in their community. The film was released theatrically on 9 May 2025 and received predominantly negative reviews from critics.

Plot

Aditya, a former MLM entrepreneur, suffers a devastating financial collapse that alienates his family and leads him to contemplate suicide. Determined to recover, he teams up with his friend Raghav and a veteran network marketer, Lallan. With backing from an influential financier named Pradhan, the trio launches a new business venture. However, much of the initial funding is used to repay Aditya's prior debts, and the new enterprise quickly fails. Inspired during a visit to a restaurant using robotic waiters, Aditya devises a new scam: a fake company claiming to manufacture advanced AI-powered public service robots. To add legitimacy, they recruit a motivational speaker, Gyani, and enlist Pradeep Biswas, an impersonator, to act as the Managing Director. Promising high returns, they attract thousands of investors, accumulating over ₹10,000 crore. As the scheme grows, internal tensions arise when Pradeep expresses a desire to use the funds for a legitimate business that could benefit ordinary investors. Eventually, the core trio absconds to Dubai with the collected money, leaving behind a trail of disillusioned stakeholders. The film ends with the group selectively reimbursing certain victims based on moral judgments.

Cast and characters

as Aditya * Rishabh Pathak as Raghav *

as Lallan *

as Pradeep Biswas *

as Gyani * Vindhya Tiwari as Ketki * Atul Srivastava as Pradhan (Pradhanji) * Vedika Bhandari as Disha *

as Shanti

Reception

Critical response

The film received largely negative reviews from critics. Dhaval Roy of

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

rated it 1.5 out of 5 stars, noting that the concept had potential but suffered from shallow execution and a repetitive narrative. While acknowledging moments of humor, Roy criticized the unrealistic ease with which characters amassed large investments and described the storytelling as overly simplistic. Film Information offered a harsher critique, describing the plot as "childish" and the screenplay as "illogical." Editor Komal Nahta labeled the film a "non-starter," citing a lack of engaging direction and uninspired dialogue. The portrayal of gullible investors was considered implausible, and the overall script was deemed lacking in coherence and credibility.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Networker, The Hindi-language crime films Indian comedy-drama films