'' Special 26 '' , also known as '' Special Chhabbees '' , is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language heist film directed by Neeraj Pandey . It stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role with Manoj Bajpayee , Anupam Kher , Kajal Aggarwal , Jimmy Sheirgill and Divya Dutta in supporting roles . The film is inspired by the 1987 Opera House heist where a group posing as Central Bureau of Investigation ( CBI ) officers executed an income tax raid on the jeweler in Mumbai . '' Special 26 '' released on February 5 , 2013 to widespread critical acclaim and was regarded as one of the best films of 2013 . The film was remade in Tamil in 2018 as '' Thaanaa Serndha Koottam ''
1987 Opera House heist
1987 Opera House heist
Special 26