Movie Review

Rating :

Verdict : Lootera is the kind of film you will remember long after watching it. Don't miss it.

After his critically acclaimed film ‘Udaan’ that was also his debut directorial venture, filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane is back with a classic love story in the much anticipated ‘Lootera’. ‘Lootera’, that had been generating a positive pre-release buzz, stars Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha and is all set to release today

Story:-

Varun (Ranveer Singh) plays a suave archaeologist who visits Makinpur with the intention of pulling off a huge robbery. In Makinpur, he ends up getting very friendly with the Zamindar’s frivolous daughter Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha). Pretty soon, Pakhi also develops romantic feelings for Varun and the couple fall in deeply in love with each other.

Pakhi’s parents happily decide to get her engaged to Varun but then Varun in a shocking twist robs their house and leaves Makinpur. The rest of ‘Lootera’ is about how both Varun and Pakhi meet each other again and more importantly if Pakhi forgives Varun for his betrayal.

Positive Points:-

After a long gap, we have come across a romance in Bollywood that is innocent and poetic at the same time. Talking about performances, Sonakshi and Ranveer can proudly claim to have given their career best performances. The rest of the talented cast comprising of strong performers like Barun Chanda, Adil Hussain, Arif Zakaria and Divya Dutta support the lead pair commendably.

Ranveer and Sonakshi take the film to different level altogether. Sonakshi portrays the role of an innocent girl with contemporary yet modern habits with excellence. Given that this is the strongest character she has portrayed, she rises to the challenge and steals the show with an outstanding performance. Ranveer stands out with his sober and grave expressions and it’s to his credit that he has let director shape him into such an interesting character. The first half of the movie looks poetic and is filled with lovely moments.

Negative Points:-

The first and the most noticeable reservation about ‘Lootera’ is it’s running time. The film is way too lenghty as many scenes have been dragged. Ranveer, who has managed to give a praiseworthy performance in this one, has far less to showcase when compared to Sonakshi.

While the first half of the film covers all the major aspects of the plot, the second half is nothing but slow paced and depressing. A few sequences in the second half are based on O Henry’s short story ‘The Last Leaf’, but it becomes difficult for the audiences to judge the thought process of the characters correctly.

Technical Aspects:-

Music of the film by Amit Trivedi is soothing and soulful with all the tracks fitting smoothly in the narrative. Amit Trivedi also supports the film with some splendid background music. Cinematography by Mahendra Shetty is stunning and effectively captures the classiness of Kolkata in the 1950s. Vikramaditya adds an aesthetic element to the scenes by using the vintage cars and contemporary sets and costumes throughout.

The dialogues by Anurag Kashyap are disappointing with the lines sounding awkward at some places that keep the viewers thinking. The poignant and melodramatic climax of the film too doesn’t help bring back interest of the slow second-half.

Vikramaditya is a creative director and has he proved it with his excellent storytelling. The direction is one thing to look out for in this period drama. The aesthetics of the film are top-notch.