LOOTERA REVIEW – Steals Hearts With Its Powerful Story And Visual Masterpiece

Hi All,

If  anyone who has watched Vikramaditya Motwane’s ‘UDAAN’ and loved it, trust me ‘LOOTERA’ is one film that you wouldn’t like to miss. For many of today’s generation (I am all of twenty-five, and I feel dejected to say this) Lootera will be nothing less than a boring, torturous endeavour, as a young lady in her mid-twenties complained sitting next to me in the multiplex.

But that’s been the problem with this country. A good piece of art, be it films or anything else, does not get its due respect that it deserves. I am not quite surprised to say that ‘Lootera’ will unfortunately have a similar fate.

Back to ‘Lootera’. The film, an adaptation of O.Henry’s ‘The Last Leaf’ (I haven’t read that one) begins in 1953 – Bengal. It is that time, just after independence that the aristocratic zamindari system is being brought down by the government and all the richness is being vanished away into thin air. It is here when Paakhi Roy Chaudhary (Sonakshi Sinha), the beti of the zamindar (Barun Chanda) meets Varun Srivastav (Ranveer Singh) an archeologist. She is drawn towards him by his charm and good-looking nature. She like Charulata (Charulata of Satyajit Ray)  is lonely, passionate about writing and loves peeking through her binoculars and magnifying glass towards her admirer, Varun.  A series of encounters and some  ‘silent whispers’ make Paakhi and Varun come really close to each other, until Varun’s reality is revealed. Pakhi is grief-stricken and so is her zamindar father. A year later, Varun knocks doors at Paakhi’s door once again. This time it’s the snow capped mountains of Dalhousie where Paakhi is trying hard to forget Varun, and has lost all hopes of living.

From the first frame of the film, you are drawn into a different world all together. Each frame in the film, is nothing less than a painting in itself. With grainy frames (intentional) and some great lighting (colour tone), you are immediately drawn into that era and then there is no looking back. Lootera is slow and takes it own time to build, but that’s the charm of the film. It draws you into the world of Paakhi and Varun. It needs to be reminded that Lootera is a vintage romance and there was no mode of modern communication.

It is here that it scores. The conversations between Paakhi and Varun, their silent whispers on a chilly windy night, their nasty fights and the love for writing that Paakhi shares with Varun. It all flows like a poetry.

Vikramaditya Motwane surely has utilised his directorial skills best working as an assistant to Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the similar school of thought is evident in Lootera too. The grandeur in his sets, the setting of each frame is so well set.

The director also plays a very symbolic tribute to O Henry and ‘The Last Leaf’ in a way, when on several occasions we see Sonakshi aka Paakhi counting her last days, staring outside her window, looking at a single leaf hanging to a snow-clad branch. It is so artistic and intriguing.

Mahendra Shetty needs to be acknowledged for capturing the locales of Dalhousie and Calcutta brilliantly. Half of the magic is taken care of by the exquisite and beautiful cinematography. As I mentioned, each frame that one sees on screen is a painting on celluloid.

Amit Trivedi is in fine form and unlike other music composers hasn’t been in a race to compete hard. Each song in the fiilm, fits the scene perfectly and credit to Motwane for not using background scores at regular intervals. Sometimes even the ower of silence is underplayed in Hindi cinema and Lootera is a fine example. Be it ‘Shikayatein’   or ‘Manmarziyan’ or ‘Zinda’,  each song stays with you. Sadly ‘Ankahee’  is left for the end credits and it’s a feeling of leaving the hall incomplete. But no complaints.

Vikramaditya Motwane again needs to be credited for casting such an unconventional pair in Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha.

While the Sonakshi has a meatier part, Ranveer Singh is in terrific form. Unlike his regular  Dilli wala munda kind of roles, ‘Lootera’  is strikingly different from what the actor has attempted earlier. His subtle nature and his restraint and persistence to win over Paakhi makes him so convincing in his act as Varun.

Sonakshi is a revelation in Lootera. I am not surprised that the lady may surely be gearing up for a few worthy awards this year. It is an act which isn’t quite easy at the onset, but yet Sonakshi pulls it off with great ease and conviction. Whether it is her sudden attraction to Varun, her underplay of emotions when she is in her shell or her grief when she is expressing her frustration over a series of letters, it’s just beyond words. Fantastic!

Final Verdict

On the whole, Vikramaditya Motwane, in his second outing has proved that he isn’t a ‘One Film Wonder’ like many of his counterparts. He is surely her to stay. Lootera is and may be for a long – long time stay for being what it is. A simple yet powerful story, convincingly told with sheer cinematic beauty and a visual treat. Take a bow Mr. Motwane. Lootera stays with you even after you have left the cinema hall. It steals your heart. 

Yes you said in a Reuters interview, you don’t make obtuse films for the niche audience. Sadly, Lootera is niche and will not be preferred by the Smartphone, Tablet generation. It has been quite a while now and Indian audiences have completely (or should I say partially) forgotten what Quality Art and Cinema is. Lootera is your answer to them. Truly a highly crafted piece of art. A visual masterpiece in recent times. 

Rating: **** (4 Stars) 

Rahul Iyer