Entertainment / Film Review: Lootera Is Not Your Typical Song And Dance Bollywood Love Story !

Film Review: Lootera Is Not Your Typical Song And Dance Bollywood Love Story !

Entertainment Jul 13, 2013

by sheetal Nanda

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Vikrant Massey, Barun Chanda, Arif Zakaria, Divya Dutta

Produced by: Anurag Kashyap, Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Vikas Bahl

Running Time: 143 minutes

Rating: 4/5

Still from the movie Lootera

If a Hindi love story doesn’t contain any lavish dance numbers or love-crazed daydreamers, can it still be categorized as a Bollywood flick? Critically acclaimed director Vikramaditya Motwane proves that it certainly can be – and a shockingly great one too.

In his second directorial endeavor, Lootera, Motwane (Udaan) responds to the cinemagoer’s appetite for a non-traditional film as he navigates the audience through a dramatic story of love, deceit, passion and pain.

Lootera is an ambitious period romance inspired by O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf. The plot begins in 1953 in the small village of Manikpur, West Bengal where Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha), an aspiring writer, lives with her father, a wealthy zamindar (landlord). Everything about Pakhi has an air of willful independence, from her relationship with her father, to learning how to drive, to how she deals with her fragile illness. In no time, she finds herself swooning over Varun (Ranveer Singh), a quiet and handsome archaeologist who rides into town on his motorcycle to excavate one of the temples owned by Pakhi’s father. What follows are many sweet and tender moments between Pakhi and Varun. Despite Varun’s reluctance, the two slowly fall in love and eventually decide to marry. However, the movie’s plot takes a dramatic twist (which is easily deciphered from the film’s title) and Varun fails to show up for the nuptials, leaving Pakhi and her father utterly devastated.

The second half of the film takes the audience forward a few years to the beautiful, snowy landscape of Dalhousie. Pakhi is living as a recluse, shattered by Varun’s betrayal. On her radio, the Hindi songs that remind her of their courtship continue to play in the background. Then one snowy day, Varun shows up at her doorstep with his fate in her hands.

Lootera is a gentle, yet powerful film. Although it is paced like a drama, there is some action towards the end with police chases and guns. The fact that the audience is given no guidance as to which characters they should emotionally invest in is what makes it entertaining.

While the story is quite simplistic, the essence of this film lies in its visual beauty created by cinematographer Mahendra J. Shetty. The audience is treated to a series of visually stunning wide shots that capture the beautiful landscapes of Bengal and Dalhousie. Simply put, this film is gorgeously shot.

Lootera ultimately succeeds because of the powerfully committed performances from its stars, Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha, and the palpable chemistry they share on screen. Singh gives a raw and engaging performance. His soft-spoken voice and mannerisms accurately convey Varun’s inner turmoil. It’s hard to believe this is only his third film. Sinha, who completely deglamorized herself to play Pakhi, excels in the role of wounded Bengali woman and at last shows off her acting abilities. The supporting actors, too, are a pleasure to watch. Mostly notable is Vikrant Massey, who plays Varun’s best friend Devdas and provides many light-hearted moments in the film.

The film’s music by Amit Trivedi is charming and complements the 1950s setting perfectly. At a time when Bollywood soundtracks are resorting to digital remixes, Trivedi artfully used an orchestra to create the romantic score for Lootera. While all the tracks are lovely, it is “Sawaar Loon,” a romantic song with a delightful melody that will steal your heart.

Lootera is certainly not without a few flaws. There’s a sharp tonal shift from the first half of the film to the second, which takes a while to adjust to. Also the imagery used in the film, while powerful, is reinforced far too much. Despite this, Motwane is clearly making his mark as a new breed of Indian filmmaker. His tale of romance, despair and reconciliation proves that successful Bollywood films don’t always have to stick to the same old love formula with a plethora of song and dance. They can be sophisticated, graceful and most importantly, subtle.

Balaji Motion Pictures released Lootera in theatres worldwide on July 5, 2013.

_{PHOTOS COURTESY OF thehindu.com; Filmfare.com & www.indiatimes.com}

sheetal Nanda

Author

Sheetal Maya Nanda is the Principal Lawyer at SN Legal (www.snlegal.ca) and a Freelance Writer. She enjoys dissecting the legal issues happening in the entertainment and sports industries from a social, political and cultural lens. Outside the office, Sheetal is a...

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Film Review: Lootera Is Not Your Typical Song And Dance Bollywood Love Story !

by sheetal Nanda

sheetal Nanda

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