Lootera

Fun filled chemistry of the lead pair to begin with, then moving in to those enticing mystery phase and ending up with some memorable romantic happenings that depict the true love factor; Lootera from director Vikramaditya Motwane is indeed an enjoyable watch that will widen your eyes with its pleasing energy without any conventional melodrama.  Coming from the school of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, there is a close similarity in visual treatment of the movie with many of Bhansali’s films, but Motwane has managed to keep the movie away from those clichéd grey zones.

The plot here has this bubbly Bengali girl Pakhi who wants to break free from constrains of her royal lifestyle. Her father is a zamindar and he has great love and care for his one and only child. An archeologist Varun Srivastav arrives at the place asking permission for archeological researches in Zamindar’s land. The literature enthusiast Pakhi and the painting lover Varun are attracted to each other and they falls in love. Varun knows that he can’t have Pakhi because of certain commitments and backs off from the relationship at the last moment giving some severe mental shock to Zamindar and his daughter. The movie is basically about the dramas that happen after this phase and how Varun manages to get out of his restrictions and help the struggling Pakhi in making her hopeful about life.

The most intriguing segment in the movie was certainly the first half of the film that had so much of blissful romance and that engaging thrill factor towards the end. The way Vikramaditya Motwane quickly transferred his main leads in to that romantic zone with humorous verbal exchange was a pleasant surprise. It was something out of the typical intense romancing style that we have seen. The slightly discomforting thing for me was in conceiving Varun as the criminal. The screenplay hasn’t devoted much space to build that darkish side to his character. But the script in a sense overcomes this flaw with some unusual rendering of the peak drama. The usage of the leaf painting in the climax and the approach of Varun towards Pakhi in those last moments to take care of her health were really lovely in the romantic perspective.

Performances of the lead pair were truly lovable. Sonakshi has given her best in portraying the bubbly, angry and emotionally frustrated Pakhi. Ranveer Singh impresses with his Lootera avatar. The huskiness in the voice and the agility in those second half sequences impressed me very much. The other two who really made me happy with their performances were Barun Chanda as the Zamindar and Vikram Massey who played Varun’s best friend. Both of them did a really great job in the supporting cast. Adil Hussein also did his part with required precision.

In the making, Vikramaditya Motwane once again manages to create that engaging atmosphere in those silences. The way he added a practical romantic touch to a story set in the 1950’s was a cheerful experience. Screenplay moves smoothly with multiple colors of emotions. The dialogs are smart. Lovely cinematography. The music and background scores from Amit Trivedi really add to the feel of the movie. The VFX towards the end had some hiccups. Sound design was impressive.

Overall, Lootera is a beautiful romantic story that is rendered in an appealing way. Much less melodrama and the originality in the content really impressed me. It’s a 4/5 from my side.