As I sit down to write this review, there’s a feeling of warmth and happiness and sadness wafting around the heart, the urge to cry a bit and smile a bit more. It’s all the effect of Vikramaditya Motwane’s little love poem, Lootera. The story is very loosely inspired by (and duly credited to) American writer O. Henry’s beautiful short The Last Leaf, familiar to many Indians since it’s been part of English literature textbooks in schools. That’s only an element in the tale at hand though. Lootera takes us to 1953 West Bengal where Pakhi Roychoudhury lives with her zamindar father. One day they are visited by a government archaeologist called Varun Srivastav who wishes to excavate around the family temple. Pakhi and Varun are drawn to each other but he cannot make a commitment to her for reasons he can’t reveal. Separated by cruel compulsions, they come back into each other’s lives under circumstances that would test even long-time lovers.
The last thing I thought I’d be writing about in a Vikramaditya Motwane movie is the extraordinariness of an action sequence, but the one in Lootera is a tonic, an example that makers of bigger, flashier films should study instead of lazily resorting to sound-effects-enhanced fisticuffs. This sequence begins with the sense that things aren’t right, and it’s borne on a background score that sustains a steady thrum and explodes at the right moment, then subsides, and just as we think the worst has passed, there’s another danger, and then tragedy. In between, we see people running, flapping their arms wildly, thinking on the move, ducking here, darting there. The cutting is first rate, and the choreography is like art in the way it utlilizes the spatial geography of the region. Most potent of all is the whiff of danger. You cannot make an action sequence work if the participants appear invulnerable. A body can hurl itself on you, as if from nowhere, and stun you with its momentum. Even if you are the film’s hero.
Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films’ Lootera (UA) is a love story set in Bengal of the 1950s. Inspired by O’ Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf, it is about the romance between Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) and Varun (Ranveer Singh).
Why does Pakhi not help the police? What happens when Varun comes into Pakhi’s life for the second time? Why had he disappeared the first time? What is the truth about Varun? Does he truly love Pakhi or is it just a one-sided affair? Do Pakhi and Varun unite in matrimony or is their romance star-crossed? Does Varun keep his promise of a landmark painting? What is that painting?
Actually, the first half is very beautiful and enjoyable in spite of the inherently slow pace. The humour often makes the audience laugh or at least smile. The pace continues to be very very slow after interval but the additional problem then is that the drama also becomes a bit repetitive. The pace picks up once Varun enters Pakhi’s Dalhousie house, and a couple of twists and turns thereafter are truly interesting. The climax is quite unpredictable and the bitter-sweet ending will satisfy the evolved audience while keeping the masses very dissatisfied. Dialogues (Anurag Kashyap) are gems.
The romance between Pakhi and Varun is elevating and touches the heart. It is also enjoyable because there are entertaining moments. The drama is heightened by the songs, narrative style and performances of a very high order by the lead actors. Emotions may not draw tears from the eyes but they definitely touch the heart.
Having said that, it must also be added that the script would appeal only to the romantic at heart and the classes but definitely not to the masses.
Ranveer Singh, in a get-up reminiscent of the 1950s, looks wonderfully different and acts with remarkable ease. He is superb. Sonakshi Sinha looks every inch the Bengali beauty she plays and performs brilliantly. She is first-rate and the role could fetch her awards. Together, Ranveer and Sonakshi’s chemistry is very good. Barun Chanda is simply outstanding as the zamindar-father of Pakhi. His voice, his expressions, his gait while walking, his body language, all add up to make his performance memorable. Vikrant Massey is very cute and also very entertaining. Adil Hussain leaves a sure mark in the role of N.K. Singh. Arif Zakaria makes his presence felt in a brief role. Divya Dutta is wasted but her acting, of course, is very fine. Shirin Guha lends good support. Pratap Jaiswal, as Mazumdar, acts ably. Dibyendu Bhattacharya leaves a mark. Others are also very effective.
Vikramaditya Motwane’s narrative style is poetic and unique and he makes the romantic film a heart-warming drama which stays in the viewer’s memory and subconscious for long after he has seen the film. Motwane’s handling of the subject is remarkable! But it must be mentioned that the film is aimed so completely at the gentry and the evolved audience only that the masses will not find much interest in it, mainly, of course, due to its slow pace. Amit Trivedi’s serene music and Amitabh Bhattacharya’s splendid lyrics add to the romance of the drama and the old-world charm of the film. The songs are superb, especially the ‘Sawaar loon’ and ‘Ankahee’ numbers. ‘Shikayatein’, ‘Zinda hoon’ and ‘Manmarziyaan’ are also very beautiful songs and so is ‘Monta re’. Both, Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya seem to have been wonderfully inspired while composing the music and penning the lyrics respectively. The songs have been choreographed beautifully. Amit Trivedi’s background score, like his music, is supremely inspired. Mahendra Shetty’s cinematography is so extraordinary that the film looks like a painting on celluloid. The Dalhousie locales, especially in the climax when it is snowing, are heavenly. Sham Kaushal’s action and chase sequences go very well with the mood, flavour and era of the film. Sets are superb. Dipika Kalra’s editing is terrific.
On the whole, Lootera is a beautifully made, brilliantly shot and wonderfully enacted love story which will be loved by the classes and evolved audience only. It is a painting on celluloid which will win a lot of critical acclaim and awards. It will not find favour with the masses and single-screen cinema audience which may even reject the film, mainly because it is excruciatingly slow. Collections in the good multiplexes and big cities will pick up and, in the final tally, the returns will be enough for it to prove a safe fare. Of its total investment of Rs. 32 crore, around 65-70% has already been recovered from sale of satellite and music rights. Recovery of the balance 30-35% from the theatrical revenues shouldn’t be a problem.