Lootera Review

One Line Review: A superbly-crafted lyrical canvas designed with a slow yet beautiful way, appealing to the masses and classes.

Positive Points: Cherry picked music, flawless direction, breathtaking locations, great character performances, magnificent costumes.

Negative Points: Sluggish storyline at certain junctures.

Plot: The story is set in the post-independence era in the year 1953. An affluent Zamindar Roy Chaudhary and his beautiful, feisty daughter Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) live in Manikpur, a small and tranquil village of West Bengal. One fine day, Varun Srivastav (Ranveer Singh) , an archeologist and his friend Devdas (Vikrant Massey) steps in Manikpur for excavating the place in the pursuit of ancient civilization. Varun intends to do a research on a 500-year old temple in Manikpur for his work purpose. Varun and Devdas request Roy Chaudhary to assist them explore a civilization in his place. Roy Chaudhary agrees and even tells them to stay in his home.

Varun immediately wins over the heart of aristocratic Roy Chaudhary and achieves confidence of the zamindar with the knowledge about music and books as well as with the young demeanor. Also, the daughter of Roy Chaudhary, Pakhi gets mesmerized by the charm of Varun and starts making a special place for Varun in her mind. Very soon, Varun and Pakhi start to share a tender and passionate bond of love. Both of them plan to get married soon, but one day Varun suddenly disappears from the village. Not being able to digest the truth, Pakhi's father suffers stroke and expires.

In 1954, post the death of her father, Pakhi thinks of forgetting the past with Varun and move on. With the decision of making a new beginning of life, Pakhi comes to Dalhousie and she finds Varun once again under extraordinary circumstances...

Why did Varun disappear leaving behind the love of Pakhi?

Will Pakhi be able to forgive Varun?

Will Varun and Pakhi ever come together?

Direction And Other Technical Aspects: The director Vikramaditya Motwane has arrived this time with a classic love saga set in the bygone era. The direction, cinematic storytelling component of the film is worth appreciation. The captivating beauty of West Bengal and Dalhousie heightens the impact of the story along with twists and twirls in the tale. Motwane has narrated a simple and sober tale in such a jubilant manner that the story gets settled in one's heart by making one ventilate the emotions at certain junctures. 'Lootera' definitely bears the look of an epic love tale comprising of classic visuals, unhurried and easygoing communication between the characters.

The only loophole in the story is that it seems sluggish and sulky at several points. Also, seeing much lonely surroundings of West Bengal and Dalhousie takes the story to an unrealistic path. Showing some amount of crowd on the roads of such scenic places might have helped to label more authenticity in the tale. But, the overall catchy flow of the story make you forget paying attention to these things.

The director has magically painted certain scenes that will leave unforgettable impression on viewers' mind, for an instance, the sparkling chemistry between Varun and Pakhi illustrated through their discussion about the dreams, Pakhi's inner feelings for Varun and flirting among the two during the painting classes. The director's way of creating atmosphere for love adds to the allure of the movie.

The film also boasts of exceptional sound design, magnificent costumes, and excellent camera work. One can easily witness that the director has focused on each and every minute detail of the story.

Performances: Sonakshi Sinha stunned the viewers with her excellent acting skills and fits in her role undeniably. Ranveer Singh was also brilliant as Varun Srivastava, though there was scope for better facial expressions showing apt emotions.

Barun Chanda has built a well-defined character of local zamindar. Vikrant Massey has brilliantly portrayed the witty friend of Ranveer Singh and he seems promising as a polished actor. Adil Hussain is good in his part delivering a punch-packed performance. Divya Dutta is great in her cameo role.

The other cast like Arif Zakaria, Shirin Guha and Dibyendu Bhattacharya appear on the screen for little period of time but make a lasting impression.

Music: Without mentioning about the cherry-picked music given by Amit Trivedi, it will seem like the USP of the film is missing. By offering a soothing music, Trivedi takes one to a dreamy, melodic past. The tracks like 'Saar Loon', 'Zinda' and 'Shikayatein' contributes in forming the soul of the film. These songs serve the double purpose, as they enchant you with their music and lyrics as well as they serve as a part of the screenplay. The canorous music completes the outline of the movie to make a poetic painting.

Final Verdict: A glorious and profound love saga that will leave you awestruck with its irresistible charm. Though it will test your patience at certain points, being a slow-paced tale, it assures you to keep you glued to your chairs with its aesthetic part. This cinematic gem is worth offering you an experience of a classic epic love tale.