Lootera
The movie begins like a cup of flavored coffee. You cannot gulp it down. You have to sit back and unhurriedly sip the coffee. Enjoy the aroma and relish the flavor as it tickles your palate. The love story is narrated through the feast of music and visuals. But the last twenty minutes of the film felt like sipping coffee that had turned cold because it had been left too long.The film is set in Bengal in the fifties. Until the abolition of the system in 1952, a zamindar was the most powerful person who held enormous tracts of land and collected taxes. So were benevolent, the others were despotic. Based on O’ Henry’s short story titled The Last Leaf , the film Lootera is set in the twilight era of the zamindari system.The year is 1953. A visiting archaeologist called Varun Shrivastav (played by Ranveer Singh) comes to a village somewhere in West Bengal to look for the ruins of an ancient civilization that lies buried somewhere in the zamindar’s land. The widower zamindar (played by veteran actor Barun Chanda) adores his only child, Paakhi (played by Sonakshi Sinha) who finds herself charmed by this visitor. The relationship turns romantic and the zamindar agrees to take Varun as his son-in-law. Varun disappears before the wedding leaving behind a shattered father and daughter. Do the star-crossed lovers reunite? You have to watch the movie for that.Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane’s last film "Udaan" was absolutely awesome. If you have not watched Udaan, I recommend that you do. He also wrote the screenplay for the cult movie DevD. He certainly knows a trick or two about telling stories. It has been a three year wait since Udaan. The wait has been worth it.
Deciding to go with Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi was certainly a bold move. They are both average actors who need to sharpen their skills. Ranveer certainly has had limited practice. After a great debut against Anushka Sharma in Band Baaja Baraat as the character ‘Bittu’, he acted as Bittu all over again in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl – this time with a better wardrobe. So in effect this was the second character that Ranveer was getting to play. His performance in this film remains unremarkable.Sonakshi Sinha has had two successful films like Dabangg and Rowdy Rathore which, were successful at the box office but did not really get her to act. This film may be the one where Sonakshi gets to say that she can do roles that go beyond playing an airhead. Does she leave you gasping for breath like the character she plays? Umm... no. The Art Direction works to make recreate that magic. But don’t miss the nine different sarees (give or take a few) she changes for the number "Sanwaar Loon". Listen to Monali Thakur sing this beautiful song.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6k8Aja80GQMDid the interlude music of Sanwaar Loon remind you of the song from Dev Anand starrer Hum Dono - Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya? Hear the opening notes and then listen to Sanwaar Loon. There are two strong reasons for you to go and see Lootera. The first one is the cinematography of Mahendra Shetty. The scenes shot in the snow are breathtaking.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeI1nGXN3dQSo what is the second reason for you to go and see Lootera? The music is awesome. The background music is good enough to be called foreground music. It complements the on screen narration.The lyrics of Amitabh Bhattacharya set to music by Amit Trivedi is the best part of the film. This is a very promising duo. The magic of Udaan is back. Remember ...Subah ki kirno ko rokein jo, woh salaakhein hai kahanJo khayalon pe pehre dale, woh aankhein hai kahanPar khulne ki deri hai, parinde ud ke choomengeAasman aasman aasmanThe best track of Lootera is Manmarziyan (the whims of the heart). The plucking of the guitar and the harmony in vocals by the lyricist and composer has the punch that I got after listening to Crossby Stills and Nash sing Helplessly Hoping. It conjures up visuals of winding roads going through the countryside.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn-9O_kmADoYun Toh Solah Saavan Aaye GayeGaur Nahi Kiya HumneBheega Man Ka AanganIss Martaba Kya Jaane Kya Kiya TumneDil Mein Jaage Ishq WaaleManmarziyan, ManmarziyanZid Ki Maare, Bhooli Bhaali Manmarziyan, ManmarziyanKab Talak Se, Kuchh Alag Si Manmarziyan, ManmarziyanWhat did I not like about the film. The ending dragged on a bit. I wish the director had ended the story about 20 minutes early. That would have made this film really crisp.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XOzCn-1YuI---------Join me on twitter @AbhijitBhaduriRead the poetry of Udaan <click here>