Lootera – 5/5

(Image: Wikipedia)

Lootera is an instant classic, the type of movie which reminds us of the romance of the cinema, and why it remains one of, if not the greatest, medium through which to tell a story.

Lootera (robber) tells a story of Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha), the daughter of an aristocratic Bengali landowner family, in 1950s India. As land reform acts are passed and zamindars (landlords) are forced to give up their property, a dashing young archaeologist named Varun (Ranveer Singh). A somewhat forbidden love blossoms, but things aren’t as they seem, and Pakhi’s life is thrown into a world of loneliness, despair and self-destruction. Sooner or later, both Pakhi and Varun’s pasts catch up with them – and in the most unusual of circumstances.

Ranveer Singh shines as the suave Varun – always an unknown quantity, potentially ready to explode, but torn between his heart’s desire and the realities of his life. In many ways Lootera is Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl in a period setting, and Singh’s occasional smugly rough expression is not a new one. However the complexity of Varun’s character is such that it calls for so much more – and Singh delivers in spades. Likewise Sonakshi Sinha, so long the hip thrusting broad at Salman Khan’s side, works the screen with her convincingly heartbroken character, gazing unnervingly into the camera with her desperate longing. While neither Sinha nor Singh are strangers to cinematic praise, Lootera has offered them a chance to excel to new theatrical heights. The praise which will be heaped upon them for their portrayals of their characters are absolutely deserved – and could propel them into the cinematic stratosphere.

A scene from Lootera (Image: Indian Express)

Director Vikramaditya Motwane’s interpretation of author O’Henry’s short story The Last Leaf (1907) is delicate yet bruising. It is tragic and devastating, yet uplifting. And it is warm, dense and romantic, yet bleak, sparse and hopeless. The perfect shots of a snow-dusted bungalow, the endless dusty gold of the Bengali paddocks, and the intensely emotional  close-ups are all testament to Motwane’s ability as a director. The delightful soundtrack, composed by Amit Trivedi and with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, shifts from the suitably upbeat to the classically moody, setting the scenes beautifully.

Lootera is possibly the best film of 2013, not just in Hindi-language cinema, but worldwide – it presents a beautifully and perfectly illustrated portrait of two people in the right place at the right time, but under all the wrong circumstances. To watch Lootera is to experience layers of emotion; complex, but never confused. There is no doubt that this artistic masterpiece will still be talked about for years to come.