Lootera is a story set in the 1950's, soon after India's independence. The main story is in two times, separated by a year and an intermission. It tells the story of a zamindar's daughter falling in love with an archeologist, how they fall in love before falling apart, only to run into each other again. The film is an adaptation of the Last Leaf, which thankfully the movie duly acknowledges in the end credits.
The film does a pretty good job of transporting the viewer into the 1950s. Every frame screams a simpler, quieter time set in rural India. The props, the makeup and the sets are all authentic, and a sight for sore eyes. The pace of the story matches the slowness of the time, but in a pleasant way.
The performances of Ranvir Singh and Sonakshi Sinha can be described as fairly decent, but not spectacular. This is the only movie of Ranvir Singh I have seen since Band Baja Baraat, so he had a reputation to live up to. This role is completely different from his earlier ones, and he does not disappoint. As I said, decent but not spectacular. He is yet another example of an Indian male actor who looks far better with shorter hair than with long tresses (I haven't found an exception yet). Sonakshi Sinha on the other hand, has a history of such low-ball movies that it is difficult not to meet that bar. Thanks to the role, the makeup and her performance, she finally shows some semblance of an acting spark in her. Her face is strangely suited more for frowns and grimaces than big grins (reminding me yet again of Reena Roy), which is why I think she suits this role more. It is definitely a step up for her, even if the slope is low.
The director and music composer deserve some special mention. Unlike the popular and critical opinions, I absolutely hated this director's last movie: Udaan. So this movie is to me, an improvement of his record. Udaan was just different, this one is different and for the most part, nice. He does a good job at going back in time and keeping us there. The music is quite hummable. My favourite song is Ankahee. The songs are not period-drama masterpieces like Lagaan and Jodha Akbar, but they are genuine and fit well with the story.
Where this film failed the most is its erroneous marketing. The name "Lootera" pretty much gives away most of the plot. To make matters worse, the promos of the movie eliminate any possibility of the title having a metaphorical meaning rather than a literal one. That it was an adaptation of the Last Leaf further minimized intrigue (I had not heard of this book before, but a simple google search spilled the beans about its plot). With all this, the only saving grace would have been an outstanding plot and superlative star-studded performances. Only then can a movie whose plot has nothing mysterious would still mystify the audience enough to go see it. And this movie has neither: the plot is decent but not groundbreaking, and so are the performances. Therefore it all averages out to an average movie rating from me.
The film does a pretty good job of transporting the viewer into the 1950s. Every frame screams a simpler, quieter time set in rural India. The props, the makeup and the sets are all authentic, and a sight for sore eyes. The pace of the story matches the slowness of the time, but in a pleasant way.
The performances of Ranvir Singh and Sonakshi Sinha can be described as fairly decent, but not spectacular. This is the only movie of Ranvir Singh I have seen since Band Baja Baraat, so he had a reputation to live up to. This role is completely different from his earlier ones, and he does not disappoint. As I said, decent but not spectacular. He is yet another example of an Indian male actor who looks far better with shorter hair than with long tresses (I haven't found an exception yet). Sonakshi Sinha on the other hand, has a history of such low-ball movies that it is difficult not to meet that bar. Thanks to the role, the makeup and her performance, she finally shows some semblance of an acting spark in her. Her face is strangely suited more for frowns and grimaces than big grins (reminding me yet again of Reena Roy), which is why I think she suits this role more. It is definitely a step up for her, even if the slope is low.
The director and music composer deserve some special mention. Unlike the popular and critical opinions, I absolutely hated this director's last movie: Udaan. So this movie is to me, an improvement of his record. Udaan was just different, this one is different and for the most part, nice. He does a good job at going back in time and keeping us there. The music is quite hummable. My favourite song is Ankahee. The songs are not period-drama masterpieces like Lagaan and Jodha Akbar, but they are genuine and fit well with the story.
Where this film failed the most is its erroneous marketing. The name "Lootera" pretty much gives away most of the plot. To make matters worse, the promos of the movie eliminate any possibility of the title having a metaphorical meaning rather than a literal one. That it was an adaptation of the Last Leaf further minimized intrigue (I had not heard of this book before, but a simple google search spilled the beans about its plot). With all this, the only saving grace would have been an outstanding plot and superlative star-studded performances. Only then can a movie whose plot has nothing mysterious would still mystify the audience enough to go see it. And this movie has neither: the plot is decent but not groundbreaking, and so are the performances. Therefore it all averages out to an average movie rating from me.
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