Lootera : by Vikramaditya Motwane

A year long hiatus has bought me back to my passion.. & there is surely no better film bollywood has seen in a long time than ..

Motwane's Lootera !

The year is 1953 , Bengal , zamindari is at its peak in India. Pakhi , the feisty daughter of an ageing aristocrat is a girl so vulnerable in her demeanour. She is longing for independence as shown by her secret driving chores.

In comes , Varun seeking help from the zamindar for excavation at the land owned by him representing the archaeological society.

He is articulate , charming yet focused on the job in hand. Pakhi & Varun collide in a brewing chemistry when he takes shelter as a house guest.

She gets her wings and a reason to wake up every morning. The protagonists irresistibly get drawn into each other with sheer innocence and old world charm. Pakhi dreams of writing at her Dalhousie house and converting her stories into words. Varun has the desire to paint a masterpiece someday.

The director has done a marvellous job of keeping the exchanges between Varun & Pakhi understated with binge of silence.

Second half of the film , takes a turn which compels the audience to take the girl and the boys' journey to its destination. Motwane opts for stark muted backdrop of Dalhousie which blends with the mood of the screenplay at this juncture.

The detailing in this film takes it to a level of poetry in motion. Cinematography by Shetty is spell binding capturing the colour of Bengal and the sombre landscapes of Dalhousie. The sets , the colour , the curtains , the dialogues , vintage vehicles are just so 1950's pitch perfect.

Performances .. The maturity is so hard to fathom , is beyond their age. Both these actors have been hard core commercial typecasts , and Motwane has moulded them with sheer brilliance

Sonakhi as Pakhi is craving , vulnerable , feisty , brittle & bitter
Ranveer as Varun is street smart , charming , practical , mature & intense.

Supporting cast is noteworthy too with Adil as the tough cop & Vikrant as Dev inspired cheeky friend.Music & Background score elevates this film to Cloud 9 - Amit Trivedi & Amitabh Bhattacharya are truly wizards. My favourites - Zinda & Ankahee.

Motwane's second outing - Respect! - O.Henry would be proud!
A Cinematic Masterpiece!

Rating : 4.5/5.0