Lootera Review Thread -Critic Reviews pg26 onward

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923901

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Posted: 12 years ago

#511

Originally posted by: DB_reloaded
lootera is the most high rated and acclaimed film in the recent history if the WOM is good than it will b epic

Have you seen it?

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briahna

@briahna

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+ 4

Posted: 12 years ago

#512

OMG the reviews!!!

thanks for posting guys.

🥳

just hope this movie picks up at box office. it has to .

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923901

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Posted: 12 years ago

#513

FRIDAY, JULY 5, 2013

REVIEW 203: LOOTERA

Release date:	July 5, 2013
Director:	Vikramadatya Motwane
Cast: Language:	Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh, Vikrant Massey, Adil Hussain, Divya Dutta, Arif Zakaria Hindi

As I sit down to write this review, there's a feeling of warmth and happiness and sadness wafting around the heart, the urge to cry a bit and smile a bit more. It's all the effect of Vikramaditya Motwane's little love poem, Lootera. The story is very loosely inspired by (and duly credited to) American writer O. Henry's beautiful short The Last Leaf, familiar to many Indians since it's been part of English literature textbooks in CBSE schools. That's only an element in the tale at hand though. Lootera takes us to 1953 West Bengal where Pakhi Roychoudhury lives with her zamindar father. One day they are visited by a government archaeologist called Varun Srivastav who wishes to excavate around the family temple. Pakhi and Varun are drawn to each other but he cannot make a commitment to her for reasons he can't reveal. Separated by cruel compulsions, they come back into each other's lives under circumstances that would test even long-time lovers.

Frankly, if I'd read the screenplay, Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha would not have automatically come to mind to play a tortured couple from the 1950s. He, after all, is best-known as Band Baaja Baaraat's wonderfully OTT Bittoo, and in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl was just a more urbane extension of BBB's binness-man. Could hepossibly be subdued? She has so far played a pretty appendage to male stars in a string of big films riding on the hero's name. Could she possibly be an equal partner? It takes a director with vision to know the answer to those questions could be yes, and both actors live up to the faith reposed in them. Sonakshi pulls off a Pakhi who is spirited yet vulnerable, educated yet sheltered enough to naively ask what the government will do with her family's lands, without the crutch of loudness that has characterised her films so far. Ranveer faces a tougher challenge. Despite his shorter filmography, he has played more impactful characters than Sonakshi so far. To put Bittoo and Ricky out of our minds is not easy, but he manages that with his Varun. At first it feels like he's using an old actors' ploy, just staring into space and allowing us to read whatever we wish in his eyes… then you realise, that's the nature of Varun: stoic, with yearning simmering below the impassive surface, that fire-below-the-ice flashing forth in scenes like the one in which he wrestles with her to give her an injection she so desperately needs but does not want from his hands. There's an intense chemistry between them that finds subtle expression until they consummate the relationship. And though in 2013 it's slightly irritating to see sex scenes in which either star seems to have stipulated that they won't kiss, or at least kiss much, their old-world romance until then is enchanting.

Lootera's strong supporting cast is led by Bengali actor Barun Chanda who brings alive the confusion of a kindly old man unable to understand the need for an end to the zamindari system. TV star Vikrant Massey makes his big screen debut with an excellent performance as Varun's close friend and an incorrigible Dev Anand fan-cum-mimic. Dear directors of Johnny Lever films, THIS is how it's done!

Elevating their work to a different level altogether is Lootera's technical finesse. The colour and fire of Manikpur in the first half and the bleaker beauty of Dalhousie, whereLootera later travels, are stunning. Cinematographer Mahendra Shetty's loving frames never once dwarf the film's characters or their emotions… whether it's a forlorn Varun walking down a desolate road as snow falls, or Pakhi seated alone on a bench while the yellow-red-and-orange leaves on a tree blaze in the background. The production design team recreates aristocratic households that are tranquil, even reclusive, but not in visible financial decline, with an eye for detail that enriches the film (I so want that ceilingpankha in the haveli in Manikpur!). All this would have been nothing though without the film's startlingly detailed sound design (conversations in whispers, a grating asthmatic cough), and the breathtaking jugalbandi between musician Amit Trivedi and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya supplemented by a handful of classic film songs playing on the radio.

With Motwane at the helm, what this adds up to is a simple-yet-complex story well told. Motwane debuted with Udaan, which was about a troubled teenager and his abusive father. Lovely though it was, there were portions of Udaan where it felt like it was being needlessly slowed down to achieve a pre-determined pace. No such complaints about Lootera. The director juxtaposes the languorous lifestyle of a rich and much-loved daughter of a doting – and very obviously liberal – parent against the quiet desperation of a boy who has always known struggle both financially and emotionally. There's neither over-statement nor under-statement here, just a resounding matter-of-factness.

The screenplay is filled with references to folklore, cinema, history. There's even an edge-of-the-seat chase unpredictably thrown in. The atmospherics are marvellous. If I have a grievance, it is against the element drawn directly from O. Henry. Behrman in the original story was a failed artist who had yet to paint anything close to the masterpiece he kept claiming he would. Varun's association with paint-and-canvas though is tenuous, which makes this film's climax seem slightly contrived in contrast with the very poignant source material. This though does not alter the fact that Lootera is a masterful film. Zest and verve of the kind we get in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani are what Bollywood romances usually aim for these days. Lootera is different. It's reflective, gentle, lyrical and reads like a letter to our hearts.

Rating (out of five): ****

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923901

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Posted: 12 years ago

#514

WOO HOO KOMAL GAVE A THUMBS UP

LOOTERA review

Posted on July 5, 2013by komalreviews

LOOTERA

Balaji Motion Pictures and Phantom Films' Lootera (UA) is a love story set in Bengal of the 1950s. Inspired by O' Henry's short story, The Last Leaf, it is about the romance between Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) and Varun (Ranveer Singh).

Pakhi lives in a protected atmosphere in an aristrocratic world with her father (Barun Chanda), a zamindar. Varun enters their lives and introduces himself as an archaeologist. He seeks – and gets – permission from Pakhi's father to work on a plot of land around a temple owned by him, to dig out a civilisation. Pakhi finds herself attracted towards Varun and spends a lot of time with him. Why, she even teaches him painting and Varun promises to make a landmark painting some day! Varun's friend, Deb (Vikrant Massey), warns him about falling in love with Pakhi but Varun's heart beats for Pakhi. Soon, he asks Pakhi's father for her hand in marriage.

Pakhi's father announces her engagement with Varun and even as the engagement preparations are underway, Varun and his friend disappear. Pakhi is devastated and not just because Varun has gone away but also because he has cheated her father of all the antiques he had.

After her father's demise, Pakhi is unable to forget Varun, and she leaves her ancestral home and comes to Dalhousie where also the family owns a mansion. Varun re-enters her life even as the police is hunting for him, his uncle, Bajpai (Arif Zakaria), and friend, Deb.

Police officer K.N. Singh (Adil Hussain) approaches Pakhi for leads to track down Varun as he is aware of their love affair. Pakhi gives him one lead but once Varun is in Dalhousie, Pakhi refuses to help the police.

Why does Pakhi not help the police? What happens when Varun comes into Pakhi's life for the second time? Why had he disappeared the first time? What is the truth about Varun? Does he truly love Pakhi or is it just a one-sided affair? Do Pakhi and Varun unite in matrimony or is their romance star-crossed? Does Varun keep his promise of a landmark painting? What is that painting?

The story, set in the 50s' Bengal, moves at a leisurely pace. The screenplay, penned by Bhavani Iyer and Vikramaditya Motwane, has a number of twists and turns, which keep the audience involved throughout. But the pace at which the drama moves is extremely slow and will, therefore, bore a large section of the viewers. However, there would be a section of the audience which would find the drama interesting and engrossing despite the slow pace.

Actually, the first half is very beautiful and enjoyable in spite of the inherently slow pace. The humour often makes the audience laugh or at least smile. The pace continues to be very very slow after interval but the additional problem then is that the drama also becomes a bit repetitive. The pace picks up once Varun enters Pakhi's Dalhousie house, and a couple of twists and turns thereafter are truly interesting. The climax is quite unpredictable and the bitter-sweet ending will satisfy the evolved audience while keeping the masses very dissatisfied. Dialogues (Anurag Kashyap) are gems.

The romance between Pakhi and Varun is elevating and touches the heart. It is also enjoyable because there are entertaining moments. The drama is heightened by the songs, narrative style and performances of a very high order by the lead actors. Emotions may not draw tears from the eyes but they definitely touch the heart.

Having said that, it must also be added that the script would appeal only to the romantic at heart and the classes but definitely not to the masses.

Ranveer Singh, in a get-up reminiscent of the 1950s, looks wonderfully different and acts with remarkable ease. He is superb. Sonakshi Sinha looks every inch the Bengali beauty she plays and performs brilliantly. She is first-rate and the role could fetch her awards. Together, Ranveer and Sonakshi's chemistry is very good. Barun Chanda is simply outstanding as the zamindar-father of Pakhi. His voice, his expressions, his gait while walking, his body language, all add up to make his performance memorable. Vikrant Massey is very cute and also very entertaining. Adil Hussain leaves a sure mark in the role of N.K. Singh. Arif Zakaria makes his presence felt in a brief role. Divya Dutta is wasted but her acting, of course, is very fine. Shirin Guha lends good support. Pratap Jaiswal, as Mazumdar, acts ably. Dibyendu Bhattacharya leaves a mark. Others are also very effective.

Vikramaditya Motwane's narrative style is poetic and unique and he makes the romantic film a heart-warming drama which stays in the viewer's memory and subconscious for long after he has seen the film. Motwane's handling of the subject is remarkable! But it must be mentioned that the film is aimed so completely at the gentry and the evolved audience only that the masses will not find much interest in it, mainly, of course, due to its slow pace. Amit Trivedi's serene music and Amitabh Bhattacharya's splendid lyrics add to the romance of the drama and the old-world charm of the film. The songs are superb, especially the 'Sawaar loon' and 'Ankahee' numbers. 'Shikayatein', 'Zinda hoon' and 'Manmarziyaan' are also very beautiful songs and so is 'Monta re'. Both, Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya seem to have been wonderfully inspired while composing the music and penning the lyrics respectively. The songs have been choreographed beautifully. Amit Trivedi's background score, like his music, is supremely inspired. Mahendra Shetty's cinematography is so extraordinary that the film looks like a painting on celluloid. The Dalhousie locales, especially in the climax when it is snowing, are heavenly. Sham Kaushal's action and chase sequences go very well with the mood, flavour and era of the film. Sets are superb. Dipika Kalra's editing is terrific.

On the whole, Lootera is a beautifully made, brilliantly shot and wonderfully enacted love story which will be loved by the classes and evolved audience only. It is a painting on celluloid which will win a lot of critical acclaim and awards. It will not find favour with the masses and single-screen cinema audience which may even reject the film, mainly because it is excruciatingly slow. Collections in the good multiplexes and big cities will pick up and, in the final tally, the returns will be enough for it to prove a safe fare. Of its total investment of Rs. 32 crore, around 65-70% has already been recovered from sale of satellite and music rights. Recovery of the balance 30-35% from the theatrical revenues shouldn't be a problem.

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you2

@you2

Sparkler

+ 6

Posted: 12 years ago

#515

Sonakshi Sinha, Ranveer Singh excel in Lootera; a must watch

TAGS: Lootera | Sonakshi Sinha | Vikramaditya Motwane | Ranveer Singh | Udaan

Still from Lootera

Lootera

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha

Rating:

Music plays from a brown, rugged box - listen carefully - it's a song - Apne pe bharosa hai to ye daanv laga le... This song plays several times in the film Lootera and every time one is reminded that it's a Vikramaditya Motwane film. Motwane is the Director, who created a passionate and sensitive film like Udaan. Motwane builds up an atmosphere of love and longing through his characters adding to the allure of the film.

Those who feel Sonakshi Sinha has been plain lucky in getting big projects and whose only claim to fame is being yesteryear actor Shatrughan Sinha's daughter, are in for a big surprise. Sonakshi has played a well defined character for the first time in her career and has superbly risen to the challenge.

The film is a period drama that unfolds over two years, 1953 and 1954, a time of great upheaval for the Bengal aristocracy.

Let's talk about the story, Varun (Ranveer Singh), claiming to be an archaeologist who has been entrusted with the task of excavating the place in quest of an ancient civilisation, earns the ageing zamindar's confidence and falls in love with zamindar's daughter, Pakhi, played superbly by the demure Sonakshi Sinha.

Pakhi's father dotes on her daughter, who is ailing, and often runs out of breath and needs urgent medical attention. As she recuperates, the zamindar narrates to her the legend of a brave and invincible Bhil king whose life is in the breast of a parrot.

The film touches upon the components of O Henry's short story The Last Leaf. Falling leaves of a tree in autumn and a girl who is haunted by thoughts of dying - provide the basis of the narrative.

Motwane manages to embrace the complexities of human nature with aplomb in the film, filled with melodrama.

Both Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha are in for intense roles in Lootera who explore each other's feelings beautifully. The music of the film is breezy and touching. A well-crafted film by Motwane, definitely a must watch.

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Che.Guevara

@Che.Guevara

Rocker

Posted: 12 years ago

#516

LOOTERA And POLICEGIRI Start Slow

There were two major releases from Bollywood this week and both for different set of audience but both started slowly at box office on Friday morning despite all the buzz and promotion.

"Lootera" opened poorly in mass centers, single screens and small towns with occupancy of 10-15%. But film had opening of 30% in metros and occupancy got better in 2nd show. 1st day should be around 5 cr nett at minimum otherwise film will struggle with huge cost of 30-35 cr.

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923901

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Posted: 12 years ago

#517

Lootera | Once upon a time

6 July 2013, Jhinuk Sen

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Barun Chanda, Vikrant Massey, Adil Hussain
Rating: 4/5

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I must admit that Lootera was approached with ample hesitation for primarily two reasons. Ranveer and Sonakshi.

While Ranveer Singh has more often than not been type-cast as the smart aleck off the streets (Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Band Baaja Baraat) who sweeps women off their feet, 'call him a flirt but don't tag him' (sic); Sonakshi Sinha pretty much floats through Dabangg, Rowdy Rathore, Joker without really having to act. Putting these two together isn't exactly a dream come true - histrionically of course.

But this is where Vikramaditya Motwane deserves a pat on his back or a standing ovation because he makes Sonakshi and Ranveer look great on screen and the whole movie wraps you like a light cashmere blanket.

Lootera, the name gives the plot away, is about a con-man (Varun - Ranveer) who robs an aging zamindar (Barun Chanda) off all his treasures, his family heirloom and leaves his daughter (Pakhi - Sonakshi) heartbroken. After a year, Pakhi and Varun come face to face and the tussle ensues - to recover from the heartbreak and live or to let it all go.

Based loosely on O Henry's The Last Leaf, Lootera takes a step ahead merging a simple story with some classic romance, stunning visuals and some brilliant music. Though at moments the story seems to stretch but Motwane makes it all look so beautiful that it is difficult to take your eyes off the screen. Be it the sprawling haveli in Manikpur or the snowed over chalet in Dalhousie or the insides of (what looks completely like) Peter Cat restaurant in Kolkata - Lootera is like a sublime painting. Smoothed over, soft to the eyes, easy contours and so dreamy.

Motwane's eye for details must be lauded. He has aced the period perfectly. Though romance lies at the core of Lootera, it would be wrong to simplify the movie as a period romance. In ways more than one, Lootera is a testimony of sorts to history - the story of the end of Zamindari in India, the fading legacy of feudalism.

Old zamindar Roy Choudhury, with his immaculate white kurtas and scotch in crystal glasses, is the face that haunts you the most. The man loses his gait and delightful charm as acres of his land are taken away from him, as his heirlooms disappear and then when his daughter breaks her heart - he knows he has nothing left to lose.

The love story hurtles towards a predictable end but visually it is sheer poetry. The chemistry between the actors seem to have been taken out off the pages of a Bronte romance. The restraint, the ease and the resolution and yet, the ache lingers.

Ranveer in his high waisted pants and his wayfarers and Sonakshi in her stunning saris settle right into the 1950s, the roles work for them excellently. However, Barun Chanda, Adil Hussain, Divya Dutt and Vikrant Massey make their own places in your mind and are as much a part of the dreamy weave as the lovers are.

We give it a star less from perfection only because the plot lies too simple and seems contrived at moments, but a more complicated plot would have taken away the magic of Lootera. No win there.

I wanted to watch Lone Ranger and Despicable Me 2 with much more than I wanted to watch Lootera. But now that I have - it would be have been a mistake to have missed it.

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PARI

@pari_roxx

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Posted: 12 years ago

#518

@ rambo rajkumar
What type of movie lovers would enjoy this movie? Is it like Raanjhanaa?

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922872

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Posted: 12 years ago

#519

1st Day 1st Show Collections Of Lootera: Ghaziabad

by Box Office India (July 5, 2013)

The first day first show collections of Lootera in Ghaziabad are as follows:

MMX – 11,322

Movie Palace – 3,460

Chaudhary – 8,056

Galaxie – 4,724

Movie World – 4,994

Silver City – 3,960

M4U – 984

SM World – 650

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923901

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Posted: 12 years ago

#520

Originally posted by: pari_roxx
@ rambo rajkumar
What type of movie lovers would enjoy this movie? Is it like Raanjhanaa?

Well!!! Have you seen Udaan? Similar tone. I mean it's slow paced. But it's romantic. It has thrilling moments. Can't really think of any movie to compare it with. Way different and better than Fanaa & Mausam

It's very realistic yet looks magical. Raanjhana is little too commercial compared to this. It has dancing and lip syncing which Lootera doesn't but yes other than that if you enjoyed Raanjhana you'd like this too. Best way to put it Udaan + Raanjhana = Lootera.

Also if people enjoyed films like Khamoshi The Musical, Swades, Jodha Akbar, Raincoat and Udaan. They'll love it

Edited by Rambo.Rajkumar - 12 years ago