In this day and age, when the world is growing so much more impatient, so much more noisy, so much more color blind in every which way you imagine, comes a director like Vikramaditya Motwane with a film like Lootera.
Lootera, being a commercial film, is not a functional way of story telling. In fact the potential in the story is fully exploited by the director. This is a story of a 'Lootera' who has come to steal all a Zamindar in Manikpur West Bengal has including a priceless murti. In the process his heart gets stolen, he wants to marry this girl but his uncle and the mastermind of all the robberies will not allow him to. The task has to be executed any how and so it happens. The Zamindar is foiled, his daughter is heart broken.
In the second half the drama moves to Dalhousie where the daughter has moved to after the Zamindar father's death and a broken engagement. Enter the Lootera again, this time to be on the radar of a cop. Chase and drama ensues, Lootera in panic shoots at his friend but manages to escape the cop. O' Henry's the last leaf takes off from here.
Where the film scores majorly is the direction. There are so many such small moments in the film that touch you. So many scenes that evoke laughter without even a line being spoken, without resorting to a cheap SMS joke. Over here the emphasis is more in between the lines rather than on the lines. And the victory here is that it is a task too tough to achieve in an age smooth and swift is equated to slow and boring because the mind has grown more restless. In fact the use of certain characters and car and car as a character has a deja vu effect...remember Udaan, directed by this very gentleman and the use of car!
The cinematography is very eye pleasing. There are certain portions which appear too grainy but overall it is a superb job. The Manikpurs and the Dalhousies are brought alive like a canvas painting and so are the characters who look so luminous. It gives a period feel as well because it has been set in 1950's. Another achievement here is the major portion of second half ...the snow clad Dalhousie! The tones and texture are amazing! Yaa friends words like tones and textures still exist in the dictionary of film makers! Even I am surprised.
It would be of great significance to mention that the background score remains in background and yet again manages to enhance the drama. Silence does a lot of talking here...A very brave execution.
Performances are flawless, the script ie story screenplay are taut!
But above all the film belongs to the director - Vikramaditya Motwane!
