Lootera (2013)

An aristocrat's daughter falls in love with a visiting archaeologist, but he holds a secret that could drive them apart.

Director:

Vikramaditya Motwane

Writers:

O. Henry (short story "The Last Leaf"), Bhavani Iyer (screenplay)

Stars:

Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Barun Chanda

Top Rated Indian Movies #238 | 4 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ranveer Singh	...	Varun Shrivastav
Sonakshi Sinha	...	Pakhi Roy Chaudhary
Barun Chanda	...	Soumitra Roy Chaudhary
Adil Hussain	...	K. N. Singh
Vikrant Massey	...	Devdas
Dibyendu Bhattacharya
Arif Zakaria	...	A. K. Bajpai
Pratap Jaiswal
Shirin Guha	...	Devyani
Divya Dutta	...	Shyama (Special Appearance)
Palan Kundu
Anirban Basu
Amit Saha
Dhruv Mookerji
Newton

Storyline

The year is 1953. A visiting archaeologist called Varun Shrivastav comes to the village of Manikpur in West Bengal to excavate the temple grounds of the local Zamindar. With knowledge and experience beyond his young demeanour, Varun greatly impresses the Zamindar and his family. Especially Pakhi, the Zamindar's feisty and only daughter, who finds herself irrevocably drawn towards him. But Varun isn't all he seems on the surface. And as the simmering attraction between him and Pakhi leads to a tender and deep love, he is forced to choose between her and his past. Making his choice, Varun disappears. Pakhi struggles to move on with her life, determined to forget him and their relationship. Until one day, when he returns under the most extraordinary circumstances. Inspired from O. Henry's "The Last Leaf", Lootera is the uplifting story of two lovers. Of heartbreak, betrayal... and ultimate redemption.

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Plot Keywords:

fugitive | redemption | heartbreak | leaf | village | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

India

Language:

Hindi

Release Date:

5 July 2013 (India)

Also Known As:

Разбойник

Filming Locations:

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$314,958, 7 July 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$375,442, 7 July 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

Balaji Motion Pictures, Phantom Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An adaptation of O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf".

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Quotes

Varun Srivastav: What do you want to do?
Pakhi Roychoudhary: I want to write. Lots and lots of books. Sometimes I feel like running away to our house in Dalhousie, sit there and keep on writing, keep on writing. Snow will keep falling outside and inside I'll...
Varun Srivastav: -Keep on writing, keep on writing.

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Connections

Version of O. Henry's Full House (1952)

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Soundtracks

Sawaar Loon
Vocals by Monali Thakur
Music composed by Amit Trivedi
Song lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya
(P) 2013 Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.

User Reviews

'LOOTERA' is poetry on celluloid!

LOOTERA (4/5)

Please visit - http://iamalekhya.blogspot.in/

'LOOTERA' is poetry on celluloid!

This chef-d'oeuvre love story by Vikramaditya Motwane resembles a poetry in beauty and the evocation of feeling, and despite a slight ramble in the second half, it wins you over. Sonakshi Sinha leaves you awestruck with her incredible performance.

The film is set in the years 1953-54. Pakhi (Sonakshi Sinha) is a young bengali girl, living with her father, a Zamindar, in an aristocratic world. In this placid existence enters an archaeologist, Varun (Ranveer Singh), seeking help from the Zamindar with a letter from the Archaeological Society of India. With his remarkable knowledge of books, music, and expertise in his own field, Varun impresses the Zamindar, sneaking his way into the life of the family, and the heart of Pakhi, as love between them, blossoms. But soon, a shocking revelation shatters their world. Leading them to some unanticipated circumstances.

The film is dazzlingly beautiful, recreating the 50s in West Bengal. While the first half depicts the town of Manikpur, the second half takes you to the gorgeous Darjeeling. Each frame is immaculate and the setup literally absorbs you. Then, the screenplay is so engrossing, you just can't stray your attention elsewhere. The conviction with which the director, Vikramaditya Motwane, takes you through this story is simply unbelievable, especially considering the fact that he's just a film old. His deeply moving treatment of this delicious script is awe-inspiring.

A part of the film is based on "The Last Leaf", a short story by O. Henry. Not only is it visually enticing, the scenes too are aesthetically shot. Be it the father-daughter discourse, or the innocent budding romance, or soulful lovemaking, or even the gloomy turn of events, each aspect is mesmeric. The melodic music too is pleasing to your senses. The slight blemish that the film exposes is the draggy 40 odd minute amble in the second half. That's the only time it pushes you slightly towards disinterest. But fortunately, it gathers its feet as it approaches the climax, and eventually ends in a high.

Performances are the most crucial aspect of such an enterprise. A slip here could ruin the entire effort put in everywhere else. And this is where the film succeeds. Each act is as real as it could have been. Ranveer Singh is surprisingly composed and plays his part perfectly. But it's Sonakshi Sinha who's the real star of the show. She effortlessly portrays the depths of her character and brings out vivid moods with brilliant skill. She indubitably is a revelation. All other actors put up a flawless show.

In all, LOOTERA is a masterpiece that delights the senses, excites the intellect and induces emotional admiration. Do not miss it!

Rating: 4/5