Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha, Barun Chanda, Adil
Hussain
Direction: Vikramaditya Motwane
Genre: Romance
Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes

STORY: In a village, a young archaeologist falls in love with a landlord’s daughter. Their union seems doomed. But destiny brings them together a year later. Will they live happily ever after? MOVIE REVIEW: Lootera is a love saga of yore. The plot is an amalgamation of a story written by Vikramaditya Motwane with O’Henry’s short story, The Last Leaf. It begins in Manikpur, West Bengal, in 1953.

A zamindar (Barun Chanda) dotes on his welleducated but impressionable girl, Pakhi ( Sonakshi Sinha). The landlord’s Munim warns his master that courtesy the State Acquisition and Tenancy Act of 1950, zamindars like himself (read loyal to the British Empire) were losing their titles and prerogatives. But to no avail. The zamindar is visibly more concerned about his daughter’s well-being, more so because she suffers from asthma. A suave archaeologist, Varun ( Ranveer Singh), enters the village seeking permission from the landlord to dig up a mysterious civilisation buried around his temple. As work progresses, love blossoms between Pakhi and Varun.

The father of the bride agrees to their union but the young couple face other hurdles. From a simple love story the film assumes the shape of a thriller. A year later, Pakhi and Varun (the Lootera) find themselves under the same roof, in snow-capped Dalhousie under extenuating circumstances. Their relationship is volatile, vile and vulnerable. Love him she does, but deep inside, she is nursing a grudge against him for stealing her heart, breaking her father’s heart and letting their trust down.

In his second outing, post-the critically acclaimed Udaan(2010), Motwane definitely shows an upward graph. He transports you to the ’50s effortlessly with his vintage cars, opulent havelis, authentic costumes and terrific performances from his lead cast. Every frame is a picture postcard. Sonakshi, Barun Chanda and Ranveer need special mention. However, be suitably warned; the old-world aura and the languid pace are not for the young and restless.