Movie Review: Lootera

I am smitten. By everything about Lootera. Here is a movie I will remember forever. And watch over and over again. Here is a movie I don't really want to blog about - because somehow, no matter what I write and how I write it, I just can't seem to do any justice to it.

Lootera is set in the early days of India's independence in beautiful West Bengal and Dalhousie. A young archaelogist falls in love with the beautiful Pakhi, daughter of an old zamindar, while searching his vast land for signs of a lost civilization. But everything isn't as it seems... They meet again, months later, in freezing Dalhousie, in very different circumstances. Will their love triumph? Will the last leaf destroy them, or bring them together?

Every frame is like a picture postcard. Breathtakingly beautiful. The camera work is simply stunning. The compositions are true masterpieces - for example, the lake in the back ground with the car, and the easel, and the tree. The temple ruins. And the tiny lanes of Dalhousie. I am totally and completely in love with the world of Lootera.

Another star of the movie is the background score - full bodied and rich, the melody simply envelops you and surrounds you so beautifully. The songs, the lyrics will stay you long after the final notes fade away... Sawaar Loon is an absolute beauty, sing by Monali Thakur and composed by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

And the use of silence. The sound of breathing. The whispers. The chirp of birds, the howling of wind, the roar of thunder. Oh wow, simply out of the world.

And the cast.

Ranveer looks sauve, handsome, and puts in a very creditable performance. His bullet scene is top notch, as is his confrontation with Pakhi in Dalhousie. Genuine.

But Sonakshi - absolutely wonderful, a performance that should win her every frigging award out there. She outshines everyone in the industry. By far. She speaks so much with her eyes, her expressions. Her voice, her smile. You will fall in love with Pakhi, you will worry about her health, you will root for her love. And she looks so amazingly pretty and svelte, a beautiful example of what a saree can do for you!

Their chemistry is sizzling, and they pull off some amazing scenes. The tussle at the Dalhousie bungalow when he forces her to take the injection - and note the live sound during that scene. The lake scene, when they whisper. Check her eyes then. And when she has her asthma attack in the car, when he holds her, and she snuggles against his neck. When she realizes he cannot paint. And finally, when she sees her permanent last leaf.

What a treat for the senses! The sound, the visuals. It's such a beautiful world!

Director Vikramaditya Motwane, take a bow.

Watch Lootera. Even if it's the only movie you will see.