Lootera

About the film

Lootera (, Hindi: [lʊˈʈeːɾɑː]; transl. Robber) is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language period romantic drama film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane and the second half is based on author O. Henry's 1907 short story "The Last Leaf". It is the second film directed by Motwane after the critically acclaimed Udaan (2010).

Set in the 1950s against the backdrop of the Zamindari Abolition Act by the newly independent India, it tells the story of a young conman posing as an archaeologist and the daughter of a Bengali zamindar. The film stars Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh in lead roles. Produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap and Vikas Bahl, the film features music and background score by Amit Trivedi with lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and cinematography by Mahendra J. Shetty.

Plot

In the picturesque town of Manikpur, West Bengal, in 1953, a landlord named Soumitra Roy Chaudhary goes to watch a jatra with his daughter, Soudhamini Pakhi Roy Choudhary, an aspiring writer. After Pakhi suffers an asthma attack from the ensuing excitement, she is rushed to her room and given medication. As she recuperates, her father comforts her and narrates the story of the invincible king of the Bhil tribe whose soul resided inside a parrot, telling her that she is the parrot within whom his life resides. One day, after threatening the family driver into letting her drive the family car, Pakhi accidentally bumps into a motorbike on the road, mildly injuring the young man on the motorbike. A few days later, the same man shows up at their mansion, introducing himself to the landlord as Varun Srivastava, an archaeologist who wants to study the land surrounding the temple that the landlord owns. Over the next few weeks, Varun charms the landlord and his daughter with his knowledge and persona and is invited, along with his assistant and friend, Devdas Mukherjee, also known as Dev, to live at their expansive mansion.

Soon, love brews between Varun and Pakhi as they bond over art and literature. Pakhi confesses her aspirations of becoming an author, while Varun reveals his desire to paint a masterpiece. Their love soon culminates in a passionate affair. Meanwhile, an act passed by the Indian government debars the power of landlords, causing tension in the Roy Choudhary household. The ancient artifacts the family owns must be sold, and Varun helps arrange the purchases. As Varun's stay comes to an end, he asks Roy Choudhury for his daughter's hand in marriage, and preparations for their marriage begin. Before the marriage, Varun's uncle, A. K. Bajpai, who raised him, arrives and discourages Varun from marriage, stating that Varun will only give Pakhi grief because of the danger of what he actually does for a living, and that people like them are not meant to fall in love and have normal lives. Varun is conflicted but agrees and makes his choice. He and Dev escape that very night, along with all the valuables they stole from the landlord. On the marriage day, Varun is nowhere to be found, and everyone shockingly discovers that the idols from the temple have been stolen and the currency notes from the purchase that Varun arranged of the family's artifacts are all counterfeit.

In the second half of the film, the story moves to one year after the incident at the wedding. A sick Pakhi now lives in Dalhousie with her maid, Shyama as her only company. Her father has died, unable to bear the shock of betrayal by Varun, and she still has not recovered from her heartbreak. When Inspector K. N. Singh requests her to help him capture Varun, Pakhi refuses to do so, wanting only to forget him. Soon after, Varun and Dev show up at Dalhousie for their next heist and stay at a lodge on Pakhi's property. Shortly, things take a drastic turn when the police manage to find out their whereabouts and a pursuit ensues. Varun inadvertently shoots Dev and a constable fatally and is injured in the encounter. He removes the bullet and then goes to seek refuge in Pakhi's house. Pakhi and Shyama attempt to hand him over to the police, but he threatens them. Pakhi gives in, but she is nevertheless enraged and repels Varun's comforting advances and explanation. In a letter, she explains to him that she is dying of tuberculosis and will die the day the last leaf falls from the wilting tree outside the window. Meanwhile, Shyama leaves the house, promising Varun that he would not be reported to the police.

Production

Vikramaditya Motwane wrote the script of Lootera in 2005. Bhavani Iyer had co-written the script with Motwane. Ranveer Singh's character was created by the director whereas Sonakshi plays the role of female character from the book. Actor Ranveer Singh claimed that he was not initially convinced with his character in Lootera and had declined to star in the movie. With script readings he grew confident that he could play the role of a con man in the movie, and rehearsed extensively. In an interview with The Hindu, Sonakshi Sinha stated, "I play a Bengali girl. It's an authentic Bengali look of the fifties that I am sporting and they (the director and designer Subarna) have taken a lot of trouble to go through the kind of clothes, jewellery, hair and make-up done in that era. We have tried to replicate it. Vikramaditya has kept the make-up simple with only the kajal, kumkum, and some laali on the lips which is what the women used to do then. It was the most difficult shooting experience for me so far. In terms of my character, my look, my performance and the locations, everything had to be from an era I knew nothing about." The director insisted Ranveer's look be an amalgamation of James Dean and Dev Anand.

Key details