Lootera (pronounced /lʊˈtɛrə/; Hindi: [lʊˈʈeːɾɑː]; means "robber") is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane. The second part of the movie is based on the 1907 short story "The Last Leaf" by author O. Henry. This film is Motwane's second movie after his 2010 film Udaan, which was highly praised by critics.

Set in the 1950s during the time when India's Zamindari Abolition Act was happening, the film follows the story of a young man who pretends to be an archaeologist and the daughter of a wealthy Bengali landowner. The movie stars Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh in leading roles. It was produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap, and Vikas Bahl. The film’s music and background score were created by Amit Trivedi, with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The cinematography was handled by Mahendra J. Shetty.

Upon its release, Lootera received good reviews, especially for the performances of Sinha and Singh. This film marked a major success for Singh. Although many people considered it a commercial failure, Motwane later said that no one actually lost money on the film. He explained that expectations were high because it was Singh’s and Sinha’s next project, with hopes of earning Rs 30 crore in its first weekend, but this did not happen.

At the 59th Filmfare Awards, Lootera received four nominations, including Best Actress for Sinha. It won the award for Best Female Playback Singer for Monali Thakur’s song "Sawaar Loon."

Plot

In the beautiful town of Manikpur, West Bengal, in 1953, a landlord named Soumitra Roy Chaudhary visits a jatra with his daughter, Soudhamini Pakhi Roy Choudhary, who wants to become a writer. After Pakhi has an asthma attack because of the excitement, she is taken to her room and given medicine. While she recovers, her father comforts her and tells her a story about a strong king from the Bhil tribe whose soul lived inside a parrot. He tells her that she is like the parrot, and his life lives inside her.

Later, Pakhi convinces the family driver to let her drive the car. She accidentally hits a motorbike on the road, causing a young man to be slightly hurt. A few days later, the man arrives at their home and introduces himself as Varun Srivastava, an archaeologist who wants to study the land near the temple owned by the landlord. Over the next few weeks, Varun impresses the landlord and his daughter with his knowledge and personality. He is invited to live at their large mansion, along with his assistant and friend, Devdas Mukherjee, known as Dev.

Soon, Pakhi and Varun develop feelings for each other, bonding over art and books. Pakhi shares her dream of becoming a writer, and Varun talks about his wish to create a painting. Their relationship grows into a romantic one. At the same time, a new law passed by the Indian government removes the power of landlords, causing problems for the Roy Choudhary family. The family must sell their ancient artifacts, and Varun helps arrange the sale. When Varun’s stay ends, he asks Soumitra Roy Chaudhary for Pakhi’s hand in marriage, and plans for their wedding begin.

Before the wedding, Varun’s uncle, A. K. Bajpai, who raised him, arrives and tells Varun that marrying Pakhi will cause her pain because of the risks of Varun’s work. He warns that people like them are not meant to have normal lives. Varun is unsure but agrees to marry Pakhi. That night, he and Dev leave with stolen items from the family. On the wedding day, Varun is missing, and the family discovers that idols from the temple have been stolen, and the money from the artifact sale is fake.

One year later, Pakhi is sick and lives in Dalhousie with only her maid, Shyama, for company. Her father has died from the pain of being betrayed by Varun, and Pakhi has not recovered from her heartbreak. When Inspector K. N. Singh asks Pakhi to help catch Varun, she refuses, wanting to forget him. Soon, Varun and Dev return to Dalhousie for another theft and stay at a lodge on Pakhi’s property. The police find them, and a chase begins. Varun accidentally shoots Dev and a police officer, and he is injured. He removes the bullet and hides in Pakhi’s house.

Pakhi and Shyama try to hand Varun over to the police, but he threatens them. Pakhi gives in but is angry and refuses Varun’s explanations. In a letter, she tells Varun that she is dying of tuberculosis and will die when the last leaf falls from the tree outside her window. Shyama leaves the house, promising not to report Varun to the police.

Varun plans to escape, but Dev refuses to leave and stays to care for Pakhi. He confesses that his real name is Atmanand Tripathi and has regretted leaving Pakhi since the day he ran away. Pakhi begins to accept him again, and she notices that the tree outside her window still has a leaf each day. When she sees that Varun is leaving, she realizes he has tied a leaf to the tree every night so she would not lose hope. The leaf is painted, and she understands it is Varun’s masterpiece. Pakhi smiles with tears, knowing she will live.

Cast

• Sonakshi Sinha plays the role of Soudhamini Pakhi Roy Chaudhary
• Ranveer Singh plays the role of Varun "Vijay" Shrivastav also known as Atmanand "Nandu" Tripathi
• Barun Chanda plays the role of Zamindar Soumitra Roy Chaudhary
• Vikrant Massey plays the role of Devdas "Dev" Mukherjee
• Arif Zakaria plays the role of A. K. Bajpai
• Adil Hussain plays the role of Inspector Krishna Niranjan "K. N." Singh
• Divya Dutta plays the role of Shyama
• Shirin Guha plays the role of Devyani

Production

Vikramaditya Motwane wrote the script for the movie Lootera in 2005. Bhavani Iyer helped write the script with Motwane. The director created the character played by Ranveer Singh, while Sonakshi Sinha portrayed the female character from the book. Ranveer Singh said he was not at first confident about his role in Lootera and refused to be in the movie. After reading the script, he became more confident and practiced extensively. In an interview with The Hindu, Sonakshi Sinha said, "I play a Bengali girl. I wore clothes, jewelry, and makeup that looked like those from the 1950s. The director and designer Subarna did a lot of work to make sure these details were accurate. The makeup was simple, using only kajal, kumkum, and laali on the lips, which women used back then. This was the most challenging part of filming for me. My character, appearance, and the locations all had to match the 1950s, which I knew little about." The director wanted Ranveer’s look to combine the styles of James Dean and Dev Anand.

In November 2011, the filmmakers chose Sonakshi Sinha and Ranveer Singh for the lead roles. By December 2011, both actors attended classes to learn about their characters’ appearance, body language, and speech, as the movie was set in Bengal during the 1950s. Subarna Ray Chaudhari did a lot of research to design costumes that matched the characters’ look. A romantic song was filmed in December 2011. The first part of filming was completed in Mumbai by the end of December 2011. In January 2012, the set in Dalhousie, where the actors were to film for several days, was destroyed by bad weather, causing costs of 5 million dollars. The crew had to walk through deep snow. Some scenes were filmed at Kalatop, near Dalhousie. Filming was delayed until March 2012. The next part of filming began in Kolkata on January 23, 2012, and continued in rural parts of West Bengal. Scenes with Ranveer, Sonakshi, and Barun Chanda were filmed at the 11th-century Jain temple in Deulghata and Belkuri. The area was affected by Maoist activity, and the cast and crew filmed scenes with police protection due to the danger. In March 2012, the team tried again to film in Dalhousie, but Ranveer Singh injured his back, so filming was delayed until May 2012. In May 2012, the team filmed scenes that were originally meant to be in the snow by creating an artificial snow set during summer. Scenes with Shirin Guha and Arif Zakaria were finished by March 2012. With about 50 crew members, the lead actors filmed at The Itachuna Rajbari in Hooghly District. Scenes of old houses were later filmed in Purulia. The final part of filming took place in Mumbai and was completed in July 2012. Filming ended by the end of August 2012, and the movie was planned for release on March 29, 2013. The first trailer, released in March 2013, showed the movie would be released on July 5, 2013.

Music

Amit Trivedi created the music and songs for the film in his second project with Motwane, following their work on Udaan (2010). The album included six songs with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Inspired by the style of 1950s Hindi movie music, Trivedi adjusted his musical approach to match the film's tone and used a live orchestra for the score. The album was released online through iTunes on May 29, 2013, and as physical copies on June 7, 2013, by the T-Series label.

Marketing

The first look and trailer of the film were released on 15 March 2013. To match the film's old world theme, the film launch took place at the Liberty Cinema in Mumbai, which was built in 1947. The trailer received positive feedback from critics, particularly for its background music. The second theatrical trailer was released on 10 June 2013. Unlike other films, the lead actress spent forty days on pre-marketing activities for the film.

Release

The film was shown at Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai two days before its release date. In India, the film was released on approximately 1,600 screens, with more focus on multiplex theaters than single-screen locations.

Critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave the film a 4 out of 5 and wrote, "Overall, Lootera is a truly sincere and deeply touching story that stays with you. It is a must-watch for people who enjoy romantic films or have a romantic spirit. This is a wonderful movie!" Raja Sen of Rediff gave it 5 out of 5 stars and noted, "Lootera is a beautiful film that uses its historical setting with care and attention, not in a way that takes advantage of the setting, as is often seen in Indian cinema." Meena Iyer of The Times of India gave it 4 out of 5 and wrote, "Lootera is a love story from the past." She added, "You might find this film slow-paced and not interesting if you prefer fast-moving, modern romantic stories." Deccan Herald gave it four stars and stated, "Lootera is a film with some flaws but also many powerful emotional moments. The storytelling shows the skill of a talented director who sometimes struggles with intense scenes. However, Sonakshi Sinha’s performance makes the film unforgettable despite its weaknesses." Manohar Basu of Koimoi gave it 4 out of 5 stars, commenting, "Lootera is a film that will deeply move you. Vikramaditya Motwane has created a beautiful piece of work that honors cinema itself. The story is built on a dramatic background, and the film’s ending is powerful and absorbing." Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave it 4 out of 5 and wrote, "Lootera has an epic setting, a quiet love story, a cops-and-robbers drama, and a highly detailed storytelling style. In short, Lootera is a Bollywood miracle—a rare film that is grand in scale but does not follow typical market rules." Critic Mayank Shekhar wrote, "Careful attention to detail is what makes a good film—this is director Vikramaditya Motwane’s second success." Deepanjana Pal for Firstpost noted, "Lootera struggles as a love story, and without this central element, the relationship between Pakhi and Varun feels unsteady. For example, it is unclear how a relationship can be strong if a woman learns her loved one has been shot but does not ask about his injury."

Box office

Lootera had a very successful opening at movie theaters and made about ₹ 310 million (US$3.7 million) on its first day. The film earned a total of nearly ₹ 950 million (US$11 million) during its opening weekend. It performed well on weekdays and made approximately ₹ 1.25 billion (US$15 million) in its first week. Before its release in Japan, the film's total net earnings reached about ₹ 4.6 billion (US$54 million).