Lootere REVIEW: Hansal Mehta’s series is an intense drama with standout performances by Vivek Gombre and Rajat Kapoor but struggles to grab attention

Film:
Lootere Series Review

Director: Jai Mehta

Star cast: Rajat Kapoor, Vivek Gomber, Amruta Khanvilkar, Aamir Ali, Martial Batchamen Tchana, Gaurav K. Sharma, Chandan Roy Sanyal

Showrunner: Hansal Mehta

Release platform: Disney+ Hotstar

No. of episodes: 8 (release per episode every week)

Lootere Series Review

The Lootere series is quite different from the usual series available on OTT platforms. It is an unconventional and grandiose series that brings Indian and African artists together, which is quite uncommon. The series takes you to Somalia, a twisted world of crime where the pirates try to fulfil a treacherous demand of safeguarding and smuggling dangerous goods for the dealers in exchange for a huge ransom. Lootere shows the deadly concoction of power and deceit amid pirate attack on an Indian ship. Nevertheless, the overall packaging of the movie gives away Hollywood vibes and can surely grab your attention. The series look intense but lacks engaging power.

Story

Off the coast of Somalia, port president Vikrant Gandhi sets a deal with another party for a whopping amount. Vikrant promises to deliver the consignment which is on a cargo ship. But things go down as planned when the pirates come into the picture, spoiling Vikrant’s plan of delivering the consignment. They hijack the ship and crew members in return for money. When the passengers of an ill-fated ship are taken hostage by pirates, their life and their fate change forever.

What’s good about Lootere

Cinematography: Jall Cowasji is the director of photography for the series, and he has done an excellent job of shooting certain scenes, especially those that take place on the ship. Since the series takes place entirely in certain African cities, Jall has managed to capture the rustic and unfiltered side of the country. The raw and authentic look of the country is quite captivating. Additionally, the action sequences have been nicely executed, making them appear real to the audience. While we don’t get to see any high-octane or advanced actions, the grounded-level action makes it look substantial.

Storyline: It is an episodic series that doesn’t waste time on character and story establishment, but starts right away. This may seem unusual, as most stories take time to build up, but Lootere takes a different approach. It has a unique concept of a ship getting hijacked, and the absence of too many sub-plots makes it easy to follow. Kudos to Jai Mehta for narrating a story about a common place like Somalia that is rarely talked about. Very few films have been made on this subject, which makes this series refreshing.

What’s not about Lootere

Screenplay: Vishal Kapoor and Supra S Varma co-wrote the screenplay, which can be partially gripping and thrilling. However, the story fails to hold your interest at the beginning and only picks up pace after a few episodes. Unfortunately, the script feels unreal and flimsy, making it hard to stay engaged throughout. For example, if a cargo ship is being hijacked, the military intervention comes too late and the execution mission feels underwhelming. Additionally, the “Ismail angle” seems unnecessary and irrelevant to the story. Even after watching all eight episodes, the “Ismail angle” still doesn’t seem to play an important role in the overall story.

Editing: Lootere takes longer to reach its climax as if the papers were getting added to the script. It seems dragged and felt they could have wrapped the first season in probably 5-6 episodes.

Star performance

Rajat Kapoor who plays the captain in the series has a calm demeanour but is a storm. He has that theraav in his character and he pulls it off effortlessly. Vivek Gomber portrays the lead character of Vikrant Gandhi in the series and he is a remarkable character that we haven’t seen in a while. Vivek is truly a revelation. He has flawlessly conveyed his emotions and delivered an excellent performance as Vikrant. You can feel his pain and anger because he appears so convincing in his character. Vivek is certainly a star of the show and deserves to be seen on screen more.

Amruta Khanvilkar looks beautiful and puts up a fair play in the series. Though her character can be a little infuriating at times, Amruta manages to bring those emotions rightly. Aamir Ali plays an agent who delivers a decent gig in the series. Gaurav K. Sharma as Bilaal knows his part well and he plays it with great expertise. Chandan Roy Sanyal has a limited screenspace and hence, it’s hard to talk about his performance; however, he is good in his parts.

Conclusion

Concluding the review, Lootere is a crime survival thriller that manages to hold your attention in parts. The standout performances by Vivek Gombre and Rajat Kapoor are worth mentioning. However, the show leaves many unanswered questions, and a lot of scenes are unclear. The first part does not have a proper conclusion, and the cliffhanger ending doesn’t provide much satisfaction. It also lacks the driving force to look forward to the second season. Nonetheless, if crime thrillers are your genre, you might enjoy watching this show over the weekend.

Watch the trailer of Lootere after the review

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