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'Lootcase' review: Simple story propelled by a great ensemble cast

WION
New DelhiWritten By: Shomini SenUpdated: Aug 01, 2020, 02:30 PM IST
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Photograph:(Twitter)

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'Lootcase' review: Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, featuring an ensemble cast, 'Lootcase' is a delightful story which boats of great performances and situational comedy.

Cinema halls shut down across the world earlier this year due to the pandemic. Some of the biggest films of the year opted for the digital route due to the pandemic. This Friday in particular has been a busy one, with four movies releasing on multiple OTT platforms. Of course, the magic of watching a film on the big screen is missing but for a film like 'Lootcase', the digital premiere perhaps has been a blessing in disguise.

The film was initially slated to release in October 2019 but was pushed to 2020 and then the coronavirus outbreak led to makers opting for the digital lease. Directed by Rajesh Krishnan, featuring an ensemble cast, 'Lootcase' is a delightful story which boats of great performances and situational comedy. The plot is somewhat familiar yet it manages to leaves an impression.

The story is simple. Nandan Kumar (Kunal Kemmu) an employee in a printing press, stumbles upon a shiny red suitcase full of cash on his way back home from a night shift. Nandan lives in a modest accommodation with his wife Lata (Rasika Duggal) and son. A working couple with mediocre jobs, their daily squabbles are about money or the lack of it. So when Nandan stumbles upon the bag of cash, he first gets scared- he hasn't seen so much cash in his life ever and eventually wheels the loaded bag back home.

The story isn't just about them though. There's a parallel narrative that involves two warring gangs and a shrewd MLA Patil (Gajraj Rao) who are looking for the same red suitcase. Chaos ensues with each gang and a cop (Ranvir Shorey) hired by  Patil, hunting for the now missing bag.

The characters are most hilariously and cleverly written, each with unique traits. While Nandan is a quintessential common man, whose first reaction at seeing a bad full of money is to run. He wants to become rich and has limited income yet doesn't know how to spend the money and what to do with the big bag. Then there's Patil, a sweet-talking MLA who in his charming, clever ways gets people to do the dirty work on his behalf. Perhaps the most interesting character in the film is rival gang lord Bala, a fan of National Geographic, who gives advice to his men by using scientific metaphors which adds further confusion for his men. The role is brilliantly played by the ever-dependable Vijay Raaz, who with a straight face says the most interesting lines.

The narrative loses grip on several occasions but it's the clever lines written by Kapil Sawant and Rajesh Krishnan that provide the laughs. The beauty of the film is that the comedy flows seamlessly, it never appears forced and it refrains from too many toilet jokes.

Kunal Khemmu, Rasika Duggal as the middle-class young couple bring a certain innocence to their characters. They want to make it big in life but their ethics and morals come in the way ever so often. In one scene, as they uses chines dishes as a way to dirty talk, Lata interrupts Nandan him when he lovingly calls her chilly chicken and reminds him 'Today's Tuesday' as they hastily look at pictures of deities and apologize.

'Lootcase' may falter at the point of being predictable, but it is supremely enjoyable because of its actors. Gajraj Rao and Vijay Raaz are simply superb in their respective roles as the leaders of rival gangs. Ranvir Shorey too delivers a fine performance.

If the film had got a theatrical release, it may have gotten lost amid multiple releases. Fortunately, it's on Disney+ Hotstar and therefore will get an audience it much rightly deserves.


This one is a good watch for the weekend.