‘Looop Lapeta’ Movie Review: A Spunky Whirligig Ride That Is Comical And Crazy Fun

Director:
Aakash Bhatia

Cast:
Taapsee Pannu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Rajendra Chawla, Manik Papneja, Raghav Raj Kakker, Bhupesh Bandekar

What’s It About:
Satya's (played by actor Tahir Raj Bhasin) life is in jeopardy after losing his boss' drug money, and he needs his much smarter girlfriend, Savi (played by actress Taapsee Pannu), to devise a plan to source Rs. 50 lakh in 50 minutes, trapping them in a time loop that affects both their lives and the lives of those they meet during this time. Will Savi be able to save Satya? Will she be able to come out of the time loop that her life has got stuck in? Will the drug lord get his money? Will he leave the Savi and Satya alive? Or will the duo run away with all the money? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

Watch Trailer:

What’s Hot:

Tahir Raj Bhasin is a treat to watch. Actors should learn from him how to tone it down, and how to how to be loud when need be. He has brought the two aspects along with a tremendous range of emotions throughout the film. He’s happy, he is confused, he is running for his life, he is falling in love, he is getting high and what not!

Shreya Dhanwantry is killer! Move away Kartik Aaryan, we’ve got a new monologue master. She was there was probably 6-7 mins in the entire film, and she steals your hearts away with that almost 5-minute long monologue.

Writers Vinay Chhawal, Ketan Pedgaonkar, Aakash Batia, and Arnav Nanduri have brought in a masterstroke in the storyline by adding the backdrop of the Satyavan-Savitri mythological tale. They’ve weaved it so well in the plot that it actually feels like the loop that Taapsee’s life is stuck in, is actually some mythical creation. One of the best tweaks and a great adaptation of history.

The supporting cast of Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Manik Papneja, Raghav Raj Kakker, Rajendra Chawla, and Sameer Kevin Roy is also damn good. They all have delivered noteworthy performances. A special shout out to the police officer, who is absolutely spot on in his mannerism.

Cinematographer Yash Khanna has picked a leaf out of Michael Slovis’ book, who was the mastermind behind ‘Breaking Bad’. Khanna’s camerawork is a visual orgasm. There is so much happening, all at the same time that at times it feels like you’re watching a stop motion video. To add to this, the story hits you thrice, and it’s because of Khanna’s brilliant cinematography that you tend to forget that you’re watching the same thing over and over, yet managing to see it in a completely different light altogether. The use of the dolly zoom, which even goes full circular in quite a number of shots added with the rolling shots could give some viewers a headache, but it manages to give the necessary pull-back to the fast-paced things that are happening all over.

The background score by Rahul Pais and Nariman Khambata is hauntingly eerie and it sets up the mood for the film in a brilliant way.

Last but not the least, director Akash Bhatia has done a great job of making something that is not run-of-the-mill. The way he pays homage to the original ‘Run Lola Run’ by making a red-haired girl walk into the casino just as Taapsee Pannu is about to leave is absolutely fantastic placement. The good part is that he didn’t tamper too much with the originally good script of the original film, and just added his touch to replenish the excitement of this fun ride even more with his spunky way of storytelling.

What’s Not:

Needless to say that Taapsee Pannu is the sole pivot of the story. She manages to bring in her A-game once again. She is feisty when needed and demands every inch of the screen space. But isn’t this exactly what she has portrayed in quite a number of films before? Like earlier it used to be the loud Punjabi girl who is fighting with parents, situations, and life, and just that here she is a loud Goan girl who is doing pretty much the exact same thing. I wish a day would come when I get to see her also have a similar range in her characters like she used to have when she did films like ‘Pink’ or ‘Mulk’, etc.

Another thing that keeps you wondering as to why is the loop occurring? Even though you’re bought into the mythological Satyavan-Savitri tale yet it would have been great to know some actual factual reason that the loops were occurring. So much so even if she woke up and it all felt like a dream sequence, that would have made more sense. Or was it the cocaine that she was snorting? Who knows! The makers didn’t clear that up till the end, and it keeps eating you in after you’re done watching the film.

The editing by Priyank Prem Kumar is could have been a bit crisper. The first story out of the three seems to drag a bit too long. That makes the opening one a bit draggy at the start. All the three should have been given equal screen time, and that would have definitely increased the viewer experience.  

The other thing that impacts you as a viewer is that if you’ve watched ‘Run Lola Run’, you keep predicting what would happen. However, when the thing is slightly different and a much-Indianised version of what you had seen in the German original, you’re slightly let down. For those who’ve not watched the massively popular original film, this won’t matter too much.

Verdict:

‘Looop Lapeta’ is without a doubt one of the whacky ones which stay with you for the entire year. Like ‘Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota’ or ‘Ludo’ or ‘AK Vs AK’ – this has that thing which hooks you on and makes you ponder about why this and why that much after you’re done watching the film. Had the first part been a bit shorter, this would have surely been one of the bests of this year. Nevertheless, this spunky whirligig ride is comical and crazy fun at the same time. It is indeed a Must-Watch. I am going with 3.5 Stars.