CAST: TAHIR RAJ BHASIN, TAAPSEE PANNU, SHRIYA DHANWANTHARY, DIBYENDU BHATTACHARYA

DIRECTED BY: AAKASH BHATIA

BLUF:

When her boyfriend loses a mobster’s cash, Savi races against the clock to save the day — if only she can break out of a curious cycle of dead ends.

This movie is the Indian remake of Sundance Audience Award-winning Run Lola Run.

THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES

Savi (Pannu) has trodden on her own shoelaces and shattered up her knee during a race, crushing her shot at being a track-and-field megastar. Disheartened, she limped on crutches to the roof of the hospital and was inches away from jumping off when Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin) stopped her from ending her life. They fall in love and began an directionless life together, smoking weed and floating off the bed and mostly going nowhere waiting for a big gambling break to make them rich.

Savy starts working as a concierge of an old man who’s barely conscious (but serves is a good source of prescription meds for her). When Satya is not betting like an idiot, he’s employed in a kitchen owned by a gangster who sensually massages oil into his bird before shoving it into the oven.

The mobster gives Satya a very straightforward task: Bring to me my bag full of money, and here’s a gun, if you need it; and by the way you  have until the turkey is done roasting to complete this task or dash dash dash.

Of course, cannot be more diligent and gets robbed of the cash while on a bus back to the mobster. Buh bye to cash. In comes Savi to her boyfriend’s rescue.

She races around Goa, her knee taped, to replace the dough before the turkey is cooked. She visits her father who refuses to help, grapple with a taxi driver who won’t drive; she’s chased by a dork cop on a motor bike. Satya on the other hand plots to rob a jewelry store with two donkek sons of the same store owner.

IN THE KNOW

Pannu gives Savi the perfect balance of skill, anguish, frustration and me vale verga without forgoing any of the humour or anguish of the character. She is brilliant in her portrayal.

 But Looop Lapeta is (as usual for Indian content) too long (over 2 hours), too infatuated with its own ingenuity and, too visually chaotic. But it is funny.

Aakash Bhatia however does innovate the plot and this is not a direct copy of the German movie and is well Indianized.

This film is packed with personalities who are buffoons – sad jokers, unfortunate comedians, entertainers in wedding dresses; it follows a comedic narrative.

So though you enjoy it,  you also grow ansy keeping your attention on it despite its brilliant use of color, ingenious camera angles and comprehensive set slices.

WHAT WE LOVED

Comic

The Desi twist

Colors, frames, camera work

WHAT WE MISSED:

Tooooooo long