LOOTCASE | Review

A bag full of money seems to be the end of all troubles. Right!? Well, that isn’t the case for Nandan Kumar (Kunal Khemu) of Disney+ Hotstar’s new release, LOOTCASE. When Nandan stumbles upon a bag full of Rs 10 Crores in the middle of the night, his sanskaar tells him to return the bag to its original owner. So, he (in a hushed tone) says, “Last time puchh raha hoon, kiska bag hai?” Since nobody can hear him, he has no option but to take the bag home and spend all the money in it. Oh! What a task!

But what seemed to be the end of all his struggles actually ends up becoming one. His beloved bag, that he names ‘Anand Petikar’ (or Joy Bagman) isn’t really easy to hide. Spending the entire amount together is not really an easy task. He dreams of buying a luxurious flat, but then nobody really takes ₹4 Crores in cash. So, Nandan decides to take out small portions of the money, wraps it and hides it safely in various corners of his home. But for a man living in a chawl in Mumbai, finding corners to hide such a huge amount isn’t really easy. And that is what makes up the first half of the film – Nandan and his bittersweet relationship with Anand Petikar.

Things will speed up in the second half of the film and you will find yourself laughing at several intervals. Especially during the climax when in the middle of a shootout, Nandan is asked, whose ‘Aadmi’ he is, the Don Bala’s (Vijay Raaz) or Omar’s (Sumit Nijhawan)? To this, like an obedient husband, he answers “Lata ka”.

So, who is Lata? Lata is Nandan’s wife, played by Rasika Dugal, who hates the idea of black money and scolds her son, Aayush (Aryan Prajapati) when he steals an eraser from a kid in his school. The relationship between Nandan and his wife is another highlight of this film. In their own little world they find happiness. So what if there is no sugar in their house? Pyaar toh hai!

You all may not be laughing hard while watching the film, but you will find yourself smiling throughout the movie. The script had room for improvement and there were a few scenes where humour could have been induced, but all that can be overlooked because of the fantastic performances of the actors.

Kunal Khemu is undoubtedly the star of the film. He looks dapper even as a simpleton and has truth in his eyes even when he steals. He gets into the skin of the character and makes it look effortless. The actor plays a Doting Dad, a loving husband and an Aam aadmi with chote chote sapne and scores full marks.

Playing the on screen life partner to Khemu’s Nandan is Rasika Dugal. She nags, scolds and taunts her husband for giving away all his money to Binu Didi (a character we would love to see), but also, loves him to the core and stands by him in hard times.

Aryan Prajapati is fantastic as the ever demanding kid and is a delight to watch.

 

Ranvir Shorey, as Inspector Kolte, brings tuckloads of entertainment to the film right from his first scene, where he says “Arey Namaste Babhiji” and asks for a cup of tea. He gets us invested in the film and his character.

Vijay Raaz as Don Bala, who is obsessed with interesting facts shown about animals on National Geographic, is superb and so is his arch-enemy Omar played by Sumit Nijhawan.

Gajraj Rao, as the overly-sweet and cunning MLA Patil, is flawless. He just smiles and gets his work done (by others).

The world of Director Rajesh Krishnan’s LOOTCASE is simple and that’s what we love about it. After all, Beauty lies in Simplicity, right?

Watch it for the top-notch performances and the moments of laughter. And if you are lucky enough to be staying with your family, make some popcorn and celebrate a movie night.

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