Looop Lapeta: Taapsee- Tahir's modern retelling of Satya-Savitri tale is fun, quirky and twisted, all in good amounts
Looop Lapeta
Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin) lands in trouble when he loses a bag full of money, and has only 40 minutes to get the money and save himself. Will his girlfriend Savi (Taapsee Pannu) be able to help him and save his life?
- Akash Bhatia
- Tahir Raj Bhasin,
- Taapsee Pannu,
- Divyendu Bhattacharya,
- Samir Kevin Roy,
- Shreya Dhanwanthary
- Hindi
- Netflix
How often do you come across a film that's completely tedha- medha, crazy, going here and going there, is all over the place- but none of that is meant in a bad way at all. The craziness and the tedhapan here is the USP of the film, that many called a remake of Run Lola Run. More, than a remake, this one seems to be a tribute to the film, and a modern retelling of the Satyaban and Savitri story.
The story is simple- there's sprinter Savi (played by Taapsee Pannu ) who meets with an accident and is told that she might not be able to sprint again. She decides to take an extreme step, when she is stopped by Satya ( Tahir Raj Bhasin ). the two instantly fall in love, and things progress. But it is when Tahir does a 'jhol', and there's a lot of money that goes missing, which if not found may cost Satya his life. Will Savi be able to fight with Yamraj and help him live? Will she get chances, or second chances? Will the two have a happily ever after? To know that my friend, you have to watch the film (or maybe you know if you have seen Run Lola Run).
What makes Looop Lapeta stand out is its quirkiness. This one does not attempt to be politically correct- this just presents evil matter-of0factly, without glorifying them, and condemning them subtlely without getting preachy. You have a lead who's attempting to end her life- and the other character stops it with a simple funda- 'what if you are supposed to get lucky in a lottery but you die today?' This runs as the theme. There is also the Satya-Savitri story that is merged with the concept of Run Lola Run and what you get is a delightful mishmash.
The quirk in the film comes from the performances and of course the visualisation, how the narrative is told and with the brilliant color palette. The stylised visuals are also what makes the film stand out. Be it the green color being thrown into the film here and there- a colour that denotes movement, jealousy and all the things that are pertinent to the subject that's dealt with her, or the amazing cinematography that makes it a visual treat- the film is delightful. In fact, in a film that is in the 'lapeta' of a time 'looop', there are chances that things would feel repetitive. But the film does not get monotonous at any point.
Then there are of course the very spontaneous performances that take the film up. You have Taapsee Pannu playing a sprinter again. She might be running most of the time, but this time she reaches the goal, and into our hearts better! She is natural here, and brings out the eccentricity and complexity of Savi beautifully. Savi is a character who has her own vulnerabilities and issues, and Taapsee gives space to the audience to connect to these. Tahir matches steps with Taapsee. From his smile, to his addiction to gambling to being the boy smitten in love, Satya too has many shades. This is a huge shift from what we have seen Tahir do, and we are glad he was chosen for a role like this. First the pulp series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein , and now Looop Lapeta, Tahir is most definitely on a roll!
There are other actors like Dibyendu Bhattacharya who is so perfect with his act as Victor. But our heart definitely is with Appu- Gappu, played by Manik Papneja and Raghav Kakker, and Samir Kevin Roy who played Jacob. Even Shreya Dhanwanthary is flawless in her limited role as Julie .
Akash Bhatia does a terrific job here. The pace does slow down and the film's tempo changes in bits and parts- but the narrative is very refreshing and quirky. The music of the film aids in keeping the tempo constant, and we love how each aspect of the film has something new to offer. The film was over two hours long, but it did not bore me out, and even though the pace slowed, it was never slow enough to make me want to close the flap of my laptop! This mad ride was thoroughly enjoyable. And even though it has competitors like The Great Indian Murder and Rocket Boys , both of which are pretty good (the latter being extremely well made), this is also a film that deserves your attention. So do not miss it!