Lootcase

Director – Lootcase is the movie directorial debut for Rajesh Krishnan. A popular name in the ad world who has directed the hit web series TVF Tripling.

Genre – Mystery, Dark Comedy

Starring – Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal, Vijay Raaz, Ranvir Shorey, Gajraj Rao, Aakash Dabhade, Aryan Prajapati

Story – Nandan Kumar (Kemmu), a printing press operator stumbles upon a suitcase filled with 10 Crores in cash while returning from a late-night shift, The decision of keeping the money results in unforeseen problems like where to store the money and how to spend it. Predictably, the money has a lot of claimants ranging from the high-level minister (Gajraj) to low-level brawler and a National Geographic-obsessed Don. A cop (Shorey) bereft of any morals joins them in sniffing on the trail of the missing suitcase.

PRO

Ensemble Cast – Lootcase is a treasure trove of underrated actors in Bollywood and veterans of web series. You will be able to spot faces that you no longer see in other movies and many faces who are frequent visitors on your Youtube screen. The main attraction is the performance by the cast, Kunal Khemu, Rasika Dugal, Ranvir Shorey, and others, but the star attractions are Vijay Raaz and Gajraj Rao. Vijay Raaz delivers deadpan humor with his wildlife metaphors with such a panache that warms and amuses. Gajraj Rao brings a pleasing yet malicious tone to his character that brings out his character so well without having to show much.

Dialogues and Screenplay – The story is thoughtfully written and derives its comedy from the situation of the story rather than relying on slapstick. This is a much welcome change from the mindless slapstick comedies (Houseful, Golmaal) which are being churned out by Bollywood in the last few years. An experienced angry cop, a minister who knows how to control his puppets, an ordinary man, and a gangster who wants to take revenge, adds different flavors and perspectives to the movie. The comedy is subtle and dark sometimes. The dialogues by Kapil Sawant was hilarious, especially the ones rendered by the crook who’s a Nat Geo fan enacted by Raaz and crook politician enacted by Rao.

CON

Length/Pacing/ – Though the movie starts with a bang and hook the audience from its first scene, the length of the film begins weighing upon the plot. It starts stretching and flattening. A crisper plot and faster pace would have made Lootcase what it was aiming to be. At 2 hours and 13 minutes, it’s way too long without the able support of the lean plot. The director could either have added more meat to the plot or trimmed the fat from the existing film.

VERDICT – Though the movie may stray and stretch, the breezy tone of the movie supported ably by the actors make it a more than watchable experience. There is enough funny moment peppered across the movie which will keep you chuckling throughout its run time. This is a movie that will not tax your brain or heart but will leave you with a smile on your face.