Kunal Kemmu on a promotional poster (courtesy disneyplushotstarvip)
Discard: Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal, Ranvir Shorey, Gajraj Rao, Vijay Raaz
Director: Rajesh krishnan
Evaluation: 2.5 stars (out of 5)
The actors – we mean all the actors, including the tertiary actors – seem to be having fun Lootcase, directed by debutant Rajesh Krishnan, but the film, despite its early potential, turns out to be a missed opportunity. Streaming now on Disney Hotstar, the crime of crime begins on a firm and encouraging basis, stays on track for about an hour or so, then loses speed and weaves its way down a bumpy, uninspiring lane from where it is. there is no escape.
The hero of Lootcase, Nandan Kumar (Kunal Kemmu), a blue collar worker, is the quintessential ordinary man caught between his limited means and his unlimited needs. The demands of his son Aayush (Aryan Prajapati) never stop and his wife Lata (Rasika Dugal) has to reckon with running a house that is always lacking in supplies.
On his way home from work one evening, the worried Nandan sees his life take a dramatic turn – he thinks it’s for the best, turns out not to be. He comes across a bright red wheeled bag full of wads of 2000 rupee bills. Thrown away early, he decides to keep the bag – and all the problems that come with it.
Unbeknownst to him, the suitcase belongs to a manipulative politician, Patil (Gajraj Rao), and is destined for the address of another evil politician. Before landing in front of a public urinal on a street called Pipe Road, he was entrusted to two little gangsters who owe a debt to the first politician and are forced to race the risky race for him.
Lootcase Film review: Kunal Kemmu in a still image (courtesy Instagram)
A big bust-up disturbs the ground. The criminal smugglers are chased away by the henchmen of a mafia don Bala Rathod (Vijay Raaz), a shootout ensues and the cops arrive. In the melee, the suitcase is thrown by the side of the road – that’s where our Everyman finds.
Nandan takes the suitcase home – which is located in a lower-middle-class Mumbai chawl – and even invents a name for it, Anand Petikar, in the sincere hope that from now on his life will be one endless ride. . But he has to hide the hiding place from his wife, who despite continued family deprivation and her constant pet peeve that her husband gives too much of his hard-earned money to his older sister (a character we never see but hear about often). .), abhors dishonesty of any kind.
At first glance, money makes life infinitely easier for Nandan. He can now keep his stubborn son Aayush happy by providing him with material gifts, shopping mall visits, and sumptuous Chinese meals. His wife also has no reason to complain, although she has no idea why their life has started to improve.
One part of the story centers around Nandan’s attempts to keep the suitcase and its contents secret, the other revolves around the politician’s attempts to recover his lost money. Both report a certain comicity, but the first gets lost in the field of domestic conflicts without really finding the ideal point. The game, as has already been pointed out, is top notch. The writing is patchy, funny in some parts, not so effective in others.
Lootcase Film Review: Kunal Kemmu, Rasika Dugal in a still image (courtesy Instagram)
Getting back to the plot, the politician deploys rogue cop Madhav Kolte (Ranvir Shorey) to locate the missing suitcase by hook or con artist. With the policeman jumping into the fray, it’s only a matter of time before Nandan’s stroke of luck turns into a grindstone around his neck.
Bala Rathod, played with the usual aplomb of Vijay Raaz, is as fun a character you’ll ever meet in an action comedy. He would have achieved miracles in a more inspired film. Even here, Raaz manages to make the man do minor wonders.
Bala draws his inspiration from the world of animals, which he obsessively observes on Nat Geo. It’s a jungle out there, he says of the Mumbai underworld where he lives, and nothing makes more sense than learning survival tips from the creatures of nature.
He insists that his two clumsy henchmen, Rajan (Nnilesh Divekar) and Graduate (Aakash Dabade), subscribe to the channel and keep abreast of the valuable wildlife knowledge it broadcasts. Their delay in doing it endless Bala Rathod incense. But that’s not at the heart of the story.
The desperation of Patil, who is transformed into a delightfully vivid figure by Gajraj Rao, is. And the same goes for the crooked Kolte, who operates in an abandoned bookstore but is not remotely interested in the treasure stored there. With such quirks on the loose, you’d expect Lootcase to turn into a foolish and senseless chase. No chance.
It becomes a wild ride in the final, but the initial sense of purpose – grounded in the clash between Nandan’s innocent optimism and the ruthless cynicism of the underworld – wears off as the storyline searches in vain for gags that could pull off. the best of the promise. of the premise.
The film fails. Actors don’t. Kemmu, as a well-meaning common man who succumbs to greed and gets confused, can be told as a man next door. Rasika Dugal is impeccable as a flawless housewife who constantly harangues her husband for not bringing home enough dough.
The top three supporting actors – Vijay Raaz, Gajraj Rao, and Ranvir Shorey – are an absolute hoot. Lootcase pass the rally while one of them is onscreen. They have supreme control because they give the film a sparkle that the screenplay cannot fully capitalize on.
Lootcase, as it must be obvious to anyone who has come this far in criticism, is a film that does not fully deserve the assemblage of good actors it has. But to simply put Vijay Raaz and Gajraj Rao in the same frame, he deserves one more star – half each for the two actors – than he otherwise would have.
