BOTTOM LINE
Less Entertainment, More Confusion
PLATFORM
AMAZON MX PLAYER
RUNTIME
6 Episode, 3hrs 46 minutes
What Is the Film About?
Latika and Palash, siblings in Purulia, a small West Bengal town, attempt a bank robbery to prevent the loss of their ancestral home. Their plan quickly spirals out of control, attracting gangsters, police officers, and robbers. Hidden secrets from their past resurface, creating further chaos. They navigate a treacherous landscape of betrayals and altering alliances and face tricky situations.
Performances
Tanya Maniktala is undoubtedly a promising young talent in the digital space, but one wonders if she’s consistently underselling herself by picking a series of mediocre projects (how good was she in A Suitable Boy and Kill?) She’s good in Loot Kaand, but can’t salvage it from its chaotic execution. Sahil Mehta, as the on-screen sibling, is effective, reflecting his evolution with every opportunity.
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Analysis
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Loot Kaand, as the title suggests, is the drama woven around a robbery. Director Ruchir Arun and the writers create a situation where two flawed protagonists – siblings Latika and Palash – resort to a crime out of financial necessity, only to realise they’re not alone. They find themselves entangled in a web of an arms scam, a kidnap and run for their lives amidst deceitful, dangerous men.
The creators smartly use a real-time incident – Purulia arms drop (that dates back to 1995) – and tie it up to the past of a brother and a sister who’re good at heart but adopt questionable tactics to relieve themselves of a problem. While it starts well and does enough to warrant your attention till the halfway stage, it descends into chaos soon, where many subplots and characters contribute to the ambiguity.
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Latika’s backstory as a football coach, leading up to the robbery, is fascinating. She struggles to secure permission for a loan, which is ultimately linked to a harassment complaint involving a male colleague. To help a football enthusiast Soni pursue her sportive interests and find a spot in the school team, Latika conceals her gender from public light and lets her play with the boys.
Though Latika undoubtedly has a conscience and wants to do the right thing, Palash is more upfront about his intentions to use crime as a gateway to their family problems. Despite initial clashes, they mutually agree upon an idea to rob a bank and convince Soni to help their cause. Simultaneously, two robbers enter the same bank, and the situation spirals out of control.
As the show limits itself to a low-stakes crime saga, Loot Kaand remains intriguing. However, over time, it becomes too ambitious, packing in one event after the other to keep the screenplay alive and throwing a plethora of challenges at the siblings. The thread around the arms case, tracing back to Latika-Palash’s house, and the motives of the gangsters are a real mess from which the show never recovers.
The other characters apart from the protagonists – Batul, Pinaki, Burman and the cop Dhar – never really grow on you, forever fighting among one another, making it easier for Latika and Palash to find an escape route. The story isn’t about the good vs evil clash, but the battle between the greater and the lesser evils. Though the psychological conflict is compelling, the execution is devoid of clarity.
The show’s comic exterior, even as the siblings land in life-threatening situations, provides considerable relief from the crime backdrop. Though the humour and a handful of heartfelt moments keep it alive from time to time, the action sequences and chases lack the edginess to create genuine tension. Loot Kaand has smart ideas but struggles to find its rhythm and a strong purpose.
On a surface level, Loot Kaand is a timepass crime caper which only works in parts.
Performances by Others Actors
The supporting cast is not particularly strong and struggles to create an impact (in comparison to the lead actors) – the likes of Gyanendra Tripathi, Saad Bilgrami, Brij Bhushan Shukla, Akash Sinha, Ronjini Chakraborty have their moments but are undone by the sketchy characters to make any difference.
Music and Other Departments?
Rajarshi Sanyal does his best to create a colourful, lively score out of the plethora of contrasting situations in the screenplay. Though it’s generally effective, it borders on the loud in a few segments. It’s hard to complain much about the cinematography; Kumar Saurabh works around his limitations to ensure that the visual appeal doesn’t suffer. From an editing/screenwriting perspective, a better effort could’ve been made to bring seamlessness to the proceedings.
Highlights?
Partly entertaining till the halfway stage
Good performances
Tries to incorporate many elements into a crime caper
Drawbacks?
Lacks clarity after a point
Confusing screenplay
Most characters beyond the protagonists don’t work
Did I Enjoy It?
In parts
Will You Recommend It?
Only if you can tolerate a flippant crime saga
Loot Kaand Web Series Review by M9
