Revisiting Sonakshi Sinha’s Best Performance In Long Lost Love Story Lootera

Even though Sonakshi Sinha’s debut movie Dabangg (2010) was a massive hit at the box office giving her the Filmfare award for Best Debut Actress for it, the Indian actor’s performance in Vikramaditya Motwane’s period drama Lootera is a cinematic gem, reminding us every birthday that she was at her best in the film. 

Motwane’s second film, after the critically acclaimed Udaan (2010) is set in the era of the 1950s against the backdrop of the Zamindari Abolition Act of independent India. The film narrates the story of a commoner posing as an archaeologist and a daughter of a Zamindar from Bengal.

Sonakshi, with Ranveer Singh in the lead roles, had a massive opening at multiplexes, collecting around 310 million rupees just on its opening day. With Amit Trivedi’s background score, Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics and Mahendra J. Shetty’s cinematography, the movie felt like a poem to many. 

Revisiting Lootera On Sonakshi Sinha Birthday

Inspired by American short story writer, O.Henry’s The Last Leaf, in the 1953 town of Manikpur, West Bengal, landlord Barun Chanda decides to watch an Odisha theatre performance or jatra with his daughter, Pakhi Roy Chaudhary. Played by Sonakshi Sinha, Pakhi is attacked by deadly asthma resulting from the excitement and chaos around her. Rushed to her room and given medication, she recuperates in time.

Sonakshi’s character was headstrong. She drove her family car alone when she bumped into a motorcycle on the road, injuring Varun Shrivastav, an archaeologist, aspiring to study the environment and landscape around the temple owned by Barun. 

While commercial cinema has an inclination toward creating a weaker protagonist, in Lootera, Sonakshi Sinha, an asthma patient, although lonely, is confident, as she lives a somewhat uneventful life in her quaint mansion of Manikpur.

Kept away from “vices,” her encounter with Varun changes her entire life. With a series of tumults and twists, two people loving each other is never enough for them to unite, resolve conflicts or know how to resolve them. The film is also a ramification of Sonakshi’s gaze. Her love is captured via gazes, beginning with an accident and leading to tragedies. Her love is like an art kept inside her gazes, nurtured by them, limiting to appear obtrusive. 

As the characters learn about their betrayals, Pakhi realises that she is a world apart from Varun. Her love silences her as we witness makeshift paintings and artistic sessions in ">Sawar Loon and beyond. Pakhi questions him about things no one asked him so far. She tests his knowledge. Her conversation and communication skills brim with fine words as she embraces her femininity.

From her experience of the first flush of love to Varun’s guilt, her character is rich in literature, art, strength and resilience. She aspires to become an author, irrespective of her father reminding her of the lack of confidence and faith she harbours. She embraces her shortcomings and recites poetry to gain proficiency in literature.

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Pakhi does not betray him although he does. She is not remorseful for letting him know how miserable she feels. Sonakshi was amazing at portraying vulnerability through Pakhi. It felt almost as if by true means of method acting, she literally put herself in Pakhi’s shoes - one might wonder, did Sonakshi too face betrayal in real life? Pakhi’s reactions and Sonakshi’s performance speak for themselves.

The views expressed are the author's own.