Name: Looop Lapeta
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Released: 2022-02-04T00:00:00+00:00
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Tahir Raj Bhasin, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Dibyendu Bhattacharya, Rajendra Chawla

The opening scene of Looop Lapeta is a pulse-pounding sprint: Taapsee Pannu’s Savi vaults over obstacles, her face set in determination as she races against time. It’s a gripping hook, and one that sets the tone for Aakash Bhatia’s adaptation of Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run. But while the film borrows its structural DNA from the German original—three iterations of a race against the clock—the results are a mixed bag.

Bhatia’s direction is sharp, particularly in the film’s visuals. The camera work and editing are indeed visually amazing, as noted by IMDb users, with dynamic tracking shots and rapid cuts that keep the energy high. The first iteration of Savi’s quest to save her boyfriend Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin) from a mobster’s wrath is the strongest, thanks to its relentless pacing and clever use of Mumbai’s chaotic streets as both playground and obstacle course.

Pannu delivers a committed performance, her physicality a testament to her athleticism. She’s particularly compelling in the moments where Savi’s desperation turns to rage, like when she smashes a cab window with a brick or holds her father at gunpoint. Bhasin, however, is less convincing as Satya, his character often reduced to a panicked mess.

The film’s greatest strength lies in its originality—Bhatia and his team don’t just mimic Run Lola Run but infuse it with a distinct Indian flavor. The humor is subtle yet effective, from Savi’s deadpan reactions to the absurdity around her to the bumbling antics of the jewelery store owners, Appu (Manik Papneja) and Gappu (Raghav Raj Kakker). But the film falters in its attempts to balance slapstick comedy with serious violence, as Common Sense Media pointed out. The tonal whiplash is jarring, particularly in the second iteration, where a car crash is undercut by a wedding singer’s performance.

The film’s runtime also proves to be an issue. At nearly two and a half hours, Looop Lapeta overstays its welcome. The second and third iterations, while adding depth to Savi’s character and her relationship with her father (Rajendra Chawla), lack the urgency of the first. The narrative loops start to feel repetitive rather than revelatory.

That said, Looop Lapeta is a bold attempt at reinventing the wheel, and for that, it deserves credit.