Looop Lapeta review: An engaging tangle

Looop Lapeta

Hindi (Netflix)

Rating: 3/5

Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Tahir Raj Bhasin

Director: Aakash Bhatia

Savi (Taapsee Pannu) is a sprinter. Satya (Tahir Raj Bhasin) is her "useless boyfriend" who has an uncanny ability to usher in the apocalypse any time. Savi has to save Satya — by bolting through the streets of Goa. She ducks and dives, gatecrashes weddings and knocks down the mirrors of taxis that refuse her a ride.

And yes, she borrows her breathless chase from 'Run Lola Run' (1998), the German smash hit.

So you have three wacky scenarios that play out in a time loop. In all the three, Savi is trying to keep Satya away from further trouble, and possible death. Damn, Karma and Yama are great collaborators.

'Looop Lapeta' is a confusing but gripping coil. Here, Lola's fiery red gives way to Savi's subtle neon. The comedy-thriller doesn't quite go for an Indian makeover. The European influence is evident on its locales and characters.

All the dirt originates in the den of Satya's mafia boss, who asks him to run an errand — collect a bag with Rs 50 lakh. The deadline is 80 minutes, which is also the bake time of the turkey in the mobster's oven. The cash has to be home by the time the bird comes out. Bon voyage, bon appetit too, but RIP if you lose the money.

Savi is a train wreck herself but saner than her casino-addicted lover. Both have madcaps for company. Julia, the airhead bride, can't choose between moneybag Robert and kisser boy Jacob. Appu and Gappu are making grand plans to rob their jeweller father.

It takes Savi a few snorts and several dead ends to learn the moral of the spiral — even the smallest turn can make or break you. So right the wrongs as you run.

The Indian loop, with the stretched sub-plots, may not be as taut as the original but it's an engaging tangle overall.