The ‘niche’ films of Vikramaditya Motwane are just what the changing face of Indian cinema needs

It was after Motwane’s Udaan that many festival films started getting more attention by the larger audience.

Motwane’s next Lootera, which was based on O Henry’s short story The Last Leaf, was a period romance that again challenged the norms of mainstream Hindi cinema whilst telling a poignant story. Even his last film Trapped was a unique story that felt plausible and engaged the audience throughout its runtime. That Vikramaditya Motwane chooses out-of-the-box stories to tell is evident from his filmography but what is also notice-worthy is that the tone he chooses for each of his films is significantly different.

Motwane extracted great performances out of Ranveer Singh and Sonakshi Sinha for Lootera.

Motwane’s films have often shown that the stories he chooses to tell aren’t those of heroes, but of characters who become the hero through the events of the storyline. Udaan’s Rohan is scared of his father, even his rebellion is limited to sneaking out of the house late at night but that is only until he finds out that his younger half-brother is getting mistreated. He rises to the occasion and becomes a hero, a saviour, when the situation demands it from him.

Even with Lootera, Ranveer’s Varun starts off as a con artist. His love story with Pakhi sees a tragic end after he flees on the wedding day but his humane nature is highlighted when he decides to take care of an ailing Pakhi. Trapped’s Shaurya (Rajkummar Rao) is no hero too. In fact, his meek personality is established in the beginning of the film itself but even he has to turn into a hero to save himself.

Rajkummar Rao starrer Trapped was a one-man show.

Through Udaan, Lootera and Trapped, we also saw that Vikramaditya Motwane is quite adept at extracting commendable performances from his actors. Rajat Barmecha is still remembered for his work in the film and it was only after Ronit Roy’s mean-father act in Udaan that his film career got a revival. When Lootera released, Ranveer Singh was known for his high energy Bittoo-like performances and watching him play a sensitive, love-struck man was quite refreshing. And in my opinion, Lootera can easily be listed as Sonakshi Sinha’s best performance till date. Rajkummar Rao has got the midas touch, but one cannot argue that Trapped was certainly one of his best works.

Bhavesh Joshi Superhero starring Harshvardhan Kapoor is a vigilante drama.

Vikramaditya Motwane’s next Bhavesh Joshi Superhero is a vigilante story and from the trailer, it looks nothing like his previous works. But if his previous films are any point of reference, one can be assured that this too, will be a refreshing experience.