Lost Movie Review: Yami Gautam spearheads a compassionate search of hope and aspiration

Lost movie review

National award-winning filmmaker Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (Pink, Antaheen, Anuranan) with his writers – screenplay by Shyamlal Sengupta and Ritesh Shah’s dialogues makes a subtle attack on the system and the world we are in dominated by discrimination and hate.

On the face of it – Lost is a socio-political crime thriller about the disappearance of a youth who loves theatre and in love with a working girl who hails from a small town. A powerful local politician enters the scene and thing change.

Lost touches the issue of false labelling, allegations against an innocent. The caste struggle is handled delicately and the way powerful people use their clout to spread their agenda is also highlighted but as I said in a subtle manner.

Be it ‘left’ or ‘right’ every side is handled by the core issue lead by the protagonist Vidhi Sahani (Yami Gautam Dhar).

Vidhi stays with her Nanu (Pankaj Kapur) a retired idealistic and happy man. The metaphor of the rationale educated happy Indian firm with his values and roots.

A shot from the movie were Yami Gautam is lying on her bed and Ravish Kumar’s book The Free Voice is seen – it’s a statement which is bound to find criticism from other corners.

I confess am not a big fan of Ravish Kumar but here Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury has made his point in a subtle acceptable and right way. This is how an artiste should express his views. The micro macro thing.

Those who get it fine. No doesn’t matter, the movie Lost has enough twist and turns to make the audience hooked and yes instigate them, probe them as well and that’s not quite often.

Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s to the point and free flowing narration travels through Kolkata’s narrow alleys, by lanes to give the movie a realistic feel.

The other scene that stayed was the one when Pankaj Kapur visits Rahul Khanna. Its populist in a way but the way it has come out kudos to Pankaj Kapur and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

During the climax there is a dialogue which goes like “andhere mai kisi khidki ke khulne ki ahat mujhe mili hai” (I hear a sound of the doors of a window getting opened amidst this darkness). Well done Ritesh Shah.

Performances

Yami Gautam is outstanding. She gives everything into her role. Her bonding with Pankaj Kapur is superb. Yami gets her nuances right as a granddaughter, as a feisty honest crime reporter and as a caring woman. She nails it as Viddhi Sahani.

Pankaj Kapur is a class apart. Two scenes one mentioned above and the other plus his bonding with Yami is excellent.

Rahul Khanna is suave, cool and charmingly wicked. A rare combo. Good to see him back in a movie and he is marvellous.

Tushar Pandey as Ishan is fantastic. Pia Bajpiee as Ankita leaves her mark. Neil Bhoopalam as Yami’s friend has his moments.

Flaws

I was expecting the investigation gets deeper. Yes, for me it suffered with some predictability. The ‘professor’ ‘student’ part.

Final words

Lost starring Yami Gautam Dhar has adapted herself admirably as the lead, the choice of the sensible and sensitive national award-winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury helming this compassionate search of hope and aspiration that seeks wisdom rather than sensationalism is highly recommended for the viewers who look for sense, sensibility and meaning in cinema.

Lost is streaming on ZEE5 from February 16, 2023.