Lootere Trailer: Hansal Mehta’s Hotstar Web Series Is Based on Somalian Pirates

Lootere, a new Hotstar Specials, just got a first-look trailer as part of Disney+ Day. Disney+ Hotstar unveiled the trailer for the upcoming Rajat Kapoor-led thriller series, centred around Somalian pirates. Lootere sees father-son duo Hansal Mehta (Aligarh) and Jai Mehta reuniting to direct yet another web series — the two previously collaborated on SonyLIV’s Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. The Hotstar web series currently has no release window. Lootere is produced by Shaailesh R. Singh’s Karma Media and Entertainment (Tanu Weds Manu).

The trailer for Lootere is fashioned like a montage, cutting between shots of a stationed cargo ship and a group of armed Somalian pirates making headway towards it. Kapoor is at the centre of the action, as he notices the bandits from afar via his trusty binoculars, preparing for the inevitable conflict. There also appears to be a tale of romance and desperation in the backdrop, as we see Vivek Gomber pocketing stacks of cash and crying into a woman’s (Amruta Khanvilkar) shoulders. The new Mehta collab seems to take notes from the Tom Hanks-led Captain Phillips, which saw the lead mariners getting taken hostage by the pirates.

The rest of the Lootere trailer devolves into mayhem, as the bandits finally break into the ship and start attacking the crew members. The aforementioned Kapoor happens to be wearing a marine uniform as well, making him an instant target. That said, the action is not just limited to the sea, as we are presented with deadly car chases, bomb blasts, gunshots, and fire breakouts, all of which are somehow interconnected. There isn’t much information to go on. The father Hansal serves as a creator on Lootere, while the son Jai directs.

Reports suggest that Lootere is in fact, based on a true story, where a commercial Indian ship got hijacked off the coast of Somalia. What forms the crux of the story is the drama surrounding the crew, and how they navigate through horrific circumstances when a gun is pointed at their heads.

The series was tentatively titled Pirates (working title), and is written by Jai Mehta, Vishal Kapoor (Forensic), Suparn Varma (The Family Man), and Vaibhav Vishal (Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story). Lootere is also said to star Deepak Tijori, Chandan Roy Sanyal, and Gaurav Paswala (Hotel Mumbai).

Currently, there is no release window for Lootere, which will be available for streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.