After Haseen Dillruba, Annabelle Sethupathi and the recent Rashmi Rocket, Taapsee Pannu is OTT-bound again. Does she miss the lure of the big screen? Not really. The story, not the medium, matters to the actor. And she is confident that she has got a winner of a story in Looop Lapeta, the premiere rights of which have been bagged by Netflix. The official adaptation of the German hit, Run Lola Run (1998), Aakash Bhatia’s directorial venture sees Pannu’s Savi in a race against time as she tries to rescue her boyfriend, essayed by Tahir Raj Bhasin, from a sticky situation.

Pannu believes that Looop Lapeta, in many ways, is perfect for the OTT audience that has an appetite for radical and experimental content. “Looop Lapeta is one of the quirkiest comedies I’ve ever read or seen in Indian cinema. It’s wonderful that it’s coming on Netflix because I would love the [OTT] audience to give it a shot.”

What drew her most to the project was its unusual treatment of the subject, which makes it hard to box it into a particular genre. “This is one of those films that you watch with an open mind, ready to consume all genres at different times in the story. It’s a genre-breaker in a way. So, I am glad it is coming on [the streaming giant] because it will be presented to the audience in the right way.”

The writer-director believes that he couldn’t have asked for a better film to debut with. “There’s no way to downplay the exhilaration of making the first film, and Looop Lapeta has surpassed every bit of it. It boldly jumps genres from comedy to thriller to romance, and makes for a rollercoaster ride,” says Bhatia.

The German film, which has gone on to achieve cult status, was a taut thriller with the focus squarely on Franka Potente’s Lola. For the Hindi remake produced by Sony Pictures, Ellipsis Entertainment and Aayush Maheshwari, the director says he has given an emotional touch to the proceedings. “My approach has been to tightly hold on to the emotional core of our story and characters, while playing with style and form.”

The movie is slated to drop online early next year. Bhasin’s excitement is palpable as he says, “It marks my first venture as a romantic hero. I’m looking forward to the audience’s reaction to the quirky heist film.”