‘Lootere’ Episode 4 Recap: Why Did Gupta Decide To Work For Tawfiq?

Lootere episode three ended with Bilal and Vikrant coming up with an idea to obtain money from Ajay Kotwal to repay Faisal the value of the goods they lost during the container transfer. Vikran was skeptical, but he was out of ideas on how to accumulate enough money to return before he and his family were killed. 

Spoilers Ahead


What Was Bilal’s And Vikrant’s Plan Of Action?

Vikram reluctantly agreed to Bilal’s idea of funding the pirates and extending the hostage situation to force a huge amount of ransom from Ajay Kotwal. Since Faisal and Ajay Kotwal were unaware of Vikrant’s role in creating the hostage situation, both assumed it would be easy to bring the situation under control from every possible direction. Vikrant’s standing in Mogadishu was under scrutiny, and he wanted to finish the matter in Harardhere.

Vikrant joined the pirates on the ship and introduced himself as someone willing to help the crew get out of the situation. Vikrant tried to be their caretaker and friend, but the captain and his crew were unwilling to trust him after they revealed the death of Mudit. This revelation shocked Vikrant as it added to the already existing problems mounting on him. He was not willing to risk leaking this news as it would affect the port authority elections. Vikrant could not afford to lose everything because Bilal involved untrained men who’d been handed weapons. 


How Was Ruhaan Caught?

Ruhaan was hiding from the pirates in the hope of carrying out a coup that would rescue his team. He was last seen on Mudit’s death and post that he had been hiding in the ship. Since he was aware of every room on board, it was easy for him to keep himself away from the pirates who were frantically searching for him. Ruhaan’s streak was cut short when the pirates eventually caught him and he was brought back to deck. 


Did The Pregnant Woman Lose Consciousness On The Ship?

One of the crew member’s wives was pregnant, and she was safely moved to the engine room to avoid being caught by the pirates. She was having a hard time breathing because of her anxiety and worry about her husband. Aisha, the only female crew on board, was being harassed by Kooombe, with him denying her water and food. Karim Barkhad was fed up with Koombe’s tortuous treatment of the crew, and the former was the only one trying to bring some sanity to his team. Sadly, out of tension and stress, the woman began to bleed, which could be a sign of a miscarriage. She tried to get herself out of the engine room, but it seems we’ll have to wait till the next episode to find out what happens to her. 


Did Avika Leave For Harardhere?

Avika was adamant about wanting to help Jamila find her son. She used her influence to get Col. Walid to get information on who took Ismael away. The police got involved quickly on the orders of Walid and revealed that many boys, Ismael among them, were abducted by Northern Somalia men, possibly to Harardhere, the port town. Avika planned to visit Harardhere, despite being told about the town being unsafe for women. She took it as a challenge to leave Mogadishu to find Ismael. Even though she was stopped by Gupta from leaving her home, Avika found her way out to fulfill her promise to her son Aryaman and her maid Jamila. 


Why Was Gupta Sent To Mogadishu?

Gupta was sent to Mogadishu to protect Vikrant’s family from being killed or kidnapped by Faisal and his men. Vikrant predicted trouble would befall him since there was a major delay in the delivery of the guns, and assigning his man to his house was probably the only way to safeguard his family. Gupta was back home and stopped Avika from heading out of the home as per the orders given to him. Avika was not happy with the decision, but she was forced to obey him. Since he was back in the city, Gupta was also assigned to look into the progress of the port authority election and make sure everyone was in his favor. To Gupta’s shock, Tawfiq, who claimed to be on Vikrant’s side from the beginning, was chosen to be the candidate who would be fighting him. Gupta did not see this coming, and he was offered to work with Tawfiq, who could see through the amount of thankless work he was put through. Gupta rejected his offer, because he was loyal to Vikrant despite being treated badly by him. Vikrant was a selfish and cocky man, and Gupta was overwhelmed by his loyalty to him and was blinded by it. 


What Was Captain VK Singh’s Story?

Captain VK Singh on board had reached a point where he was slowly losing hope after Mudit’s death. He was losing confidence as the days went by, and could not trust Vikrant Gandhi, even though he had given them many assurances. VK Singh shared the story of another pirate hijack that occurred in the year 1998. The hijacking situation went on for a long time, and it demoralized the crew who were stuck in the ship with their captain. The captain committed suicide out of the guilt of not having found a way to rescue his team, and the very next day, Navy SEALS rescued his team. The man who died was VK Singh’s older brother, and he used this story to motivate himself to not give up. VK Singh was not willing to bow down to fate and drown himself in misery. He was hoping to stand by his team until the end of the ordeal. 


What Was Barkhad’s Ransom Demand?

Vikrant was playing the double game now. He managed to scare Ajay Kotwal about the Somalian pirates and their methods. He demanded that Ajay hear out what Somalians had to offer, or they would start losing the crew on board. Ajay could not help but follow Vikrant’s instructions as he was on the ground and was aware of the workings of the locals. 

Ajay turned out to be a useless heir to his father’s company, as he remained clueless on how to salvage the situation despite being advised by Vikrant. Even though his father got involved, Ajay hid behind his parents, hoping he would save the day. The negotiator, Ajay, and his father on board had expected to sort out the matter by offering 5 to 6 million, and this could become an easy matter to close. On board, Vikrant suggested Karim Barkhad demand 50 million in return for the cargo as well as the crew to remain alive. Barkhad was the commander, but Vikrant was the one making the decisions for him. Since Vikrant was aware Ajay would do anything to save the reputation of the company, he ordered Barkhad to demand a high amount. 

After negotiations, they might bring it down to an amount that was favorable for the pirates as well as Vikrant. This was the master plan, and Vikrant was a pro at it because of his years of experience in carrying out illegal work. The ransom demand was too high for Ajay and his father, but they had to find a way out to close the deal without causing any damage to their image or finances. 


Why Did Gupta Decide To Work For Tawfiq?

Gupta wanted to share the news of Tawfiq’s game plan with his boss. Gupta wanted Vikrant to stay in power, and just like his previous boss, who was Vikrant’s father-in-law, he wanted to make sure his employers stayed a few steps ahead of their enemies. Gupta was now aware that Tawfiq wanted to destroy Vikrant. He was possibly behind the leak of information about Vikrant’s containers. 

Gupta was worried about Tawfiq’s offer and plans and tried to share his concern, but Vikrant ended up yelling at him for not taking care of Avika, who had left Mogadishu without informing anyone. Gupta was taken aback by Vikrant’s rude behavior, and managed to kill the security person at their home out of rage. Gupta was angry at the fact that Vikrant was not willing to hear him out and at his genuine concerns regarding the elections. The people at the port authority had already changed their minds, and Tawfiq took advantage of that. Gupta would have suggested Vikrant return to Mogadishu immediately, but the rude behavior changed his plans and allegiance. 

Gupta was called a servant of Vikrant and Avika’s family, but soon he chose to partner up with Tawfiq. Tawfiq wanted someone from Vikrant’s group so he could understand his game plan, and this would give him ammunition to use against him in his bid to take control of the port authority. Tawfiq offered Gupta a partnership, which further enticed him, and he chose to join him. Gupta was humiliated and wanted to prove his mettle by joining Tawfiq. 


Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan
Smriti Kannan is a cinema enthusiast, and a part time film blogger. An ex public relations executive, films has been a major part of her life since the day she watched The Godfather – Part 1. If you ask her, cinema is reality. Cinema is an escape route. Cinema is time traveling. Cinema is entertainment. Smriti enjoys reading about cinema, she loves to know about cinema and finding out trivia of films and television shows, and from time to time indulges in fan theories.


 

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