Cuttputlli

Cuttputlli is the official remake of the Tamil film, Ratsasan (2018). The story is intriguing and has all the trappings of a thriller. Aseem Arrora and Tushar Trivedi's screenplay is gripping for most part. The writers have peppered the script with some fine thrilling and even light-hearted moments. Aseem Arrora's dialogues are conversational and have several humorous scenes.

It is the story of a cop trying to catch a serial killer. Arjan Sethi (Akshay Kumar), has passionately researched about serial killers and he wants to make a film on this topic. He approaches several Punjabi filmmakers in Chandigarh. However, all of them decline his idea and instead, advise him to make a comedy. He then goes to Kasuali to meet his sister Seema (Hrishitaa Bhatt), brother-in-law Narinder Singh (Chandrachur Singh) and niece Payal (Renaye Tejani) on Raksha Bandhan. Narinder is a cop and he insists that Arjan should give up his filmmaking dreams and join the police force.

Later on he becomes a Sub-Inspector and joins a police station where the SHO is Gudiya Parmar (Sargun Mehta). A few days later, the cops get the information that a schoolgirl named Amrita Rana (Saina Anarose) has gone missing. She was presumably abducted from outside her house. The killer leaves behind a gift box which has the mutilated head of a doll. Arjan realizes that the way the doll's head is mutilated is very similar to how the face of a girl named Samiksha Bharti was mutilated. This girl was found murdered in Parwanoo and Arjan had gathered information about her out of habit. He tells SHO Parmar that the Parwanoo schoolgirl killer has kidnapped Amrita. Parmar dismisses his theory.

Ranjit M Tewari's direction is fair, at least till the pre-climax. He manages to captivate the audience with his execution. The manner in which Arjan tries to get close to the killer and the investigation process make for a great watch. A few scenes stand out like Divya's entry, SHO Parmar admonishing Arjan, and Arjan nabbing Purshottam Tomar. The scene where Payal goes missing is chilling and the same goes for the scene where Arjan opens the trunk of his car. The sequence where Arjan, Parmar, and others follow Ayesha Khan (Divvya Wadhwa) to catch the killer red-handed is quite nail-biting. Sadly, from here on, the film falls.

The revelation of the killer doesn't come as a surprise, unlike in the original film. Also, in the original film, the backstory of the murder was established and the cat-and-mouth chase between the cop and the villain went on for sometime, which added to the fear factor. Here, the finale is very hurried. The way the killer's flashback is executed is very childish. The other major problem is that in many scenes, the United Kingdom has been passed on as Himachal Pradesh, and it doesn't work. Thanks to the different topography and architecture of the buildings, one can easily make out the difference.

Speaking of performances, Akshay Kumar tries its best and plays his part quite well. He shines in a few scenes like the scene where he has an outburst and where he catches the Maths teacher red-handed. Rakul Preet Singh looks stunning and is fine. Sadly, her character doesn't have much to do. Sargun Mehta puts up a confident act. Chandrachur Singh leaves a mark but disappears after a point. The same goes for Hrishitaa Bhatt. Renaye Tejani, Seher Bhowmik (Iti; Divya's niece) and Divvya Wadhwa are fair. Sujith Shanker plays the part with aplomb. Joshua Leclair (Christopher), Suhani Dhanki (RJ Roshni), Saina Anarose and Laaibah Ali are passable.

There is only one song in the film, "Saathiya", and it's forgettable. Julius Packiam's background score is very bad. Rajeev Ravi's cinematography is breathtaking and captures the locales of the UK and Himachal Pradesh beautifully. Amit Ray and Subrata Chakraborty's production design is rich. Rushi Sharma and Manoshi Nath's costumes are appealing, especially the ones worn by Rakul. Parvez Shaikh's action is realistic. Famulus Media and Entertainment, Number9 VFX, Aisolve and Redefine's VFX is appropriate. Chandan Arora's editing is too quick in the last act.

Overall, Cuttputlli is a decent watch except the final act, all thanks to Akshay Kumar and his performance.

It's sheer bad luck for Akshay Kumar that they choose classic like this for straight away OTT release. For a fan of thriller movies the plot may seem predictable, but then it is the authenticity in the narrative of the sequential events that will keep your interest in this movie alive till the very end.

Usually Bollywood thriller's are more focused on a happier than the real life narrative and a saviour supercop but the simplicity of all the lead characters in this classic makes it more relatable and hence a memorable experience.

It was also good to see Chandrachur Singh back on the screen after such a long time and he manages to display his now polished acting skill in a limited role.

Considering the plot, Rakul Preet aptly justifies her screen time.

Cuttputtli (puppet) is a fine piece of work that is being shrugged of by few due to comparison with other relatable stuffs.

Before starting, I would like to clarify that I haven't watched Ratsasan yet so I'm judging this as a stand-alone film and not as a remake.

Now, coming to the film, my expectations weren't too high from Akshay Kumar's 4th release of the year since all the other 3 have been absolute duds. Surprisingly though, the film did manage to keep me hooked. The storyline is engaging, the performances are good, Akshay Kumar doesn't deliver anything special but he does a good enough job, the same can be said for the rest of the cast, decent, but not pathbreaking.

The screenplay is a bit too fast at first but settles down after the first few minutes until Akshay Kumar & Rakul Preet Singh break into a horribly tragic song called 'Saathiya' that has no place in a film like this. It made me wonder why on earth was it even made? Specially when they were gonna release it on hotstar? Like, just let us stay invested in the case no?

Putting that aside, the film is gripping and had me curious to know who the killer actually was and for a suspense thriller, I think that's good enough.

I have just two complaints though, 1) the BGM. It didn't have any impact at all, average at best which kinda hinders the film & 2) A RUSHED CLIMAX (which has been a feature of recent AK films tbh), would've loved to see a more detailed origin of the killer, it seemed odd to just end the film like that after so much of building up. A lukewarm ending I must say but an above average film nonetheless.

Last Word : Cuttputli is a one time watch for those who haven't watched Ratsasan. It's nothing special but it's a fairly decent watch for the weekend.

Simple fact - don't remake a thriller/whodunnit! Especially of widely acclaimed movies like Ratsasan. Two months ago, we had a similar situation with the Rajkummar Rao starrer HIT. Cuttputtli follows the same pattern by adopting the original scene by scene with no ingenuity whatsoever (except the massive cut).

Ratsasan's plot shifts to the scenic Himachal, where newly inducted SI Arjan (Akshay) has to hunt down a serial killer, who is targeting teenage girls.

The biggest issue with Cuttputtli is the timing. Dumped on OTT, just two weeks after Akshay Kumar's last release seems to convey how the expectations from the actor has dropped. The other one is obviously the rushed climax that destroys the movie. The antagonist is reduced to a two-dimensional (rather one) caricature of a character. The backstory is reduced to a 10 second montage (pathetic!).

Akshay Kumar doesn't seem like the right guy for this role. This could have done by a newcomer instead. At least it would have given them a good launchpad. The other actors don't matter here because they don't have to do much. Chandrachur SIngh's presence is welcoming though. His renaissance has been one of the better ones the industry has seen.

Cuttputtli is a miserable attempt at remaking a film. Akshay Kumar's choices are akin to those of Mohanlal or maybe he just has a lot of free time on his hands to do five films a year. Whatever it is, I have almost lost faith.

This is a text book example on how to mess a classic film like "Ratsasan". Akshay Kumar's character lacks the timidness that was displayed by Vishnu Vishal's (Arun Kumar). His emotional scenes too, come across as feeble. Rakul Preet Singh is a pretty sight on screen as Arjan's ladylove. However, there isn't much for her to explore in her latest role. After Sushmita Sen's Aarya, Chandrachur Singh makes another on-screen appearance in Cuttputlli which is effective in parts and pieces.

THE VERDICT : The film "Cuttputlli" too had the potential to be a thrilling watch. Instead, Ranjit M Tewari & Co, deliver a gift box which contains a bland remake that barely sends a shiver down the spine.