Cuttputlli

Firstly the word Ratsasan means demon. Rakshasudu(2019) is the official Telegu second remake of Ratsasan. The word Rakshasudu also means demon. Rakshasa, Sanskrit (male) Raksasa, or (female) Raksasi, in Hindu mythology, a type of demon or goblin. Rakshasas have the power to change their shape at will and appear as animals, as monsters, or in the case of the female demons, as beautiful women.

Cuttputlli, also kathputli means puppet. There is no such word as "cuttputlli". I think the word means a puppet with cuts all over its body.

All three movies, Ratsasan, Rakshasudu and finally Cuttputlli center around a serial killer that targets young teenage girls. Thrust into the mystery is a new recruit to the police who is also an aspiring filmmaker that wants to make a movie based on a serial killer. He had also written a script and submitted it, however it was rejected. Failing to do this he takes the role of a sub-inspector with the help of his brother-in-law in order to earn a living.

He soon becomes embroiled in the murder mystery surrounding the discovered bodies of the missing teenage girls due to his imaginative mind.

The original Ratsasan was very suspenseful. The subsequent remakes are watered-down versions that will not appeal to fans of the original 2018 movie.

I found the acting mediocre and even the star-power of Akshay Kumar fails to save this film. Pointless and I don't recommend this if you've seen Ratsasan it is an unnecessary remake and just a waste of money and time.

You should also see: Article 15(2019), Netrikann (2021), Cadaver(2022).

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.

Yes as everyone has heard its an exact copy of Ratsasan. So for those who already have watched the southindian movie on youtube save your time. Though you can watch it as the dubbing was poor on youtube. Acting wise this everybody fails to leave a mark. Akshay to akshay hai.. emotional scenes me bhai lagta hai he is gonna gilggle now. One more thing is the runtime of the movie, could have been atleast 20 minutes shorter. Song was NEEDLESS. They fail to capture the beauty of mountains.. sigh! And its about time akshay considers doing roles his age. We can clearly see the greys in almost every scene. Wrinkles can be seen even after buffering.

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.

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.