Cuttputlli Review: Akshay Kumar’s Fourth Release In 8 Months Is A Wasted Effort
Cuttputlli, starring Akshay Kumar, is currently available on Disney+ Hotstar and is an exact replica of the 2018 film Ratsasan, down to the last scene. Has Bollywood stopped producing original content?
Movie Name: Cuttputlli
Cast: Akshay Kumar
Director:Ranjit Tewari
You know to pay close attention when two characters in a movie—a thriller, no less—discuss a hearing aid with a recording feature because that is what will make the thriller compelling. If this “clue” seems too obvious or direct, don’t blame Akshay Kumar’s Cuttputlli, which is currently available on Disney+ Hotstar. It is merely an exact replica of the 2018 film Ratsasan, which was released. This is Akshay’s second OTT giant and third South remake in recent years. Are these statistics making you wonder if Bollywood still has anything new to offer? You are not alone, though.
Arjan Sethi, played by Akshay, is a 36-year-old aspiring thriller filmmaker who reluctantly joins the Himachal Police and brings with him a solid understanding of psychopaths and serial killers. A potential serial killer suddenly appears in the sleepy town of Kasauli, kidnapping and killing teenage schoolgirls without any apparent rhyme or reason, according to the police. Of course, his superiors in the force do not consider his opinions. One piece of advice from his brother-in-law, Narinder (Chandrachur Singh): keep your head down and work, say yes, and don’t try to be a “hero.” A piece of advice that quickly becomes obsolete, and not just because Akshay Kumar stars in the movie and should take the lead role.
Akshay’s Cuttputlli is followed by Ratsasan’s flaws. A thriller’s weakest link is its contrived plot points, and both Ratsasan and Cuttputlli exhibit it. Despite this, it is generally a good watch because of how closely it adheres to the original. Ratsasan and Cuttputlli caught your attention despite their forced moments. The passages where Narinder, a senior cop himself, begs Arjan to help him find his daughter, are quickly forgotten. You convince yourself that he is acting in this way not because the movie wants to highlight Arjan’s bravery but because he is currently a distraught father. Instead, you concentrate on the horrifying murders, mutilations, and images it conjures. Ratsasan and Cuttputlli both give you enough of that.
Divya, a particularly fashionable and obstinate schoolteacher played by Rakul Preet Singh, is merely relegated to the role of Arjan’s love interest. If you haven’t seen Ratsasan, she offers a crucial clue that leads to a plot twist you didn’t see coming, but her flowing hair, sarees, and dream-sequence escapes into exotic locations for pointless dance numbers with the hero take centre stage. SHO Parmar, played by Sargun Mehta, gets to portray a fully developed character with an arc, and she performs admirably. When Hrishitaa Bhatt returns as Seema Singh, Arjan’s older sister, it takes a moment to sink in that she is actually portraying Akshay Kumar’s sister. Joshua Leclair as Christopher and Sujith Shanker as Purushottam Tomar both stand out in their brief but significant roles.
After Sooryavanshi, Akshay Kumar himself dons the police uniform once more, and he does a good job of filling it. He does seem younger, and we wonder if “de-aging,” which Aamir Khan made us aware of in Laal Singh Chaddha, had anything to do with it.
Cuttputlli is currently available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar, and it’s not bad. Would you still watch this one, though, knowing that Ratsasan is already on the market and that there are several other Hindi thrillers of this genre available, including Vikrant Massey’s Forensic and Raveena Tandon’s Aranyak? Who the killer is in Cuttputlli is less clear than the solution.
