Review: 'Cuttputlli' is Akshay Kumar's best film of the year - but that is not a tall order to follow

Cuttputlli

In times where backlash surrounding remakes continues to be in multiple folds, the arrival of Cuttputlli seems to rather unfortunate with the timing. It doesn't help that its leading man Akshay Kumar has now delivered three back-to-back unsuccessful films. Nevertheless, here we are talking about Cuttputlli, an official remake of Tami film, Ratsasan.

I haven't seen the original and hence I went into this one with an open mind and actually a lot of expectations as well. Does it deliver, Read on to know about it-

Well-Knit Build-Up Keeping You Engaged

I did see the trailer of the original to have an idea about how much does Cuttputlli borrow and by the looks of it, 90% of it seems to be a frame-by-frame copy. In the case of a whodunit, that is actually a wise step to take. In an attempt to change things too much with the crux of the plot and suspense, the essence might be lost and that fortunately doesn't happen with the Hindi version. It carves out a well-knit build-up to proceedings always keeping you on the edge of your seat. The writers and director try their best to eradicate the loopholes (not entirely successful on it) as much to make sure you are invested and engaged in this mystery and not bothered by the logistics of it.

Select Stellar Moments & Performances

There are some stellar moments in the film in regards to how one clue dates back to an easter egg casually dropped earlier in the film and some creepy moments as well which mainly include the serial killer at loose and then the big reveal. The thrills, a few chase sequences and decent background score keep you guessing and invested throughout the film. This is further catapulted by some good performances in the form of Sujith Shanker as Purshottam Tomar, Renaye Tejani as Payal, Joshua Leclair as Christopher/Agnes and even an underplayed Divya by Rakul Preet Singh.

Loopholes, Under-utilised actors & Runtime

Needless to say, there are plenty of problems with Cuttputlli though. One of the biggest ones is the under utilisation of a fine actor like Sargun Mehta as SHO Parmar. After giving her a fabulous introduction, it seemed like her character would be one to watch but instead turns out to barely present throughout the runtime of the film. The obvious loopholes in a few scenes do not help this otherwise taut screenplay where you feel your logic being questioned. The biggest dilemma that Cuttputlli, however poses is being a mix of feeling a tad too long and at the same time, rushed in its screenplay. The developments ranging from Akshay Kumar' s Arjan Sethi being an aspiring filmmaker to training for the police, being a sub inspector, being involved in a serial killer investigation, facing a personal loss and then redemption seems extremely rushed when it comes to the storyline. The runtime is a bit taxing as well where once you know about the big reveal, the climax sequence seems like an unwanted drag.

Akshay Kumar

Now talking about leading man Akshay Kumar's performance. It somehow feels like a mixed bag right from the get go. With a few comic relief moments in the beginning to tense ones in the investigation and the emotional ones on facing a personal loss, Kumar isn't spot-on with his act. There are instances when he shines in underplaying the character and still making a great impact and then there are moments when he just doesn't impress and seems entirely out of place. What I do give kudos to the makers is for forgetting that they are presenting a SUPERSTAR as the lead here and hence there are no 'heroic' moments, entry or any such thing to appeal to Kumar's fandom. This might be a conscious call after they decided the film is going to be on a streaming service and not in theatres.

Apart from the aforementioned actors, it was a pleasant sight to see actors Chandrachur Singh and Hrishitaa Bhatt after a while and they do well with what they are provided here. 

The Verdict

In the end, Cuttputlii serves as an engaging whodunit and is indeed well-suited for streaming platform viewing. When it comes to that call, the makers have hit the bulls eye. The loopholes of the film and a select few performances along with longruntime don't entirely favor the film and hence, it might be good viewing but is definitely a mediocre mystery thriller at best.

Rating - *** (3/5)