Cuttputli

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.

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).

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.

Cuttputlli (2022) : Movie Review -

Akshay Kumar and Rakul Preet star in the Hindi remake of Ram Kumar's Tamil thriller, titled "Cuttputlli". Except for the rhyming metaphorical title, the Hindi remake of Ratsasan has nothing better than the original, nor does it try anything different. Ratsasan has a few low-grade scenes due to budget issues, or maybe it's natural or common for Kollywood films. However, the amount of thrill and suspense is more than any other modern Tamil flick. That indeed works - for Tamil audiences, of course, if not wider. The Hindi dubbed version of Ratsasan has been watched by more than 40 million people on YouTube, and by almost double that number of people through torrents, telegram, and other movie download sites. The viewership amounts to more than the number of people who saw KGF Chapter 1 and KGF Chapter 2 in cinema halls. So the basic question is, was this remake really needed? The audience for the thriller genre is always low, and then there is an OTT release which hardly has clarity in viewership. Who's gonna watch it? Those who haven't seen Ratsasan, right? How many are left, by the way? Anyway, let me clear it for you that Cuttputlli sparks lower than Ratsasan's magical, thrilling show. Does that excite you? The choice is completely yours.

Cuttputlli is about aspirant film writer and director Arjan Sethi (Akshay Kumar), who joins the police force after a string of failed filmmaking attempts. As soon as he joins the Kasauli Police Station, a serial killer goes berserk in the town, kidnapping and killing teenage girls brutally. Arjan's senior officer, Sho Parmar (Sargun Mehta), treats his filmy brain low at first, but then realises the mistake after one more brutal murder. Arjan falls in love with a schoolteacher, Divya (Rakul Preet), and continues his search for the mastermind killer. Will he be able to save the other girls? Will his smartness be enough to beat the mastermind? Find out all the answers in Cuttputlli, in case you didn't read the answer sheet already in Ratsasan.

Ram Kumar's script is loop-free, be it Ratsasan or Cuttputlli. You can't guess the killer even with that storming brain that has seen more than a hundred classic thrillers. I guess that's the fun here. But can I say the same for the screenplay? The answer is a clear No. What goes wrong is flawless momentum. In the beginning, you waste more than 15 minutes building things up. Then you have a love story running in the thriller (as if that's mandatory for every Indian film), just to link up the characters later. The idea is brilliant, but the backdrop isn't. Nonetheless, this psycho thriller thing has to have some nonsense to keep the dramatic elements alive. Cuttputlli cuts many useless scenes from Ratsasan and gives it a good trim. But it fails to add something of its own. It's just a frame-to-frame copy, with no soul and body of its own. Aseem Arora's screenplay has a few glitches, but overall it's a decent remodelling of Ratsasan.

Akshay Kumar as Arjan Sethi is neither impressive nor dull. There was nothing different to do from what Vishnu Vishal did, and therefore the comparison makes it look dim. Of course, whoever is the first always goes away with more praise, and that's what has happened with Cuttputlli too. Rakul Preet looks gorgeous in every single frame, and the cinematographer has made her look even more beautiful with close-up frames. To be frank, performance wise, there was no scope. Suzane George did look devious in Ratsasan as she had such a face and body, but here Sargun Mehta looks too gorgeous to be devious. Chandrachur Singh, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Gurpreet Ghuggi, and the child artists are decent to good in their supporting roles.

Cuttputlli looks like a very low-budget film on screen. The screen filters are bad. Even the prosthetics are visible, from eye brows to powder to every cosmetic. Didn't the editor see it? What was Ranjit Tewari doing in front of the monitor anyway? Julius Packiam's background score with no words and dance is better than Tanishk Bagchi and Dr Zeus's boring songs with lyrics and dance. Cuttputlli is badly edited and shot, just like any low budget thriller from a substandard industry. If they trimmed so many scenes from Ratsasan, why didn't they trim songs? Wasn't it a good chance to show your cinematic intelligence? Cuttputlli sounds better than Ratsasan's Hindi dubbing just because it was the original language, but Hindi-dubbed viewers won't understand this. Those who watch films in the original language with subtitles will understand the difference here. So the question remains, is Cuttputlli better than Ratsasan? Hell No! Is it as good as the original one? The answer is a clear No. Does Cuttputlli offer anything new from the original? The answer is No. Can it be watched? The answer is, it depends. Those who have seen Ratsasan should skip it for good, and those who haven't, can watch it - only to acknowledge why the original was a 'magical show'.

RATING - 5/10*