Cuttputlli review: Akshay Kumar's Ratsasan remake is copy-paste minus the entertainment

2.5/5

Rookie cop Arjan Sethi (Akshay Kumar) sets out on a quest for the truth and uncovers a horrifying plot when a small town is struck by the nightmare of serial killings.

When there's a remake happening, the treatment of the same should be as good as the original. That's how many expect to go about it. However, when the course correction is not made on the makers' side, one can't expect the viewers who have watched the original to compare it to the adaptation. The same goes for Cuttputlli, which is the Hindi remake of the 2018 Tamil release, Ratsasan.

The film deals with a serial killer who brutally murders teenage schoolgirls while on their way back home from school. Just in time, Akshay Kumar as Arjan Sethi, an aspiring filmmaker, turns into a rookie cop as his film is not getting made. Within just a couple of months, Arjan is appointed as sub-inspector in the same town where serial killings are taking place. And he leaves an impressive mark on the senior officials for figuring out it's the work of a serial killer, leaving his other colleagues and a few seniors astonished, of course.

From the start, it feels like a lazy piece of work. For starters, it's a remake. There is hardly any time you will get invested in the story, although it's a whodunnit based on a serial killer. The in-between so-called comedy and romantic scenes does no good to take the story ahead. Even the basic conversations between the characters are engaging in small talk, and they are just having them until some action takes place.

The serial killer on the run doesn't even seem interesting after a point in time, and this is after watching the original film, Ratsasan. There are a few intriguing moments that can be called shots in the dark that get slightly right. Especially the climax sequence in a house, which is quite eerie, and on top of that, the villain.

But bringing the best in the end, which is already based on a popular film, does no good to Cuttputlli, as it just seems like a copy-paste from Ratsasan. Moreover, the flashback sequences also seem to be taken directly from the original and just placed in this film.

Cuttputlli is helmed by Ranjit M. Tewari, who also directed the Akshay Kumar starrer BellBottom in 2021. The screenplay is by Aseem Arora, who has made fewer efforts and did not get into any course corrections for the remake. The film, at one point in time, gets so tiresome to watch that I even checked the remaining runtime.

When it comes to performances, Akshay Kumar, who plays the lead role, nails it in keeping a straight face while investigating the case. But that's about it! The actor, who has incredible comic timing, falls flat in this film, where funny sequences aren't even necessary. However, the actor fails to strike a balance between his emotions in the film and it has been happening lately in a few of his last movies too.

On the other hand, there are two female actors in Cuttputlli, Rakul Preet Singh and Sargun Mehta. It even feels weird to mention that both the actors look quite similar in the film. If Sargun didn't have her cop uniform on, then the confusion would have gone to the next level for sure. However, with the little screen time she has, the actor is given a better role and is good to watch as a tough cop.

Rakul Preet Singh is genuinely reduced to being eye-candy in the film, and her character has very little to offer. The forced romantic angle and unwanted nok-jhoks don't even make her character memorable and interesting to watch.

Cuttputlli marks the return of two actors who have been away from the movies for quite some time now: Chandrachur Singh and Hrishitaa Bhatt. Both are seen as Akshay's family members and are decent in what they are given, barring the dialogues, which are too preachy for a modern-day talk.

From the start, Cuttputlli failed to have an intrigue, knowing that it's yet another remake, and it stands by that. The film turns out to be a snoozefest overall, despite having thrilling moments that are supposed to keep you on the edge of your seat. The villain revelation could have been something different, as the original film does leave you traumatised for a bit.

Julius Packiam gave the background score, which cannot be called his best work. So is the one romantic song, Saathiya, crooned by Nikhil D'Souza and Zahrah Khan, composed and penned by Tanishk Bagchi, which is placed right in the middle of the film. 

The cinematography by Rajeev Ravi is quite appealing as it captures the small lanes and scenic beauty of Kausali and its corresponding areas very well. But the patch editing by Chandan Arora doesn't help them much.

Cuttputlli can easily be a forgettable film, and the film being a remake is one of the biggest remakes for it.

The Akshay Kumar starrer Cuttputlli is the Hindi remake of Ratsasan, which was a sleeper hit down South. However, while adapting, the copy-paste formula fails to create an impressive mark and brings nothing new to the table. The original film has been made quite well, so Cuttputlli seems like a bland soup.