'Laatti' hit the screens today. In this section, we are going to review the latest box-office release.
Story:
Constable Murali Krishna (Vishal) has been undergoing suspension for inflicting custodial torture on an innocent person. His wife Kavitha (Sunaina) and their kid Raju (Master Lirish Raghav) want him to reclaim his place. Soon, Murali's suspension is lifted because of a well-connected person.
By a quirk of fate, Murali ends up subjecting the son of an influential gangster to humiliation and beatings. This antagonizes the gangster, who seeks to avenge his son's insult. The rest of the film is about what happens when Murali realizes that he is being hunted by the antagonist.
Analysis:
The film largely portrays Vishal's character as an underdog who comes from an economically humble background. Since he is married, he is not seen indulging in typical dance numbers and stalking scenes. That's a relief.
But the writing is enveloped in cliches soon after the premise is staged. Something about the film says Murali's suspension was not preceded by a shattering incident. And Kavitha is a typical wife who instills hope in her hubby.
A handful of moments remind us of the recent 'RRR' idea where Ram Charan's character storms into the crowds in his intro scene. There, the elevations worked even though Charan's character doesn't speak a single word when the momentous face-off takes place. In 'Laththi', the stunts haven't been designed to give the audience a breathtaking experience.
Even when Vishal's character shows vulnerability, we don't feel much for his plight. He is seen as a changed man after reinstatement by his superiors, but the audience don't get it unless some character utters it explicitly.
The trope of a distressed girl and the 'stalking-harassment-rape' template is too boring. The victim dies while giving her testimony to the police and this must be the zillionth time such a thing has happened in our films.
The stakes are never high. Custodial torture has been glamourized to an extent. However, there is no glamourization of the same when Murali Krishna's feelings of hesitancy and guilt get the better of him. The events make better sense when an unknown element is revealed.
Vishal's acting is the rock that holds up many scenes. His character's helplessness at a crucial juncture in the pre-climax segment is touching. The negative characters are uniformly jaded. Sunaina looks the part. Prabhu plays a top cop who is on the verge of retirement.
Verdict:
'Laatti' doesn't make the best use of its core idea. The larger-than-life staging and the violent action in the second half are undone by weak execution.
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