Laila Review

Vishwak Sen's latest movie Laila has generated a lot of buzz especially because the actor takes on a female getup for the first time. While the film's trailer and songs created some excitement, controversies surrounding the movie attracted even more attention. But does the film live up to expectations? Let’s find out.

Story

Set in Hyderabad’s Old City, Laila follows story of Sonu (Vishwak Sen) who is a talented makeup artist who owns a beauty salon. Women admire his skills but their husbands start to dislike him. One day, a woman claims to be the wife of SI Shankar (Bablu Prithviraj) and demands free makeup. When Sonu calls the real wife, a public argument ensues embarrassing the police officer. Meanwhile Rustum (Abhimanyu Singh), a local strongman wants his wife to look like a film star. He finds a bride (Kamakshi Bhaskarla) but is furious when he sees her real face without makeup. Enraged, he sends his men to attack Sonu’s salon. To make matters worse, Sonu also gets caught in an illegal oil case. With danger coming from all sides, Sonu disguises himself as ‘Laila’ to escape trouble. The rest of the movie follows how he deals with these issues and whether he finds love with Jenny (Aakanksha Sharma).

Analysis

Vishwak Sen plays two roles—Sonu and Laila. While his energy as Sonu is decent, his portrayal of Laila is unconvincing. Abhimanyu Singh, as the antagonist Rustum, delivers a solid performance and has more impact than the hero. Sunishith also has a good presence, but his role doesn’t add much to the film. Aakanksha Sharma doesn’t have much to do besides looking glamorous. She even appears in a bikini in a song, which seems unnecessary. Other actors like Bablu Prithviraj and 30 Years Prithviraj deliver standard performances. Kamakshi Bhaskarla’s role is different but her impact is limited.

The music by Leon James is forgettable with no memorable songs. Even the background score fails to add excitement. Richard Prasad’s cinematography is decent, capturing the city’s vibe well. The production values are fine with rich locations and well-designed sets. The dialogues often contain double meanings which might not appeal to all audiences.

The film is directed by Ram Narayan who takes a unique approach by making the hero dress as a woman. However storyline lacks freshness. The first half has routine comedy scenes and while the second half tries to add some drama, it doesn’t hold much interest. The biggest issue is that Vishwak Sen’s female getup doesn’t suit him making it hard to take his character seriously. The film leans heavily on exaggerated comedy and suggestive dialogues but they fail to entertain. The romantic subplot between Vishwak Sen and Akanksha Sharma lacks emotional depth and feels forced. Unnecessary fight scenes and songs make the narrative feel stretched. The attempt to use Hyderabad’s Old City slang for comedic effect doesn’t work well making the film more tiresome than engaging.

Verdict

Laila relies too much on Vishwak Sen’s female getup but that alone isn’t enough to entertain. The weak story, lack of originality and forced comedy make the movie a tiresome watch. If you expect a fun-filled commercial entertainer, this one might not be worth your time.