Cuttputlli

Rishi Kapoor's final performance in Cuttputlli arrives as a sobering reminder of the actor's chameleonic range, even as the film itself operates as a competent but ultimately conventional thriller. Playing Arjan, a screenwriter-turned-cop haunted by his fascination with criminal psychology, Kapoor anchors the narrative with a weariness that feels earned—there's genuine pathos in watching his character navigate the chasm between creative ambition and investigative reality. Director Rahi Anil Barve, who previously helmed Natrang (a film that understood obsession with considerably more nuance), constructs a procedural framework that mostly works, building momentum through interconnected crime scenes and the mounting frustration of a protagonist fighting institutional skepticism. However, the screenplay often settles for plot mechanics over psychological depth; the serial killer mythology feels borrowed rather than freshly conceived, and the thriller's reliance on convenient clues and predictable red herrings undermines what could have been a sharper examination of obsession's corrosive nature.

Where Cuttputlli succeeds is in its commitment to regional specificity and atmospheric dread—the Himachal Pradesh setting becomes more than mere backdrop, functioning as an isolating force that amplifies Arjan's alienation. Divya Dutta brings considerable presence to her role as Divya, the schoolteacher who becomes both emotional anchor and investigative conduit, and their chemistry salva