Movie: Laila
Rating: 1/5
Banner: Shine Screens
Cast: Vishwaksen, Akanksha Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh, Babloo Prithiveeraj, 30 Years Prudhvi, and others
Writer: Vasudeva Murthy
Music: Leon James
DOP: Richard Prasad
Editor: Sagar Dadi
Art Director: Brahma Kadali
Producer: Sahu Garapati
Screenplay and Directed by: Ram Narayan
Release Date: Feb 14, 2025
Due to the controversy, Laila has been in the news for over a week. Vishwaksen’s films usually generate significant buzz. All these factors have fueled interest in the film.
Let’s explore its strengths and weaknesses.
Story:
Sonu (Vishwaksen) runs a beauty salon in Hyderabad’s Old City. Using his makeup skills, he transforms a dark-complexioned woman into a stunning beauty, catching the attention of Rustum (Abhimanyu Singh), a local rowdy, who falls for her and marries her. However, on their wedding night, Rustum discovers the truth and, in a rage, destroys Sonu’s salon.
To escape Rustum and local police officer Shankar (Babloo Prudhvi), Sonu uses his expertise in makeup to disguise himself as a woman and takes on the identity of Laila. Both Rustum and Shankar fall for Laila, complicating matters further. How will Sonu handle the chaos and restore his salon?
Artistes’ Performances:
Vishwaksen plays his usual on-screen persona as Sonu. While his appearance as Laila is visually impressive, his portrayal as a woman leans towards being vulgar, with dialogues that come across as tasteless.
Newcomer Akanksha’s character is poorly written, making her appear as a clueless girl. Her role primarily focuses on skin show, which she delivers generously, flaunting deep-neck outfits and a bikini-clad figure.
Abhimanyu Singh brings his signature style to the role of a comic villain, while Babloo Prithveeraj is passable as a police officer.
Technical Excellence:
The film offers little on the technical front as well. Leon James’ songs are cringe worthy. The team has completely wasted the producer’s money on gaudy sets.
Richard Prasad’s cinematography is average. Despite having both the director and another writer credited for the script, the content remains shallow and absurd.
Highlights:
Nothing
Drawback:
Regressive sequences
Lewd dialogues
Writing and direction
Awkward jokes
Outdatedness from start to end
Analysis
Whenever a male lead actor dresses as a woman in a film, it usually generates some attention and adds an interesting twist. However, Laila is probably the only film where viewers are terrified just ten minutes after seeing Vishwaksen in a woman’s attire.
While he did put in some effort to portray the role, the character’s behavior and thought process are downright offensive. Both Vishwaksen and debutant director Ram Narayan take the concept of comedy to ridiculous extremes.
Not just Vishwaksen, but the entire cast—from Abhimanyu Singh to Gullu Dada—delivers vulgar dialogue throughout the film. Expletives and obscene phrases are liberally used, barely altered for effect. The storyline is outdated, and the director’s narration is painfully tedious.
It’s baffling how the producer approved this project, and it’s even more surprising what motivated Vishwaksen to sign it.
Given that the film received an “A” certificate, one might expect some bold or “adult” content. Instead, the so-called humor reflects a regressive mindset. In the name of "youthful" entertainment, the film offers nothing but crass and cringe-worthy moments. To put it mildly, some sequences are outright atrocious.
The "interval" bang serves as a warning bell for what’s to come. From that point on, Vishwaksen’s lady getup dominates the film, spiraling into cheap, silly antics until the end.
At a time when even YouTube adult dramas appear more polished, Laila feels like a cheap 1980s masala film.
Laila falls into the category of movies that are not just dull but also absurd, vulgar, and painfully outdated. For any sane viewer, enduring this nonsense is nothing short of torture.
Bottom-line: Disgusting
