An official Hindi adaptation of the cult Tamil film Ratsasan, Cuttputlli follows the story of a writer turned cop investigating the brutal murders in the valley of Kasaul. For all those who have watched Ratsasan would know how good the story is. But to witness a screenplay of 2 hours and 15 minutes as opposed to an original screenplay of 2 hours and 50 minutes meant that this was a rushed film in every aspect of the word.

The first thing that I did notice about the drama was that the writing itself was rushed. If you have watched the original Ratsasan, you would know how organic the transition of the protagonist was from being a budding writer to a cop. There was a sense of calmness in his journey but here the mad rush is on full display quickly transitioning from a writer to a cop.

The elements of humour in the screenplay just did not work initially. While the killings did make the story interesting, the rushed screenplay assured that the treatment was that of a regular thriller. If you remember the original, there were several moments which were created with an eye on amping the tension by focusing on the ambience. There were several slow-mos wherein each character was reacting to the situation which made for a lingering tension wherein the audience was thoroughly invested. But the investment quotient here was missing as the scenes did transition from point A to point B at a mad pace.

The twists and turns are good for people who haven’t watched the original but for those who have, this becomes a predictable affair. The events leading up to the final act again are borderline laughable but the final act just takes the cake in being so rushed that the final punch is lacking. The tension which was again created in a layered setup is missing here, thereby summing up the screenplay which is haphazard and rushed. Even if this was a direct frame to frame copy, this may have worked but alas this wasn’t the case here.