Laughing Buddha (2024) Kannada Movie Review – Lighthearted Fun or Forgettable?
I love the element of surprise, so oftentimes I don’t read the summaries of movies before I go in. Or am I just saying that because I am not a detail-oriented person, despite what I write in my resume? Whatever the reason is, I am so glad I didn't read the summary of this movie because I got quite a few fun surprises.
"Laughing Buddha," starring Pramod Shetty, is a film that follows a small-town constable whose perfect life seemingly gets turned upside down. The doctor diagnoses his wife with burnout, a viral YouTube video where he is being made fun of for being a police officer who isn’t fit. And To top it all off, due to an incident at the police station—which he had nothing to do with—he has to take a criminal home and get him to confess to his crimes. Will our constable ever get fit enough, and will he get the criminal to confess? This is what the rest of the film explores.
It may not seem like it from the summary, but this movie is a comedic drama that will keep you entertained with its many twists and turns. I promise you will be laughing from start to end, or at least getting in a few chuckles.
Let’s talk about the strength of this film, which comes from the acting. Two people really stand out. First is Premod Shetty, who plays the main character, and he does a fantastic job portraying the constable with his perfect comedic timing and adorable smile. He nails this character. The other standout is Diganth, who plays a slightly unhinged fugitive, and he’s an absolute joy to watch because we’ve never seen him portray a character quite like this. He also looks like he’s having a blast playing this role. The first shot you see of him is him sitting there with a joker-like grin, which caught me off guard because we are used to him playing a lover boy.
The weakness of this film lies in the story; it’s not really memorable. This film struggles with pacing and tonal shifts. The beginning is slow and feels like a quirky comedy, which made me think the rest of the film would follow suit, but the second half gets serious and resembles more of a buddy cop movie.
Overall, if you enjoy light-hearted comedic movies that are easy to watch with the family, or if you're a fan of Pramod Shetty, this film is worth checking out. At the very least, you will also get to see Dignath play a slightly unhinged character.
