‘Gatta Kusthi 2’ movie review: Double the fun, same old pitfalls
When director Chella Ayyavu’sGatta Kusthi released in 2022, it turned out to be quite a successful fixture for both Vishnuu Vishal and Aishwarya Lekshmi, becoming
When director Chella Ayyavu’sGatta Kusthi released in 2022, it turned out to be quite a successful fixture for both Vishnuu Vishal and Aishwarya Lekshmi, becoming a hit that furthered its momentum on post-theatrical streaming. However, I must confess that I was amongst the minority of audiences who despised much of the film vehemently — sure it had pockets of fun and a quirky onliner, however, at the end of the day, it was a highly regressive one-trick-wonder masquerading as a progressive film standing up for women. So you must imagine the kind of expectations I would have set for the sequel, releasing four years later. However, I am to report with surprise thatGatta Kusthi 2 not only betters its predecessor but also comes close — just about — to redeeming the problems in the first film. Six years after the events of the first film, Veera (Vishnuu) is no longer the poster boy of patriarchy that he was — and director Chella pushes him to the other extreme for cinematic purposes. Veera is now a docile househusband who accompanies his wrestler wife, Keerthy (Aishwarya), to her matches with refreshments in hand, takes care of their school-going child, Mathi Malar (Zara Zyanna), and teaches aerobics to housewives in his neighbourhood.
Gender roles are so rigidly affixed in this world, as in ours, that the film looks at Veera’s identity as a househusband through a heightened lens — it threatens the manhood of the husbands of his neighbours, causes troubles in Mathi’s classroom, has spoiled his relationship with his uncle Rathnam (Karunaas), and ends up playing a central role in the conflict that arises between him and his wife. A manipulative wrestling coach (Tarak Ponnappa), jealous of Keerthy’s success, uses Veera’s domestic worries to dismantle Keerthy’s wrestling dreams, setting off the story of Gatta Kusthi 2. How everything fits seamlessly in the narrative is what captures one’s attention. In the first instalment, there’s a setup surrounding a video clip that Veera’s friend Sattam (Kaali Venkat) would have shot of Veera before the wedding. Similarly, many details in Gatta Kusthi 2 find a suitable situation for a pay-off — the most playful of which is Mathi’s affinity for dancing, which recurs in a scene that left the hall in splits. One can even say that the humour in the sequel worked far better than in the first feature. Gatta Kusthi 2 (Tamil) Director: Chella Ayyavu Cast: Vishnuu Vishal, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Runtime: 154 minutes Storyline: As Veera embraces life as a stay-at-home husband, a manipulative wrestling coach drives a wedge between him and his champion wife, threatening both their marriage and her career Chella Ayyavu also fixes two key blots in his material.
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