Laila is a Telugu action comedy drama film directed by Ram Narayan, released in theaters on February 14, 2025. Produced by Sahu Garapati under the banner Shine Screens, the film stars Vishwak Sen, Akanksha Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh, Bablu Prithviraj, and Kamakshi Bhaskar in the lead roles. The film, with a script written by Vasudeva Murthy, music by Leon James, and cinematography by Richard Prasad, created hype as Vishwak Sen's first film as a female lead. However, before its release, actor Prithvi's controversial comments at a pre-release event and the hashtag 'Boycott Laila' created a stir on social media, but the film was released. With a runtime of 2 hours and 16 minutes, has this movie, which has received an ‘A’ certificate, been able to entertain the Telugu audience? Let’s see my feelings, highlights, and shortcomings in this review
What’s in the story?
Sonu, a model (Vishwak Sen), runs a beauty parlor in Hyderabad’s Old City and is a favorite of the local women with his makeup magic. He takes care of this parlor, which was given to him by his mother Seetha, with adoration. One day, Sonu gives two lakhs to the cooking oil business run by Nagaraj, the husband of his client Jyoti (Sunaina Badam), and allows the oil brand to use his photo. However, when the oil is found to be adulterated, 100 people fall ill at a wedding, including an MLA. This puts Sonu in trouble.
Local gangster Rustum (Abhimanyu Singh) and his family, being Chiranjeevi fans, marry Sundari (Kamakshi Bhaskarla), who has been transformed into a beautiful woman with Sonu's makeup. However, when Sundari removes her makeup, Rustum's family is shocked to see that her skin is dark and they destroy Sonu's parlor. Meanwhile, Sonu becomes an enemy of local SI Shankar (Bablu Prithviraj) after he exposes his outside affair. To escape from this trouble, Sonu transforms into Laila in a female getup. How does Rustum deal with Shankar as Laila after this transformation? What happened to his love track Jenny (Akanksha Sharma)? The story is.
My Feelings: Bold Try, But Big Flop!
When I watched the trailer, I thought, “Wow, this movie is going to be a fun ride like Bhalare Vichitra!” with Vishwak Sen’s lady getup, comedy, and action mix. But, within 15 minutes of the movie starting, the story became flat, the dialogues cringe, and the humor seemed cheap. As one user wrote on X, “Clueless film, everything from writing to direction fails!” I agree with the sentiment. Although Vishwak’s Laila getup in the second half brought a smile to my face, some comedy scenes (especially with Abhimanyu Singh) could not save the movie. The lack of emotional core in the story, retrogressive humor (skin color, body shaming jokes), and outdated narrative turned the movie into a disaster. I don’t understand why Vishwak, who gave hits like Gami and Hit, chose this script!
Technical aspects, acting
Technically, Laila is disappointing. Richard Prasad's cinematography is average, failing to capture the old city setting in an impressive way. Leon James' music and background score are okay but nowhere memorable. The songs are a minus for the film, and it seems like Akanksha Sharma was used for glamour on screen. Sagar Dadi's editing is shaky and the scenes seem draggy. Brahma Kadali's art work sets look artificial.
In acting, Vishwak Sen (Sonu/Laila) impresses with his energy and bold try. His body language in Laila's getup and feminine expressions in some scenes are decent, but the script is weak and the full impact is not made. As a fan wrote in X, "Vishwak's performance had a chance to save, but the writing let it down!" Abhimanyu Singh (Rustom) in his comic villain role made me laugh in a few scenes, especially with Laila. Akanksha Sharma's (Jenny) character is purely for glamour, there is no depth in the story. Bablu Prithviraj, Sunaina Badam and other supporting characters are underdeveloped and lack impact.
Likes, Dislikes
Likes:
Vishwak's performance: Vishwak's energy and bold tryout in the roles of Sonu and Laila are the highlight.
Abhimanyu Singh's comedy: His love track and Chiranjeevi references in the role of Rustom brought a few smiles.
Beauty parlor setup: Sonu's parlor concept seemed novel, but not developed.
Dislikes:
Outdated story: Routine comedy from the 2000s, lack of emotional core, weak screenplay.
Cross humor: Skin color, body shaming, objectification of women, vulgar dialogues are retrogressive.
Weak writing: Lack of strong reason to become Laila, predictable plot, cringe scenes.
Dull music, editing: Leon James songs, flat score, draggy editing.
Underdeveloped characters: Akanksha, lack of depth in supporting roles.
Who can watch it?
Laila is a time watch worth trying for Vishwak Sen fans, those who like crossdressing comedies like Chitra Bhalare Vichitra and Madam. With an ‘A’ certificate, there are adult dialogues, double meaning humor, and mild violence, so it can be enjoyed with the youth and single boys group. However, this movie will disappoint Vishwak fans and family audiences who are expecting quality content like Gami and Ashoka Vanamlo Arjuna Kalyanam. Reviews tagged “Disaster Laila” on social media and box office collections (loss of Rs 6 crore) confirmed the film’s failure. It is available on Amazon Prime in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada dubbing, but this cheap comedy may not appeal to the Telugu audience who likes high-energy entertainers like Pushpa 2 and Matka.
Rating: 2/5
Laila, though Vishwak Sen’s bold try and Abhimanyu Singh’s comedy made us laugh at some moments, turned out to be a disaster with an outdated story, crass humor, weak writing, and poor execution. Ram Narayan’s direction, Leon James’ music, and supporting characters failed to make an impact anywhere. It is shocking that a talented actor like Vishwak Sen chose this script! Better to skip it in theaters or on OTT. Let's hope Vishwak comes back with strong content for the fans of Mas Ka Das!
Release Date: February 14, 2025 (Theaters), March 9, 2025 (Amazon Prime Video)
Streaming: Amazon Prime Video
Director: Ram Narayan
Writer: Vasudeva Murthy
Cast: Vishwak Sen, Akanksha Sharma, Abhimanyu Singh, Bablu Prithviraj, Kamakshi Bhaskarla
Rating: A (Adult Dialogues, Double Meaning Humor, Mild Violence)