Laila, the recent Telugu release starring Vishwak Sen, is a disappointing film with a dated plot, poor direction, and lackluster screenplay. Though the movie has some decent moments and created pre-release hype, it doesn’t have the emotional depth or engaging storytelling required to make an impact. Even though Vishwak Sen does a good job in some of the scenes, the poor direction, illogical comedy, and forgettable antagonists bring down the movie.
At a time when Telugu cinema is changing with new-age storytelling and interesting scripts, Laila fails with its traditional way of storytelling and non-originality. The movie provides nothing new to viewers who want interesting stories and good character building.
Vishwak Sen Shines in a Few Scenes, but the Script Lets Him Down
Vishwak Sen, who is renowned for his strong performances and dominating screen presence, attempts his level best to take the film up. He comes up with a few appreciable moments with his expressions, dialogue delivery, and body language. But the poor screenplay restricts his scope.
His own character is flat, so his journey cannot help but feel abstracted from us. A compelling lead role hinges on good writing, but Laila’s script doesn’t give him the depth he needs to express fully. Though he does a nice job in spots of the emotional and action moments, the whole character arc suffers from being not fully fleshed out.
Audiences of Vishwak Sen may get a couple of entertaining scenes, but the movie fails to do justice to his acting talent. The script does not give him adequate chances to make an impression, so his performance stands out as one of the only positive aspects in an otherwise unmemorable film.
Direction and Screenplay Fall Flat
One of the greatest flaws of Laila is its terrible direction. The movie does not have a vision, and therefore, the plot is disjointed and fails to capture the interest of the viewers. Good direction demands smooth storytelling, but Laila cannot achieve a smooth flow.
Scenes meant to be tense or emotionally rich instead come across as dull because of poor execution. The screenplay is disjointed and jumps between scenes without strong linking, which gives the movie a disjointed feel. The pacing is still inconsistent, with a number of extraneous scenes stretching the runtime without contributing anything of value to the narrative.
Telugu cinema has witnessed great films based on great screenplays, but Laila is not one of them. The absence of creative storytelling makes the movie predictable and boring.
An Outdated Story That Offers Nothing New
Contemporary audiences want new ideas and interesting stories, but Laila adheres to a repetitive pattern that has been employed in hundreds of Telugu movies earlier. The plot is predictable and follows a similar pattern, and it is quite simple to foresee what will come next.
A movie’s power comes from its surprise and interest factors, but Laila is not able to achieve this. The story lacks originality and depth, thus making the audience disinterested. Although some movies can still be entertaining even though they have clichéd stories, Laila lacks the right ingredients to make its story interesting.
Characters are important in a story, but Laila’s characters are weak and forgettable. The movie presents villains who have no presence and motivation, hence cannot be effective villains. A good conflict between the hero and the villain can make a movie great, but Laila disappoints in this aspect.
Fans demand well-rounded characters with compelling arcs, but the movie fails to deliver. The supporting actors are also marred by poor character development, so their appearance comes off as meaningless.
Senseless Comedy Destroys the Movie
Comedy, if done appropriately, can greatly enhance a movie. But Laila depends on humor that comes across as forced and pointless. Most comedy scenes break up the narrative rather than improving it, thus appearing incongruous.
Some of the moments will be funny to some, but most of the humor will not resonate. Good humor needs to integrate seamlessly with the story, but Laila’s attempts at humor are disconnected and arbitrary.
A poorly developed film can be still captivating through its good execution of comedy, yet Laila fails to meet this level of success. It attempts too strongly to be comic, with end results of out-of-character exaggerated scenes devoid of wit and humor.
The Beauty Parlour Setup: A Small Highlight
The most unusual aspect of Laila is the use of a beauty parlour background, which acts as the locale for many of the scenes. This gives the film some new imagery and the odd humorous sequence. Yet even though this was a possibility with this setting, the film makes little use of it.
Rather than delving into imaginative avenues in this setting, the movie remains adherent to traditional storytelling. The comic relief in the beauty parlour scenes is at best occasional, but nothing much is contributed to the plot by these scenes. A better script would have utilized this setting better, and made it a signature element of the film.
Background Music Adds Some Energy
As much as it has its shortcomings, Laila is blessed with a good background score that makes some scenes worthwhile. The music serves to create ambiance and infuses a level of intensity where required. But nice music cannot rescue a film that has a poor foundation.
Although the BGM excels in some sequences, it is not strong enough to overcome the weak writing and execution of the film. A good soundtrack can intensify emotions and action, but with a poor story, even the greatest music is wasted.
Final Verdict: A Forgettable Experience
Laila could have been a fun film with Vishwak Sen’s presence at the forefront of the cast. Still, because of its archaic script, poor direction, subpar screenplay, and ineffective comedy, the movie does not leave a lasting impact.
The film has shallow emotion, meaningful conflicts, and compelling character building that doesn’t give viewers an attachment to the film. Though Vishwak Sen is okay for parts in a good performance, the substandard script keeps him from shining so bright as he is capable.
The positives of the movie, including its background music and beauty parlour environment, fall short of reviving it to become anything else but mediocre. Unintelligible comedy, forgettable henchmen, and a stereotypical plot create Laila an uneventful movie watch.
Read Also :- Pradeep Ranganathan Journey: From Rejections to Leading in Dragon
Rating: 1.5/5
Laila has nothing unique or worthwhile to offer and thus is one of those films viewers can definitely afford to avoid. Unless you are a passionate fan of Vishwak Sen, this film is not something that needs watching in the theater.
Follow us on Instagram
