Tamil Director Chella Ayyavu delivers a stronger sequel with ‘Gatta Kusthi 2, correcting several weaknesses from the 2022 original, reports NDTV.
The film offers more humour, better character development and a sharper emotional core. However, it loses momentum in its closing stages and falls back on the same regressive ideas that weakened the first film.
The story picks up six years after the events of ‘Gatta Kusthi’. Veera, played by Vishnuu Vishal, has undergone a complete transformation.
He now manages the household, supports his wife Keerthy’s wrestling career, looks after their daughter, Mathi Malar, and teaches aerobics to women in his neighbourhood.
Aishwarya Lekshmi returns as Keerthy, an accomplished wrestler determined to continue chasing her dreams.
The film builds its conflict around society’s rigid views on gender roles. Veera’s role as a househusband unsettles those around him. His lifestyle creates tensions with neighbours, affects his daughter’s school life and strains his relationship with his uncle Rathnam.
A jealous wrestling coach, played by Tarak Ponnappa, exploits Veera’s family concerns to derail Keerthy’s sporting ambitions, driving the story forward.
Chella Ayyavu handles the screenplay with greater confidence than in the original film. He plants several story elements early and brings them back effectively later.
The humour also feels more natural and lands more consistently. One recurring subplot involving Mathi’s love for dancing delivers one of the film’s biggest comic moments.
The sequel also addresses some of the first film’s biggest shortcomings. Keerthy finally receives the independence and importance expected of a central sporting character.
The story also examines her determination to push her own ambitions onto her daughter. At the same time, it balances that debate by stressing the importance of self-defence for young girls. Another notable improvement comes through Padma Rathnam, played by Lizzie Antony, whose character finally receives a satisfying moment of strength and resolution.
Despite those strengths, the film struggles in its final act. A courtroom sequence featuring Ramya Krishnan in a cameo marks a sharp decline in the storytelling.
The climax relies on outdated and regressive ideas that undermine much of the progress made earlier. Like its predecessor, the film once again uses women’s bodies to drive the central conflict in a way that weakens its message.
Several storylines also end without proper resolution. The film leaves the fate of the manipulative coach unclear and does not fully resolve whether Mathi will choose wrestling. Those loose ends create the impression that the makers may already have another sequel in mind.
Even so, ‘Gatta Kusthi 2’ stands above the original in most areas. Vishnuu Vishal and Aishwarya Lekshmi deliver committed performances and carry the film with conviction. The sequel entertains more consistently and fixes many earlier flaws. Yet its disappointing ending prevents it from becoming the complete success it promises for much of its running time.
