Laila Review: Oh No, Laila!

BOTTOM LINE
Oh No, Laila!

RATING
1.5/5

CENSOR
A, 2h 16m

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What Is the Film About?

“Laila” is about Sonu (Vishwaksen), who runs a women’s beauty parlour that is more than just a business—it’s a sentiment tied to his mother. However, he lands in big trouble, putting both the parlour and his good name at risk. To overcome the crisis, he transforms into a woman, Laila, and the story follows how he eventually resolves his problem at a high level.

Performances

Vishwak Sen plays two different shades in Laila. One is his usual hyper-energetic role, which he pulls off effortlessly. His styling perfectly suits the character he wanted to portray. Performance-wise, it’s a cakewalk for him, as he has done similar roles before.

However, when it comes to the female character Laila, he puts in noticeable effort. At no point does it feel like he is ruining it. Unfortunately, the writing and the ideas surrounding this character fail to create an impact, making it hard to appreciate Vishwak Sen’s efforts.

The biggest issue with this character is that its design never surprises you. It is as predictable as possible, filled with clichés seen in female characters played by other heroes in the past. It’s just a rehash of those in bits and pieces, offering nothing new. This lack of originality in Laila’s character design directly affects the overall impact of the performance. Even though Vishwak has done nothing wrong, the limitations of the writing hold him back from making a mark.

Overall, while he does his job well in both roles, he ultimately won’t walk away with much credit for this film.

Akanksha Sharma plays the female lead in Laila, but the way she is presented makes it feel like she is there only to add glamour through skin show. While there’s no doubt that she does spice up the screen, the problem is that it doesn’t contribute to the film or its narrative. When that happens, no amount of skin show can be of any use.

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Analysis

Vishwak Sen’s Laila is directed by Ram Narayan, who is working with an outdated script that needed a complete revamp through fresh presentation and a lead character design that makes an impactful statement. However, the director sticks to dated ideas and poor execution throughout, leaving the film with no chance of recovery.

Surprisingly, despite having an energetic hero like Vishwak Sen and convincing him to play the female character Laila, the director fails to create a single scene or a moment that truly surprises the audience. This alone highlights how poorly the character was designed and written.

Beyond direction, the writing department is equally to blame. It feels utterly routine, outdated, or at times over the top, but never fresh or impressive.

When you make a young hero play a female character for the entire second half, and yet fail to deliver a single standout episode, it’s a major failure—especially for a film that relies on humor.

One would know when making a film like Laila that they will get an ‘A’ certificate. When you want to make a youthful film, even after receiving an ‘A,’ these filmmakers delivered work that even their target youth audience may not care much about. Where is the solid writing for them? These types of ‘A’ rated films work because they have strong writing tailored to their target audience, not just skin show from the heroine and some low-grade dialogues here and there.

It’s also surprising that a young actor like Vishwak Sen failed to recognize the weak writing and the poor execution of his own character. If a team of young filmmakers can’t identify such glaring flaws in their own project and genuinely believe they are delivering an entertaining film, it’s not just a problem for Laila—it’s a warning sign for their future films as well.

Overall, Laila is an example of wasted production resources for no reason, a once-in-a-lifetime role wasted just like that, and a big wake-up call for Vishwak.

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Performances by Others Actors

Laila has very few recognizable supporting cast members. Babloo Prithiveeraj plays an important role and delivers his usual performance. Abhimanyu Singh, who plays a comedic villain, gets almost as much screen time as the hero. He does his job well, excels in the comedy role, and suits the character. However, the character isn’t written to bring the house down. Others, like Vineet Kumar, do their part.

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Music and Other Departments?

Laila is the kind of film that requires a smashing soundtrack to elevate it from start to finish. However, despite Vishwak Sen heavily relying on music director Leon James and bringing him on board for the third time, the result is a huge disappointment. It’s not that the music is terrible, but it fails to grab minimal attention, enhance the film, or leave any impact.

Perhaps the film itself didn’t provide the right foundation for a compelling background score, but that doesn’t excuse the poor quality of the songs. Overall, Leon James completely failed to deliver even half decent work.

Richard Prasad’s cinematography is adequate. While it doesn’t look outdated or exceptionally fresh, it serves its purpose. The artwork, however, could have been better. Even small street and the beauty parlor setting feel artificial.

Editing by Sagar Dadi is problematic. At times, it’s so poor that scenes abruptly jump from one to another without any coherence.

Production values by Shine Screens are generally decent. Some songs, particularly those shot in some locations, look rich—almost to the point where it feels like unnecessary money was spent on them. But overall, the production values are good.

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Highlights?

Occasional comedy scenes

Vishwak Sen’s lady role, though not satisfying enough

Drawbacks?

Weak direction

Poor writing

Outdated comedy ideas

Forced sentiment

Zero surprises

Lack of genuine fun/comedy

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Did I Enjoy It?

No

Will You Recommend It?

No

Laila 2025 Movie Review by M9