Gatta Kusthi (2026), finds its feet late

Gatta Kusthi (2026) is a sequel that had to be told after the success of the original. It tells the story of a house husband’s role in helping a woman succeed after she becomes a mother. The basic plot is laudable, but the film drifts into cliches of jealousy and stupidity before finding its feet near the climax. Mangoidiots gives it a Ripe, with a rider that the first half is definitely tiring.

The film opens with the couple, Veera and Keerthi, living in Coimbatore city with their lovely young daughter. Veera is now a loving husband who cooks, cleans and takes care of the household while raising the girl, while Keerthi focuses on her wrestling practice and is on her way to the national championship. People jealous of the family play dirty, and the couple fall apart. Whether they get back together and how it forms the rest of the story.

Aishwarya Lekshmi gets a good chance to show her acting chops as the wrestler in this part too, but beyond that, she has little to do. The film really belongs to Vishnu Vishal. He first impresses as the house husband, then in his fight to win his wife back. The little girl, played by Zara Zyanna, steals our hearts with her cuteness and how she shows her love for her father on screen. Lizzie Antony, who plays the hero’s aunt, gets little screen time but leaves an impression. Yogi Babu, Karunas, Munishkanth, Kaali Venkat and Karunakaran get forgettable roles. Sadly, no one manages to make us laugh even a little, and compared to the first part, this is where the sequel really struggles. Music by Sean Roldan is adequate.

Gatta Kusthi (2026) means well and gets there in the end, but a tiring first half and a shortage of laughs keep it from matching the original. Worth a watch for the family’s message and for Vishnu Vishal’s performance, just go in knowing the first half asks for patience.