'Laughing Buddha' movie review: A gentle, humorous take on obesity in the police force

While no one loves obesity, only a few bear its brunt to the fullest. For cops, soldiers and athletes, professional competence is directly dependent on their physical fitness. M Bharath Raj’s comedy does a fine job building on this thread and celebrating the common man on the silver screen.

Constable Govardhan (Pramod Shetty) is a kind-hearted glutton, whose sympathetic treatment of criminals does the job even when brute force fails. He lives a simple yet happy life with his wife (Teju Belawadi), daughter Meera and father-in-law Mohan (Sundar Raj).

A get-together of police families turns into a PR nightmare and brings public attention to their physical fitness. For Govardhan and some of his colleagues, obesity becomes graver than ever before.

The film is timely amid growing concerns about the lack of physical fitness amongst the police — largely attributed to overworking and a high-stress work environment. While the protagonist is once again a cop, it is not the stereotypical dhaam dhoom Singham cop but rather the uncle-next-door you are likely to bump into near a police station.

By realistically portraying a constable, the director highlights the daily life travails of lower-level police officials and evokes sympathy in the audience for such cops. Just like Raj B Shetty's 'Ondu Motteya Kathe', the film is noteworthy for challenging stereotypes about conditions like hairfall, obesity and so on.

However, the mystery angle in the second half introduces twists and turns that demand more drama and clarity than what the director offers. The latter half could have been more crispy with an emphasis on the plotline and one strongly feels the climax could have been built more organically.

Pramod Shetty delivers a brilliant performance and is equally riveting both as a simpleton and a glutton. His passion for food is reminiscent of Prakash Raj's food-loving character in 'Oggarane'. The film is perfectly named as Shetty personifies the image of the obese, laughter-loving laughing Buddha.

Teju Belawadi plays a doting wife and showcases her powerful acting skills even in the little scope she gets. Diganth imparts the right dosage of eccentricity that his strange role demands. A mainstream hero like Diganth playing second fiddle to Pramod Shetty, who is often just a character artiste, speaks volumes about the film's unique canvas. Sundar Raj is pleasing as an easy-going orchestra man.

Music by Vishnu Vijay is apt and provides the audience with the right vibe at different junctures. Connoisseurs of Kannada theatre are sure to relish the reuse of B V Karanth's 'Gajavadana Herambha'. The song was first used in Karanth's play 'Hayavadana' and later became a regular as play-opener in his other dramas. If you are looking for entertaining comedy with a touch of realism, don't miss 'Laughing Buddha'.