Cuttputlli ( Puppet) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language psychological crime film directed by Ranjit M. Tewari and produced by Vashu Bhagnani, Jackky Bhagnani, and Deepshikha Deshmukh under Pooja Entertainment. A remake of the 2018 Tamil film Ratsasan written and directed by Ram Kumar, it stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role with Rakul Preet Singh, Joshua LeClair, Chandrachur Singh, and Sargun Mehta in supporting roles.
The film premiered on Disney+ Hotstar on 2 September 2022 and received mixed reviews from critics.
Meanwhile, Arjan investigates the abduction of a schoolgirl, Amrita. He finds similarities between Samiksha and Amrita's case, due to the mutilations on a doll found at Amrita's house. But his attempts to convince his superior officer, SHO Gudiya Parmar, go futile. A few days later, Amrita's mutilated corpse is found. The coroner suggests that the perpetrator's modus operandi is the same as Samiksha's. Over the next few days, another hearing-impaired girl named Komal from Divya's school is abducted and killed. The search leads to Purushottam Tomar, a teacher at the new school Payal is enrolled in. Tomar is a pedophile who forces girls into irrumatio. Payal herself narrowly escapes Tomar when Arjan nabs him after getting a tip-off from another victim. While trying to get a confession from him on the spot, Arjan discharges his service firearm. Tomar admits to being a sexual predator but denies the murder charges. In a bid to escape, he holds Parmar at gunpoint, but Arjan guns down Tomar.
The same day, Payal is abducted from her birthday party at home and Arjan finds her corpse in their car trunk two days later. To make things worse, Arjan is suspended for his negligence in using his gun when arresting Tomar. Dejected and angry, Arjan unofficially investigates the case himself with the help of a few policemen, including Head Constable Mahinder Guleria. Finding an audio clip from Komal's hearing aid, he traces a piano tune back to a lady magician/pianist Agnes, who performed at all the victims' schools. Arjan informs his findings to SHO Parmar who believes him and reappoints him on the case. Arjan finds that Agnes picks her victims by randomly calling them onto the stage, then kills them within the next few days and her next target would be a girl named Aisha. He tries to warn Aisha but despite constant surveillance, she is abducted. Arjan and his team track her location and save Aisha from being murdered. Agnes escapes and goes to Divya's house, where she attacks Divya and kidnaps Iti.
Arjan tracks Agnes to a nearby abandoned building and discovers that Agnes is a man. The man reveals himself to be Christopher, the son of Agnes, who was arrested many years ago after killing a young beautiful girl similar to the other victims. Christopher reveals that he has progeria, and was bullied when he was younger. A young girl, Sofia, became friends with him when he was younger, but when he confessed his love to her, she humiliated him. Agnes invited Sofia to her home sometime later, where Agnes helped Christopher kill her. Agnes took the blame for the murder, but after she died, Christopher decided to dress up as her and continue killing other girls, as they reminded him of Sofia.
Arjan and Christopher fight, but thanks to Iti, Arjan is able to take him down. Divya comes to aid Arjan, as he and Iti walk away from Christopher's body.
The film began its first schedule on 21 August 2021 in the United Kingdom which ended in October 2021. Principal photography resumed in February 2022 at Mussoorie, and the entire film wrapped up in Dehradun on 17 February 2022.
The film was sold for home media release for a sum of ₹ 135 Crore.
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