Gatta Kusthi 2 Review: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Vishnu Vishal and Aishwarya Lekshmi return, but outdated gender politics and uneven writing drag down this Tamil family entertainer. A sequel with a few laughs, but weak writing and outdated themes hold it back. Despite a committed performance, this sequel struggles with regressive storytelling and inconsistent humour.
Rating: 2 / 5
Released: July 3, 2026
Director: Chella Ayyavu
Cast: Vishnu Vishal, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Zara, Mokksha, Karunaas, Kaali Venkat
Music: Sean Roldan
The first Gatta Kusthi was not a perfect film. But it had something worth celebrating — a female wrestler at the centre of a mainstream Tamil comedy, an actress who owned every frame, and at least an attempt to question certain old-fashioned ideas about gender. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it tried.
Gatta Kusthi 2 doesn’t try. It goes the other way.
Six years have passed since the events of the first film. Veera (Vishnu Vishal) is now a stay-at-home husband, taking care of the house and their six-year-old daughter Mathi Malar (Zara) while Keerthi (Aishwarya Lekshmi) holds down a government job and keeps winning wrestling tournaments. On paper, it sounds progressive. In practice, the film treats Veera’s role in the home as a punchline more than a genuine statement.
The conflict begins when Veera and Keerthi disagree over how to raise Mathi — who isn’t doing well at school and shows no interest in sports. One argument leads to another, a manipulative coach gets involved, and before long their marriage is falling apart. There’s also a subplot involving Mathi’s teacher Meenu (Mokksha), which exists seemingly for no reason other than to give the camera somewhere to look that isn’t the wrestling mat.
Let’s be honest about what Gatta Kusthi 2 is doing. It positions Veera as the ideal modern man — someone who cooks, cleans, supports his wife’s career, and talks about feminism. Then it spends most of its two-and-a-half-hour runtime letting him behave in ways that contradict everything he says, and the film never once holds him accountable for it.
Keerthi, meanwhile, is painted as hot-headed, career-obsessed, and in constant need of correction. Her own daughter keeps reminding her that she is nothing without Veera. Her wrestling career suffers partly because of choices Veera makes, and yet it is Keerthi who is expected to understand, forgive, and adjust. The film punishes her for being ambitious and rewards him for being naive.
The teacher subplot is particularly hard to sit through. Meenu is dressed provocatively, dances with Veera, kisses him on the cheek at a competition, and exists entirely to make Keerthi look like a jealous, unreasonable wife. These are tropes Tamil cinema had largely moved past. Seeing them back in 2026 is genuinely disappointing.
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Add to that a string of double-meaning jokes, some uncomfortable camera choices, and humour that lands poorly more often than not — and you have a film that says progressive things while doing the exact opposite.
To be fair, Gatta Kusthi 2 is not a complete disaster. Some stretches genuinely make you laugh. The extended comedy sequences land well, especially earlier in the film. The character of Mathi is written with surprising naturalism — she talks and behaves like an actual six-year-old, which is a relief. Karunaas and Kaali Venkat get a few good moments near the climax. Ramya Krishnan and Yogi Babu show up late in the film and briefly remind you what entertainment feels like.
Sean Roldan’s music is the one consistent highlight on the technical side. And Aishwarya Lekshmi, for what it’s worth, is excellent. She carries every scene she’s in with complete conviction. It’s just a shame the film doesn’t deserve her.
Gatta Kusthi 2 is the kind of sequel that makes you appreciate the original less. It has enough laughs to keep you watching but not enough honesty to justify what it’s really saying. If you are a fan of the franchise or enjoy old-school Tamil family comedy, you might still find things to enjoy here.
But if you were hoping to see Keerthi get the film she earned in 2022, this isn’t it. She wrestled her way into our hearts four years ago. This film pins her down and walks away.