A critic from The Times of India gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote that "Despite a few minor flaws, Laughing Buddha is a worthwhile watch for a weekend."Read at source
Laughing Buddha 2024 
Synopsis
Laughing Buddha
Laughing Buddha is a 2024 Indian Kannada-language comedy drama film written and directed by M. Bharath Raj. The film is produced by Rishab Shetty under Rishab Shetty Films banner.
- Director
- M. Bharath Raj
- Studio
- —
- Run time
- 133 min
- Language
- Kannada
Reviews
7 Indian-media reviews, grouped by reception.
Critics' consensus
Mixed
Critics' aggregate for Laughing Buddha is 60/100 from A Sharadhaa (Cinema Express) and Prathibha Joy (OTTplay).
Synthesized by AI (gpt-5-codex-omdb-enricher) from 8 source-backed reviews — verify against the linked sources.Positive 7
A Sharadhaa of Cinema Express rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Laughing Buddha is proof that it can and that even hefty topics can be approached with humour, keeping audiences entertained while reflecting on real-life challenges."Read at source
Reviewing for Deccan Herald, Sujay B.M wrote "A gentle, humorous take on obesity in the police force and added 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."Read at source
Prathibha Joy of OTTplay gave it three out of five stars and wrote, "Bharath Raj M’s film is simple fun; there’s nothing ground-breaking about it and you’ll probably figure out where it’s headed miles before you get to the finish line.Read at source
Shashiprasad SM of Times Now rated the film three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "Unlike most police stories which show them in bad light, this one focuses on the personal side with some good humour attached to it."Read at source
Sunayana Suresh of The South First gave it three-and-a-half out of five stars and wrote, "Laughing Buddha is an ideal family film, blending laughter, romance, and drama in just the right amounts."Read at source
V. of The Hindu wrote that "Laughing Buddha is more enjoyable for its empathetic take on the stressful lives of police officers than for its sub-plot involving a mysterious criminal".Read at source
Media & trailers
Verified video records attached to this title.
Details
Soundtrack
- Entha Chendane Ivalu Kapil Kapilan, Vishnu Vijay
- Belagge Belagge Vijay Prakash
Technical specs
- Run time
- 133 min
- Language
- Kannada
- Country
- IN
- Director
- M. Bharath Raj
Trivia
- Pramod Shetty gained thirty kilograms in weight to prepare for his role as Police Constable Govardhan.
- Principal photography resumed in March 2023 after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and scheduling conflicts.
- Major portions of the film were shot in Bhadravati, Karnataka, with additional scenes filmed in Bangalore and Kargal.
- The production crew transformed an old building in Bhadravati into a police station for the film.
- Rishab Shetty produced the film under his banner Rishab Shetty Films, marking his fourth production venture.
- The film's soundtrack was composed by Vishnu Vijay, marking his Kannada debut as a music director.
