Bakasura Restaurant Review: Harsha Chemudu's film has decent laughs but limited scares

Bakasura Restaurant Review: The Praveen and Harsha Chemudu horror comedy entertains in bits and pieces. It has a good setup but a weak payoff. Read on to learn more.

Bakasura Restaurant movie review

Bakasura Restaurant Story

Paramesh (Praveen) is a techie who dreams of launching his eatery. With his plan failing miserably, he and his friends start creating spooky content for YouTube. While filming at a haunted house, they stumble upon a manuscript and perform a ritual, hoping it will bring them fortune. As soon as they do this, bizarre incidents begin to unfold, pushing the gang into a frenzy. The rest of the tale explores how the friends handle this crazy situation.

Bakasura Restaurant Review

Bakasura Restaurant has been directed by SJ Shiva, and he pens a fun horror comedy with an interesting backdrop. The way he starts the story—introducing the hero, his friends, and their issues —looks interesting. How the key conflict point is introduced also works well, though the story is predictable.

Once the setup is done and a few spooky scenes are established, the story tends to become slow. One of the best scenes in the film is where the main lead interacts with the ghosts. This angle feels fresh and has been executed quite well in the narrative

However, there are many repetitive scenes in the film that seem created just for the sake of it. They not only bore the audience but also dragged the proceedings unnecessarily. In trying to balance horror and comedy, director Shiva loses grip on the narrative, and neither aspect makes a strong impact.

Bakasura Restaurant has comedy here and there. When it tries to be funny, it succeeds, but when it tries to scare, it falls flat. The writing is also weak in places and inconsistent, as the character of Harsha Chemudu is not properly established. The way his flashback is narrated leaves much to be desired.

The story is predictable, and the second half plays out routinely and flatly. Had the makers added a few serious thrills during this time, the output would have been more effective. Yet another drawback is that the heroines have nothing significant to do in the narrative.

Also, the comedy is loud and often repetitive. There is no seriousness in the proceedings, as the characters are handled with an ineffective screenplay. Had Bakasura Restaurant been an out-and-out comedy, it would have worked much better. But that doesn’t happen—the jokes land, but the rest of the emotions don’t hit the mark.

Coming to the performances, Praveen plays the main lead and returns in a key role after a long gap. He tries hard to salvage the film with a sincere performance. Harsha Chemudu is good in his role and evokes a few laughs.

Krishna Bhagavan, the seasoned comedian, delivers solid one-liners and is very good. It is nice to see him in a key role after a long break. Vivek Dandu and Shining Phani are also very good in their roles. The rest of the cast performs decently in their respective parts.

Vikas Badisa has composed the music, which is good, and his background score is even better, elevating the otherwise dull thrills to an extent. Bala Saraswathy handles the visuals, and his work on the horror scenes is quite good.

The production design is neat, but the VFX should have been better. Horror comedies are a staple of Telugu cinema, and Bakasura Restaurant is yet another addition to the list. While the first half offers plenty of thrills, the latter part loses its grip as the scenes drag on unnecessarily.

Bakasura Restaurant Verdict:

On the whole, Bakasura Restaurant is a horror comedy that works in parts. It starts on a very interesting note and has good comedy. But when the emotions and thrills need to peak, it slows down. All those who enjoy loud and fun horror comedies can give the film a shot for its laughable thrills.

Also Read: Mayasabha Review: Deva Katta's series is controversial, compelling & unmissable

FAQs

Q. Who directed Bakasura Restaurant?

A. The horror comedy has been directed by SJ Surya.

Q. Who are the main leads in Bakasura Restaurant?

A. The film has Harsha Chemudu and Praveen in key roles.

Q. When is Bakasura Restaurant releasing in theaters?

A. The horror comedy releases on August 8, 2025.

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