PremiumKeedaa Cola Review: Tharun Bhascker’s crime comedy is new age but passable
Keedaa Cola is director Tharun Bhascker's latest film that revolves around a soft drink. Read our review to know whether or not the movie lives up to its hype
Last Updated: 10.58 AM, Nov 14, 2023
STORY
Vastu (Chaitanya Rao) is sued by his company for an amount of ₹1 crore, in a case related to damaging office property. One day, he and his lawyer friend Lacham (Rag Mayur) spot a cockroach in a soft drink, called ‘Keedaa Cola’. They make a clever plan to sue the company and extort money from them. But when they are all set to execute it, Lacham is kidnapped by Jeevan (Jeevan Kumar) and his brother Bhakta Naidu (Tharun Bhacker). Who are Jeevan and Bhakta? Why did they kidnap Lacham? What do they have to do with ‘Keedaa Cola’? And will Vastu and Lacham manage to save themselves from this situation? All these form the plot of the film.
REVIEW
After helming the romantic comedy Pelli Choopulu and the youthful drama Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi, director Tharun Bhascker returns with K eedaa Cola. This time, he chooses a crime comedy and creates a new world altogether. His style of writing is unique and his characters are flawed and grey. Although the story is straightforward, Tharun creates a world of its own and showcases his characters in a distinctive fashion. The theme of the film is dark and its characters are serious. But despite the stark undertone, the movie manages to entertain its audiences.
The premise of Keedaa Cola is new, and it takes some time to grow on you. Once it does, the characters and their traits start to sink in and the story makes sense. But in all this, Tharun takes the entire first half to set up the story and his characters. The transition to the interval point is abrupt.
But things fall in place when the second half begins. Every character has a purpose and is showcased in a unique manner. However, one of the major drawbacks of Keedaa Cola is the lack of the ‘wow’ factor. There are fun moments but they are limited to a few one-liners.
Tharun has produced and directed Keedaa Cola and has also acted in it. While he is superb as an actor, his writing and narrative style are quite ordinary. In order to evoke fun, the proceedings are dragged for no reason. A great actor like Brahmanandam is wasted in his role. The sarcastic humor is impressive only in parts and appeals to a limited section of the audience.
Also Read: Tharun Bhascker on Keedaa Cola: I could’ve easily made Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi 2 but chose this film
Performance-wise, Tharun (as Bhakta) leads from the front and is quite amazing. His body language, dialogue delivery and comic timing are superb. Chaitanya does not have much to do and his stammering act bores the audience after a point. Rag Mayur does his bit and shines in a few scenes. Roadies fame Raghu makes his Telugu debut and is impressive as Shorts. Even though he enters late in the story, Raghu leaves his mark with his unique look and dialogue delivery.
The one who walks away with all the credit is Jeevan. The actor gets a meaty role and amazes with his performance. He is funny, has a good screen presence and also looks intimidating in some of the scenes. Keedaa Cola is made engaging by Vivek Sagar’s soulful music. He breathes life into the film with his background score, elevating even the ordinary scenes.
The production design of the film is unique, and although not much money is spent, it grabs your attention. The dialogues are witty and those written for Jeevan are hilarious. Keedaa Cola has no heroine as such, but the story still holds your attention. That said, one gets a feeling that the comedy scenes could have been handled well.
Tharun shows his brilliance in several scenes. In one scene, where he muffled cuss words with the use of songs is nicely thought out. In a way, Keedaa Cola is wacky and away from popular taste. The film challenges the conventional styles of Telugu cinema and is narrated with a unique approach.
VERDICT
While Tharun’s Pelli Choopulu was an instant charmer, his second film Ee Nagarainiki Emaindi took time to impress. The same seems to have happened with Keedaa Cola. The film stumbles in the beginning but gets its act right in the second half. If you are someone who enjoys quirky comedies, Keedaa Cola is for you!