Movie: Keedaa Cola
Rating: 2.5/5
Banner: VG Sainma
Cast: Chaitanya Rao Madadi, Brahmanandam, Tharun Bhascker, Rag Mayur, Vishnu Oi, Raghu Ram, Jeevan, and others.
Writers: Pranay Koppala, Ramya Kakumanu, Shanthan Raj
Music: Vivek Sagar
DOP: AJ Aaron
Editor: Upendra Varma
Production Designer: Ashish Teja Pulala
Produced by: K. Vivek Sudhanshu, Saikrishna Gadwal, Srinivas Kaushik Nanduri, Sripad Nandiraj
Written and Directed by: Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam
Release Date: Nov 03, 2023
Tharun Bhasker's "Pelli Choopulu" received critical acclaim. Despite receiving mixed reviews for his second film, Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi, it has its own following. Tharun Bhasker established himself as an actor-director with just two films.
The trailer for his third film, a crime comedy called "Keedaa Cola," garnered attention and raised expectations.
Story:
Vasthu (Chaitanya Rao), a Tourette's syndrome sufferer who lives with his grandfather Varadaraju (Brahmanandam), has a lawyer buddy Lancham (Rag Mayur). When Varadaraju asks them to bring him a soft drink, they do so only to discover that it contains a cockroach.
Lancham determines that they can become wealthy with this bottle since he feels he can launch a lawsuit against the soft drink firm or blackmail the company.
In another strand of the plot, aspiring corporator Jeevan (Jeevan) seeks the assistance of his brother Naidu (Tharun Bhasker), who has recently returned from prison after serving a lengthy sentence. Naidu places a cockroach in a cola bottle in a plant where he works and he hopes to find it in the market and make money from the company.
How do the lives of these two disparate groups of individuals intersect? Will the company pay the money?
Artistes’ Performances:
Tharun Bhascker portrays Naidu, a criminal with a different philosophy. Tharun Bhascker is an excellent choice for this role, which he does with passion.
Brahmanandam is ok as thatha (grandfather). He doesn’t do any comedy, but his character makes a lot of sense.
Vishnu Oi (the actor who performed the primary comedic part in the recently released "Mad") and Jeevan Kumar stand out with their hilarious performances.
Chaitanya Rao as Vasthu and Rag Mayur as the lawyer are okay. Getup Sreenu in the role of movie star generates laughs. Raghu as a corporate fixer is good.
Technical Excellence:
The film is made on a limited budget. The cinematography and production design are very impressive. Vivek Sagar's background score complements the wacky tale. The dialogues are the best part of the film.
Highlights:
Couple of hilarious sequences
Witty dialogue writing
Tharun, Jeevan and Vishnu’s characters
Drawback:
Runs out of laughs after a point
Doll Simulator’s scenes
Limited appeal
Analysis
The title "Keedaa Cola" is unusual for a Telugu film because many people will not understand what it means. "Keedaa" means cockroach, and cola is synonymous with Coca-Cola. The crime comedy revolves around a cockroach-infested soft drink bottle.
Director Tharun Bhascker made it apparent from the title that the film is not like other Telugu films, and his plot and characters are radically unique for Telugu cinema.
At outset, the film may appear ludicrous to an ordinary moviegoer since it lacks a solid story, twists, and emotional resonance. It's full of amusing situations and characters who make you chuckle. In fact,
Tharun Bhascker has attempted to engage and entertain us with his wacky narrative style and the comedy offered by the quirky characters he has created. In this way, he is completely successful.
There isn't much of a plot, but the screenplay is entertaining. Individual episodes are more enjoyable than the entire film. When a wannabe corporator wants to prove his worth, the corporator makes a banner with the wannabe's photo at his groin, which is pretty hilarious.
The entire incident with Get-up Seenu is also interesting since it reminds us of how celebrities behave on set.
The entire episode of two gangs trying to broker a bargain, as well as the confusion over the words "Surrender the bottle" with "Surendhar Bottle," is a laugh riot. Then there's another episode in which Vishnu reveals his first love in a jathara, which is both inventive and funny.
Individual parts are entertaining, as previously stated, but the film as a whole fails to create much impression. By the end of the film, you have the impression that something is missing. Because this is not the typical narrative style for a crime comedy.
On the other hand, Naidu's (Tharun Bhascker) attraction to a Mannequin (a doll) is pretty odd. The film features not only wacky people, but also some weird scenarios that may not sit well with the majority of the audience. Plus, the climax sequences lack strength.
Overall, "Keedaa Cola" is a crazy comedy that takes some time to get used to its peculiar style of narration and fun, but gives some laughs along the way, even when things appear silly. It's a unique attempt. It may have a limited appeal. However, for those who like to see different attempts, this one has a fair amount of entertainment.
Bottom line: Not so cool