Keedaa Cola is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language crime comedy film written and directed by Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam. The film stars Tharun Bhascker, Chaitanya Rao, Rag Mayur, Jeevan Kumar, Vishnu Oi, Ravindra Vijay, Raghu Ram, and legendary comedian actor Brahmanandam in significant roles. The music is composed by Vivek Sagar and the film is produced by K. Vivek Sudhanshu, Saikrishna Gadwal, Srinivas Kaushik Nanduri, Sripad Nandiraj & Upendra Varma under VG Sainma banner. The film is presented by hero Rana Daggubati and is being distributed by Suresh Productions banner.
Story:
The film is about two groups- Thatha (Brahmanandam), Vaasthu (Chaitanya Rao), Lancham aka Koushik (Rag Mayur) and Naidu (Tharun Bhascker), Jeevan (Jeevan Kumar), Sikander (Vishnu Oi) who want money for their own reasons. How will these two groups come together and take on the challenge of a lifetime when they decide to make quick money by planting a cockroach into a soft drink bottle? Forms the main crux of the film.
On Screen Performances:
The film is promoted as Chaitanya Rao playing the main lead but it is Tharun Bhascker who actually plays the lead part in the film. Tharun is brilliant with his performance as Naidu. He is bang-on with his comic timing and gets proper hero elevation scenes which he does them pretty well.
Out of all the rest of the actors, it is Rag Mayur, Jeevan Kumar, and Vishnu Oi who excel in their respective roles with their superb comedy timing and impressive performances.
Ravindra Vijay as CEO and Raghu Ram as Shots are pretty decent in their parts. But they could not contribute much to the fun parts as their characterizations are not up to the mark.
Chaitanya Rao does a fine job as Vaasthu and he gets his act right with his Tourette syndrome. But this is not a career-defining role for him.
Finally coming to legendary comedian actor Brahmanandam, he is utterly wasted in a role that has less significance and very little comedy.
The rest of the supporting actors are okay in their limited parts.
Off Screen Talents:
The story by Tharun Bhascker is the biggest drawback of the film. The plot of very weak with a wafer-thin storyline. In an attempt to shift genre and give a new experience with his treatment, looks like Tharun Bhascker has compromised on his writing which is his main asset.
His screenplay too is not up to the mark. The plot never completely takes us into the world nor does it make us fully connected to the characters. Yes, there are a few hilarious scenes but there are many flat scenes as well where the comedy doesn’t click as expected. The way the scenes pan out one by one lacks consistency and a few scenes are pretty underwhelming.
Director Tharun Bhascker is for sure one of the best talents in this generation but this time he could not give us a wholesome entertainer which he has done with his first 2 films. Though his treatment looks good on screen, it doesn’t go well with his plot mainly coz of the weak writing.
Tharun Bhascker’s dialogues are one of the biggest plus points of the film. All the quirky one-liners are witty but Tharun should understand that one can never make a film only based on funny one-liners.
The songs by Vivek Sagar are good. All the songs come as background songs with the plot and go well with the situations. ‘Kayyaala Chindhaata’ song is the best one in the album. Also, his background score is kickass. It is the biggest asset of the film.
The camera work by AJ Aaron is first-rate. The film is captured superbly. The staging and framing are done precisely.
The edit by Upendra Varma is neat. The film is crisp and the cuts are perfectly done.
The VFX in the film is so-so. They are not up to the standards.
The production values by VG Sainma are adequate for the film.
What’s Hot
- Tharun Bhascker’s Performance
- Superb Background Score
- Quirky One Liners
- Few Good Comedy Scenes & Hilarious English Episode
- All Other Actor’s Performances & Comic Timing
- Cinematography & Production Values
What’s Not
- Wafer Thin Plot
- Poor Screenplay & Many Flat Scenes
- Weak Characterizations
- Brahmanandam Is Under Utilized
- Poor Climax
Verdict: Overall, Keedaa Cola is a middling Whacky crime comedy film with some good/funny moments sprinkled here and there. Tharun Bhascker dominates as an actor with his performance, but the writer in him takes back seat this time. His work in Keedaa Cola is not at the same level as his previous hits pelli choopulu and Ee nagaraniki emaindi.
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.5/5