Introduction:
Keedaa Cola is a film that tries to expand the creation of crime comedy tales as an extraordinary type of narrative. Tharun Bhascker switches a gear, trying his hand at a darker action drama while still infusing his style of humour. As for the unknown new comers, the movie casts Chaitanya Rao Madadi, Rag Mayur, Brahmanandam, and Tharun Bhascker himself. The plot is focused on the comic idea of life for absurdity and fast money, the discovery of the cockroach in a cola bottle.
Release Date:
Keedaa Cola was out in cinemas on 3rd November 2023. The movie attracted a lot of attention even before it went to the theatres due to its plotline and because the audience was already familiar with Tharun Bhascker, the director behind a humoristic take on realistic narratives.
Crew:
| Role | Person(s) |
|---|---|
| Director | Tharun Bhascker |
| Screenplay | Tharun Bhascker |
| Writer | Tharun Bhascker, Pranay Koppala, Shanthan Raj, Ramya Kakumanu |
| Producer | K. Vivek Sudhanshu, Saikrishna Gadwal, Srinivas Kaushik Nanduri, Sripad Nandiraj, Upendra Varma, Rana Daggubati |
| Editor | Upendra Varma |
| Music Director | Vivek Sagar |
Cast:
| Actor/Actress | Character Name |
|---|---|
| Tharun Bhascker Dhaassyam | Bhakta Naidu |
| Chaitanya Rao | Vaasthu |
| Rag Mayur | Vaasthu’s friend |
| Vishnu Oi | Sikander |
| Ravindra Vijay | CEO |
| Jeevan Kumar | Jeevan Naidu |
| Raghu Ram | CEO’s fixer |
| Brahmanandam | Varadaraju |
| Muralidhar Goud | Dayanand |
Story:
Drawing from the story of a young man Vaasthu (Chaitanya Rao) with a caregiver of a wheelchair bound grandfather Varada Raju (Brahmanandam), and a childhood friend Kaushik (Rag Mayur). This introduces them to a cockroach in a cola bottle which gives them an idea to sue the soft drink company to look for a reward. However, their lovely scheme starts to get noticed by many different peculiar characters, such as criminal ex-convict Naidu played by Tharun Bhascker and Jiwan, Jeevan’s brother.
In the process of watching the movie, the following issues are revealed in the example of the main characters: ‘‘ambition and greed’’, the absurdity of life is also shown through the comic actions and misunderstood. This concerns the efforts of the characters to somehow manage their unstable lives, which turns out to be a comic tragi-comical reflection with elements of philosophical sentimentality.
Review:
Reviews of Keedaa Cola have been somewhat mixed, with many people loving the humour, although some have noted problems of structure within the show.
Plus Points:
- Absurd Humor: Of course, anything involving Meryl Streep gets laughs, but the extent of the ridiculousness of the characters’ situations is also clearly funny. Most of the time the show uses the comedy of error and repartees.
- Strong Performances: Praveen Chitra and Madhuri jointly produce brilliant performances, and they are also able to include their character’s peculiarities and irritation. Brahmanandam plays a part that gives a feel of old sentiment with a touch of comedy, but not as lively as before.
- Crisp Editing: A fast pace is also sustained in the entire film, not a single scene is overstretched, and that is rather good for keeping the audience interested.
- Unique Premise: I rather enjoyed the concept of a cockroach trapped in a cola bottle becoming a trigger to the rest of the comedy narrative.
Minus Points:
- Predictable Plot: Nevertheless, despite much of its compelling aspects as a crime comedy film, some critics pointed out that the storyline is full of clichés, therefore tiny parts of the movie may seem predictable.
- Character Development: Some side characters fail to get considerable improvement and may be required to explain more about themselves to make the story all the more compelling.
- Visual Effects: Some of the visual effects were termed as cheap; this lowered the quality of the product.
Technical Aspects:
Keedaa Cola has a runtime of approximately 120 minutes and is presented in a 2.39:1 screen aspect ratio, which helps improve the film’s narrative communications. The visuals have been recorded by cinematographer AJ Aaron to meet the youthful and enthusiastic spirit of the movie, while the cutting has been done by Upendra Varma, who has maintained good timing. The songs and background score by Vivek Sagar in the film are very apt to the tone of the movie and the narrative part of the comedies and dramatic scenes all through the film. Clever deployment of sound design contributes to creating an atmosphere and is very helpful when viewing a movie.
Performance:
Chaitanya Rao Madadi as Vaasthu gives a good account of the character as something that builds up and has dreams. Rag Mayur delivers a perfect comic cum emotional performance as Kaushik. Tharun Bhascker who also dons the title, Naidu, though new to direction and acting portrays both the comic and dramatic part of the character with ease.
The comedian Mohan Bhagath is good in his usual macho style as Phoolan Dang, while Brahmanandam is carefully subdued as Varada Raju and makes the audience roll in the aisles without his coming up with any loud acts. Vishnu Oi as Sikandar and Jeevan Kumar as Jeevan manage to add some comedy to the movie’s cast even though some characters could have been developed more properly.
MoviePopTime Review:
What I observed and find amusing when watching Keedaa Cola is that they are so hilarious that they are absurd. The movie, which is directed by Tharun Bhasaker, features Vaasthu and his friend Lancham who intend to file a case against a Coca-Cola bottle they found a cockroach in, to be richer. The plot is fully absurd but it could be funny: one amusing situation follows another.
The artists did fairly well on this account with Tharun Bhascker as the ex-convict Bhakta Nayudu and Brahmanandam as Vaasthu’s grandfather—though the comedy was adequate—infused a great deal of character into their roles. I thought that the tempo of the movie was good and quite fast I guess, although the first half of the movie was somewhat lacking in character development. There was not much of a plot here and the plot that was there was quite cliched but the comedy and strange characters didn’t let me yawn. By and all, Keedaa Cola is a comedy movie and if you are a fan of absurd comedies, then you will find it entertaining enough for an evening’s movie watching!
Conclusion:
Therefore, Keedaa Cola is a die-hard crime comedy that features Tharun Bhascker’s style of narration and punches with laughter. As with any popular genre, there is no shortage of problems with the film: predictability and characterization, to name a few: all the same, the global aspects of absurdist humour, the power of its cast, and a unique concept give A24 the advantage. This is a sequel to previous comedies that the director Bhascker made with Keedaa Cola proving that he is more than willing to capitalize on good comedies. Character development, the film’s strengths lie in its absurd humour, strong performances, and inventive premise.
As a follow-up to his previous successes, Keedaa Cola demonstrates Bhascker’s willingness to explore new genres while maintaining the comedic essence that has endeared him to audiences. In conclusion, the film can be recommended for fans of the cinema genre and for those, who looking for an entertaining movie. Being filled with elements of humour and filled with peculiar characters, Keedaa Cola is also worth mentioning among Telugu films that are shot in Hollywood, which will bring a lot of humour and entertaining emotions to viewers as predictability and character development, the film’s strengths lie in its absurd humour, strong performances, and inventive premise.
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