Aadikeshava Review: Keshavaya Swaha!

Vaisshnav Tej turned heads with his blockbuster debut Uppena. However, his subsequent films turned out to be a disappointment. He is pinning high hopes on Aadikeshava in which he teamed up with the debutante director and paired up with lucky mascot Sreeleela. Will this overturn Vaisshnav’s fortunes? Will the film hit the right chord? Let’s check out.

Plot:

Balu (Vaisshnav), a happy-go-lucky guy from a middle-class family, loves his own boss Chitra(Sreeleela) who is an ultra-rich and influential family. Chitra’s father learns about Balu’s shocking past and family history. Who is Balu? How is he connected to Brahmasamudram and the impending danger from illegal mining baron Chenga Reddy (Joju George)? Will Balu protect Brahmasamudram and the Lord Siva temple?

Performances:

Vaisshnav has got a role which is way heavier than his image to pull off. Action and violent scenes go overboard. He is good when it comes to lighter-vein scenes. 

Sreeleela is a stunner. Her characterisation as a boss Chitra evokes laughs even though there is no logic. When it comes to dances, she stands out. She goes missing in the latter half as violence takes centre stage.

Joju George does justice to the negative role. He is shown as a dreaded villain but he is helpless owing to “heroism”. Suman mouths Rayalaseema slang. His character fails to show the impact due to the bad writing. Comedian Nellore Sudarshan’s role is totally wasted. Peformances-wise there is nothing much to point out. But the director fails in writing and narrating.

Technicalities:

Debutante Srikanth wrote a done-to-death story and narrated it in a very old-fashioned way. The end result is Aadikeshava which bores to the core. The blessing in disguise is its short runtime. The songs are okay but act as a major hindrance to the flow. Production values are good.

Thumbs Up:

Sreeleela Factor
Few Fun Moments

Thumbs Down:

Outdated Story
Old Template Narration
Overdose of Violence
Artificial Twists

Analysis:

Aadikeshava fails on several counts. It is totally filled with cliched elements. Debutante director Srikanth seems to have run out of ideas or thoughts to write fresh scenes. Be it the hero’s introduction scene of giving a way to the ambulance and fighting the goons or be the heroine’s entry and dancing to some popular songs (Ra Ra Bangaram, Nuvvu Whistle Veste and Ramuloo Ramulaa) or even the villain’s introduction. It is totally in a template that is often seen in tons of commercial films. The director tries very hard to generate some chemistry between the hero and the heroine (who is his boss akin to Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo). 

One can’t help but remember some previous Telugu movies. There are several such moments that are filled with nostalgia. The list goes on. The Boyapati-style high-voltage action fails miserably as a lack of emotional depth plays the spoilsport. The amateurish flashback narration and twists which are both predictable as well as very artificial make the film even boring and bland. There are only two elements that give some relief which are Sreeleela and some fun moments.

Post interval, the film just nosedive. It starts with a very boring flashback. Here the film tanks without a trace. Movie buffs, who hoped the film to revive, start losing their hope further and further just like the recently held World Cup final match between India and Australia. The overdose of violence and bloodshed is disturbing. Aadikeshava is a run-of-the-mill commercial film that joins the list of forgettable films. The audience in the theatre ends up whispering, “Hey Keshava, Hey Madhava”. But sadly, even God Keshava too can’t save owing to such lacklustre content.

Verdict: Keshavaya Swaha!

Rating: 2/5