BOTTOM LINE
Half Meals Only
OUR RATING
2.75/5
CENSOR
‘U/A’ Certified, 1 hr 56 mins
What is the film about?
Keshava (Nikhil) takes revenge on police officers one by one. Why and how he takes the revenge is what the film is all about?
How is Nikhil’s performance?
Nikhil is good in a serious role that doesn’t require him to be too energetic. He has to have a serious expression throughout. To get a little depth, to what looks like an obviously very simple character, some difficulty has been added, but it doesn’t bring anything worthwhile to the role or the performance, in the end.
Direction By Sudheer Varma?
Sudheer Varma made an impressive debut flick Swamy Ra Ra. It was followed by a not so impressive Dochay, and now in his third attempt, he makes a film that is somewhere in the middle, more towards the “not so impressive” side.
As far as content goes, he tries to emulate the styles and narrative choices of all his “inspirations” faithfully, it works well as long as the content is present but once he runs out of all necessary material, the style alone doesn’t have enough bite in it to hold the audience attention.
The first half of the movie is on the right path with a smooth narrative flow. The plot is simple, and the execution is equally simple, but still, there is an interest generated. In the second half once the real motive is known or after the police do the required deed, the movie loses grip. It simply goes through motions with a predictable twist thrown in towards the end. The lack of high moments also makes the whole affair tepid to an extent. The climax is the weakest link of all. Overall, Keshava is strictly average fare with a satisfying first half.
Ritu Varma and others?
The film has only one significant character, and the rest are just supporting that one all important role. Ritu Varma is precise in her part, and so is Isha Koppikar who returns to Telugu cinema after a very long gap. Priyadarshi is alright. Vennela Kishore is hilarious with excellent timing in few scenes. Rao Ramesh is fine as usual. Brahmaji and Ajay get wasted big time.
Music and other departments?
Music by Sunny MR is okay, and it goes with the flow. The background score by Prasanth Pillai is excellent and a big highlight of the movie. The cinematography is solid. Editing is slick. Dialogues are crisp and to the point.
Highlights?
Nikhil.
Subtle Comedy.
First Half.
Beginning of Second Half.
BGM.
Drawbacks?
Second Half.
No High Moments.
Forced Twist.
Weak Characters apart from Hero
Alternative Take
A Strong flashback or the core incident with an interesting connection to the present, especially in the second half, would have made this a much better effort.
Did I enjoy it?
Yes, for most part.
Will you recommend it?
Yes, if one doesn’t mind the weak second half.
Keshava Review by Siddhartha
Keshava US Premiers update: Keshava collected $55 K from Thursday premier shows which is the highest opening for him so far in US. Nikhil’s life time highest grosser in US is Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada collected $716 K in its life time.
Final Report: Keshava falls short of expectations big time. Movie is no match to the content showed in theatrical trailer. Watch out for our review shortly.
– Rao Ramesh gets a negative role, though nothing outstanding he does his usual.
– Rich production values and back ground score are the biggest highlights of this film. Locations too add lot of freshness while watching the movie.
– Ritu Varma has very little do in Keshava. She looks good onscreen but gets to do nothing important in terms of the story or performance. Isha Koppikar gets investigative officer role. She fits the role okay if not great in powerful lady role.
– Vennela Kishore, Satya comedy in car works.
– Keshav continues his killings despite being arrested once and being the prime suspect.
– Surprisngly the interesting concept of hero having heart on right side has got no significance in the movie. And also Nikhil should not lose his cool due to his rare heart position never conveyed properly.
First Half Report: Series of murders takes place without any twists and turns in first half. Nikhil Siddartha did a fab job in intense Keshav role. That’s it from the first half, a lot would depend on the second half.
– Keshav gets arrested. Interval.
– Time for third murder. Keshav kills another police official Raja Ravindra.
– Isha Koppikar plays an ivestigative officer role to catch the person behind police murders.
– Keshav commits second murder, kills another Cop.
– Story shifts to Keshav’s college life.
Vennela Kishore’s friends gang and Priyadarshi in college brings occational laughs in serious drama.
– Nikhil makes an entry with cold blooded murder. He kiils a police official.
– Keshava show started with an accident scene. Only kid (Nikhil) gets survived from the family.
Keshava movie live updates begin at 5.30 AM IST.
Keshava Movie Preview
Among the crop of young heroes in Telugu Film Industry, Nikhil Siddharth earned the name that he is a minimum guarantee hero who chooses movies based on the story, not based on the pay cheque he would receive.
‘Swamy Ra Ra’ is a turning point in his career and since then developed this knack at choosing different subjects. However, His previous two films namely Surya Vs Surya’ and ‘Shankarabharanam’ didn’t do well at the box-office. The latter turned out to be a disaster.
Nevertheless, the actor didn’t lose much, as he has been successful in developing a notion that ‘Nikhil is a hero who is trying something very different every time by giving importance to the story and novel concept instead of relying on big names and getting carried away. By the way, ‘Ekkadiki Pothavu Chinnavada’, was a decent hit.
Coming to ‘Keshava‘, there is a loft of freshness in the trailer we have watched. It’s a promising plot teamed up with a fresh bearded look for Nikhil, something he tried for the first time in terms of changing his looks. Moreover, there is a lot to expect fresh as Nikhil is playing a Brahmin boy who has the heart on the right side of the body.
Of course, it is a typical revenge story but with a fresh twist and Sudheer Varma, the director of ‘Swamy Ra Ra’ at the helm of the things, audiences have a lot more to expect from the super hit combination that had been a game changer for Nikhil’s career with their earlier outing.
Keshava is a thriller drama in which senior actress Isha Koppikar has got a powerful role to perform and young heroine Ritu Varma of ‘Pelli Chupulu’ fame looks to be crucial for the plot of the movie. A fresh theme and storyline are going to be a big positive if done well.
The one liner ‘Revenge is the dish best served cold’ left a positive vibe and the brilliantly cut promos improved the buzz further. So, will Nikhil’s ‘Keshava‘ prove once again that he had developed the skill of choosing different stories and giving a measured performance for the roles he chooses?
Wait for a few more hours and watch this space for the full review coming from mirchi9 team.
