What’s it about?
After his father chastises him for not finding work, Balu (Vaisshnav Tej) walks into a job interview in Hyderabad. Chitra (Sreeleela), the company’s young and beautiful CEO, likes Balu’s ideas for the brand they’re pitching and offers him a good job right away.
Soon, they fall madly in love with each other.
As his romantic life begins to take off, Balu learns that his biological father, a Rayalaseema politician named Maha Kaleswara Reddy (Suman), died in an accident.
Chenga Reddy (Joju George), a mining mafia baron and the late Maha Kaleswara Reddy’s son-in-law, is to blame for everything that is wrong in that area in Rayalaseema. Balu must become the true Rudra and restore order.
Analysis
“Aadikeshava,” directed by newcomer Srikanth Reddy, is an attempt to tetrapack the faction story. The plot of “Aadikeshava” is incredibly recycled from the numerous films that used the faction motif.
I can see the logic if the goal was to introduce younger viewers to the elements of the faction genre, but for someone like me who has seen dozens of these films, it makes for a dull experience. Not only does the script lack a contemporary feel, but the generic scenes fall flat. At the very least, the director should have worked hard on creating engaging scenes.
The huge plus points for the film are Sreeleela’s dances and crisp runtime.
During promotional interviews, Vaisshnav Tej stated that the action stunts in the film are not over the top. Vaisshnav Tej kills many goons in various ways, including drilling a machine into a person’s body, shoving a spade into another rowdy’s body, killing a person with hand pump and so on.
Vaisshnav Tej is just okay. Sreeleela doesn’t have a big role or much screen time, but she lights up the screen whenever she appears, and her dances are a joy to watch. Renowned Malayalam actor Joju George makes his Telugu debut in a forgettable role. Sudarshan does some comedy. Aparna Das, Radhika Sarath Kumar and Tanikella Bharani are okay.
GV Prakash Kumar composed three energetic songs for the film, the best of which is “Bujji Bangaram”. Production values are impressive.
Bottom line: “Aadikeshava” is an attempt to introduce new-gen audiences to the faction story or genre. Everything in this film is routine, from the story to the narration. Only Sreeleela’s dance moves and glamour make the scene visually appealing.
Rating: 2.25/5
Film: Aadikeshava
Cast: Panja Vaisshnav Tej, Sreeleela, Joju George, Suman, Aparna Das, Radhika Sarath Kumar, and others
Music: GV Prakash Kumar
DOP: Dudley
Editor: Navin Nooli
Art: AS Prakash
Fights: Ram-Lakshman
Producers: Naga Vamsi S & Sai Soujanya
Written and Directed by: Srikanth N. Reddy
Release Date: Nov 24, 2023
