Film: Keka
Cast: Raja, Ishana, Anup Kumar, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam, Thalaivasu Vijay and host of new actors
Cinematography: P.C.Sreeram
Music director: Chakri
Editing: Shankar
Choreography: Shankar, Suchitra
Lyrics: Veturi, Seetarama Shastry, Chandrabose
Executive producer: K Jagadeesh Reddy
Story, screenplay, dialogues, produced and directed by: Teja
Release Date: October 23, 2008 What’s it about!
Arjun (Raja) is a student and he meets a young beauty Sujata (Ishana) in a village. Both of them hail from Hyderabad but they come to this village on holidays where their grand parents reside. After an incident, Sujata’s grandparents take to her to the city where her parents fix marriage with a rich guy Kiran (Anup) who happens to be Arjun’s best friend. Now all these three land in same college and love between Arjun and Sujata blossoms again. When Arjun tells Kiran that he is in love with Sujata, the latter readily sacrifices for their friendship. It doesn’t look as simple as that there is twist in the tale too.
Analysis
Director Teja was once a force to recon with and delivered some blockbusters. It was history and happened so loooong time ago. After a hiatus of three years, he takes up another love story with newcomers titled Keka to reinvent success for himself. But his latest attempt fails big time. It hardly has anything new to offer. With tepid screenplay, silly comedy, clichéd romantic scenes between the lead pair and dull dialogues, the film is completely flawed. Basic storyline is copied from Korean film - The Classic.
Teja is just repeating what he has done in his earlier films (in Nuvvu - Nenu, he has shown how to repair broken Telephone hand; In Jayam, he lets us know how to escape through roofk and in Keka he shows that with stethoscope one can make a speaker too! Wow!).
First half itself is futile exercise and post the interval the movie is completely lost. On the whole, Keka is a big disappointment. When the film finally ends, you feel like you've come out of battle.
Performances
Veteran lyricist Sirivennela Seetarama Shastry’s younger son Raja has made debut as lead hero with this movie. For a newcomer, he has done neat job. Especially he has shown the variation in his character - one with long hair and other one as trendy college going youth. Navadeep has lent voice for his role. Heroine Ishana has good figure and beauty but she needs to develop on her expressions. Her character is so stupid and very confusing - sometimes she acts crazy. Raasi’s dubbing for Ishana doesn’t suit well. Anup Kumar who played the negative role is unimpressive (Ajay provides the dubbing). Of other ‘so-called new talent’, the guy who played the role with ‘over-action’ is pain in the neck through out the movie. So much for ‘Kannanba Cutting’!
Prior to the release, the film has generated so much interest for the camerawork of P.C.Sreeram. Frankly speaking, with all due respect to P.C sir, his ‘trademark’ style is visible only in the songs. Songs by Chakri are impressive with good lyrical value. Even the picturisation of the songs are also good. Director Teja as writer and director is hardly impressive.
Bottom-line!
Another dud from Teja! Keka fails to impress. Actually it tests the patience of the audiences with its hollow script and tepid narration. Except three songs, there is no aspect of the film that is wroth of writing about.
TC Rating: 1.5/5
Sourced From:
The basic romantic thread - hero and heroine fell in love in a countryside and later getting seperated, then meeting again with the help of heroine's groom is taken from Korean movie The Classic released in 2003.
