Telugu cinema has been the graveyard of 'new-age' directors. Rarely has a filmmaker who attracted superlative praises with his first and/or second film(s) sustained himself here. Sudheer Varma of 'Swamy Ra Ra' has delivered just one hit in 10 years. Chandoo Mondeti gave just two hits (read 'Kartikeya' and 'Kartikeya 2') in 9 years. Chandrasekhar Yeleti disappointed the audience in the 2010s and hasn't been around in the 2020s. Even Deva Katta hasn't realized his potential (his 'Republic' was a mixed bag).
Srikanth Addala has notoriously been down and out since 'Brahmotsavam'; his 'Peddha Kapu' was a damp squib. Among others, Venu Udugula made the utterly boring 'Virata Parvam' after being hailed as a potential force to reckon with after his first movie 'Needhi Naadhi Oke Katha'. Jeevan Reddy made the ridiculously boring 'George Reddy' and 'Chor Bazaar' after the overrated 'Dalam'.
Amidst all this, only a handful of new-age directors have held ground. Vivek Athreya and Tharun Bhascker are two of them. The latter is at the cusp of glory. Should 'Keedaa Cola', set to hit the cinemas this Friday (November 3), become a hit, he would really deserve all the appreciation and hype.
'Pelli Choopulu' was a big hit, while 'Ee Nagaraniki Emaindi' was a self-aware buddy comedy-drama that knew its limited commercial potential. 'Keedaa Cola' is the real big deal now. Going by the chatter on social media and the ground-level buzz, the film will take very decent openings. If the content is good, Bhascker will have scored a hat-trick.
