Goli Soda 2 Tamil Movie
Director Vijay Milton's Goli Soda 2 is not a sequel to "Goli Soda" that released in 2014. With the title, it's clear that he meant to leverage the brand value of the earlier movie, thereby escalating the expectations as well. Goli Soda 2 follows the same theme as the 2014 movie, sans the refreshing uniqueness that was the hallmark of the older movie. This ought to be a comparison since Goli Soda 2 doesn't just inherit the title from the earlier movie, but also the theme!
The movie is about 3 youngsters who are loosely connected through a former cop turned drunkard do-gooder, Ganesan (Samuthirakani with a fancy beard). Their quest to come up in life is hindered by 3 villains. It's all about them beating the odds with a scantily cobbled screenplay and a pacy narrative.
A weakling seeking revenge against a wicked demon is as old as cinema itself. The formula works because of the sufferings of the weakling and the sinisterness that gets unleashed on screen. The theme blatantly takes the system at large to task through the characters of the youngsters.
The problem with Goli Soda 2 was the screenplay which went haywire at times. Also, the characters, unlike the 2014 movie, were tailored to cater to the commercial sensibilities. In the 2014 movie, the teens showcased were organically rooted in the plot. Their surroundings and the people with whom they interact with were relatively humane than this artificially made-up masala. Also, the conflict showcased was believable as it gelled with the ethos.
Also, the filmmaking was a bit careless as things like continuity was messy. For instance, Samuthirakani's beard was an eyesore and in another scene where one of the heroines was given a black eye, the wound jumps off from one part of her face to another within a span of few minutes. Also, there were so many unwanted ramp cuts just to add to the already pacy narrative.
Music by Achu was good. "Pondatti nee" song had a nice rhythm to it, but I wish there was some sensible cinematography employed in filming the same. Performances from the 3 youngsters were decent. Of the 3 girls, Krisha Kurup was lively, but the other 2 were standard fare. The villains were menacing but the screenplay messed up the build-up toward the climax, reducing them to puppets who fall for the commercial sensibilities.
Had the movie employed a sensible screenplay with more rooted characters, Goli Soda 2 could have scaled the heights of its 2014 counterpart. As of now, it is a mixed bag that managed to hold together with the help of a pacy narrative - an average mainstream masala!!
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