Film Review: Goli Soda 2 – An Underwhelming Sequel

When director Vijay Milton’s Goli soda released in 2015, it struck the right chord with the audience. The film revolved around a group of youngsters and their quest to prove in life. In 2018, Vijay Milton’s Goli Soda 2 is a film with few good ideas but washed down with a heap of melodrama and a dash of the illogical essence. The result is an unconvincing sequence. It has moments that captivate attention but doesn’t do more.

The story tells the tale of three men and how their lives intertwine in the most unassuming ways. The film talks about Siva (Vinoth), an auto driver, who aims at becoming an entrepreneur but becomes an easy target of loan shark (Saravana Subbaiah). Maaran (Bharath Seeni), a thug who works under an influential gangster Thillai (Chemban Vinod), wishes to straighten his life for his girlfriend but is restricted to do so by the gangster. Oli (Esakki Bharath), an employee at a restaurant, aims to marry his girlfriend and becoming a basketball player but becomes a victim of casteism. The three battle their demons and their problems with the help of a common friend, Natesan (Samuthirakani), who retired from the police department after being violently assaulted by Thillai and embarrassed by colleagues.

The love stories of each character are shoddy and would probably convince kids who believe that adrenaline rush will help them find the love of their lives. Well, one can’t blame them as even heroines of big-budget films get trapped in this pattern.

The film only picks up heat during the second-half of the film, when the three protagonists decide to take power over those who destroyed their lives. When the three men unite, they offer first air amidst a fight sequence, their teamwork even helps hijack the villain’s house to kill him. And while doing so they deliver some socially relevant dialogues such as – ”is it our fault to be born poor?” ”Can’t those who hail from middle class homes aspire to achieve more?” ‘‘Why is honour killing important?” ”Is is more important than helping people in the same caste?” They question not just the villain but the society as well.

One of the biggest strengths of Goli Soda was how mindful it was of the audience of the intelligence. It presented a masala movie, starring adolescents and delivered it in an inventive and entertaining way. It was also devoid of clichés. However, Goli Soda 2 doesn’t follow this format. In one scene when Oli falls in love, he expresses his happiness by saying ‘matikuchu’ (trapped or in this case convinced) and you cringe. Given that Hip Hop Tamizha, Aadhi too has used this word in the lyrics of a super hit song (Meesaya Murukku) in his film. May this is how the men like to like everyone to view their love life.

Everyone is the film goes the Samuthirakani-way. Each character tries to convince his counterpart that he can do better. He can be a good man. And woof, just like that everything can change. Unfortunately, this optimistic angle doesn’t change the way the film convincing.

Samuthirakani’s performance is the best one in the film; it’s also one of the nicely written characters. His character isn’t a half-sketched one, he is someone who helped the three men meet, and he also goes on to become their guide in life. Director Gautham Vasudev Menon’s inclusion in the film isn’t crucial but adds as worthy name to the project. Rohini was another super artist in the film. In one scene her character decides to describe her life in a storyboard. However original and well-conceived the idea is, the placement of the scene doesn’t connect. Overall, the film is loaded with over-the-top actions sequences, sentimental sequences and illogical scenes that are far too hard to believe.