Aadikeshava is yet another addition to the list of regional films that are all about over-the-top theatrics and masala content with mindless stories. Directed by Srikanth N. Reddy, Aadikeshava focuses on a young man in his early twenties who finds himself at a juncture where he finds himself questioning his identity. This leads to an unexpected journey where he encounters certain people he will have to tackle.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was Balu?
Balu was the youngest son of an excise officer, and he was spoiled by his mother. His father wanted him to quit relying on his good looks and seek a job for a living. Balu was happy with the way his life was going, and he had no qualms about how privileged he was. He had an older brother who was a doctor by profession, and his father was proud of him. There was no enmity between the siblings, but the mother’s love for the younger son was far more evident, while the father preferred the older kid.
How Did Chenga Reddy Become Powerful?
Chenga Reddy was a Rayalaseema-based mine owner who had become a powerful mafiosa in the region. The man was known to keep politicians and the police on his payroll, which allowed him to hire young kids in the mines and make them work for hours. He managed to kill anyone who tried to double-cross him. The man was very close to demolishing a temple in the mining area to extract more metal. There was no end to the cruelty carried out by Chenga Reddy, as his work ethic started bothering the local politicians and the police as well. Chenga Reddy, unfortunately, was too strong and would not hesitate to eliminate those whom he believed were a threat to the business empire he had built for himself. His mining activity made him a powerful man in the most volatile region of the state.
Do Balu And Maha Kaleshwar Reddy Become Friends?
In pursuit of a job, Balu was hired by a cosmetic company run by Chitra. Balu was instantly attracted to the young entrepreneur, and there was a growing fondness he felt for the strong, independent women he began working for. To impress her, Balu offered to wrangle a truce between Maha Kaleshwar Reddy and his daughter Vajra, Chitra’s best friend. Vajra was constantly complaining about her father being emotionally distant, but Balu walked in and saved an emotionally distraught relationship between a father and daughter. Maha Kaleshwar Reddy, a sitting MLA in the Rayalaseema region, was impressed by the damage control carried out by Balu. Out of respect, the MLA opened up about his biggest obstacle, Chenga Reddy, and his dominance in his constituency. The MLA offered to help Balu in any matter going forward because they formed a friendship over a small family moment. The MLA seems to have found a lifelong friend in Balu, and the young man was only happy to oblige.
Why Was Balu Asked To Stay Away From Chitra?
Balu was head-over-heels in love with Chitra. Chitra, on the other hand, was fond of Balu, but she has bigger matters to handle on the home and business front. Her father was known to have been a business associate of Chenga Reddy, who was the biggest supplier of mica ore to his company, a tender he had acquired for his daughter’s company as well. Chitra was not keen on working with Chenga Reddy because of his association with child labor. Her father arm-twisted her into retaining Chenga Reddy’s contract, and later announced her engagement with another rich businessman to exercise his control over his family. Balu was asked to stay away because he rescued a young boy from being harassed by Chenga Reddy’s men. This altercation almost cost Chitra’s father Chenga’s business and made it an obvious decision for him to keep the young man away from his daughter, even though Chitra would never agree to marry a man she is not interested in. Chitra’s father probably had bigger plans for himself and his daughter’s company by getting her married to a businessman.
Who Was Balu’s Biological Father?
Balu, on the night of Chitra’s birthday, was swiftly taken away to Rayalseema, and he was informed that he was the oldest biological son of Maha Kaleshwar Reddy, who had unfortunately passed. There was wide speculation about Chenga Reddy’s involvement in the murder of his father, but no one could prove it. Balu was in a state of shock because all his life, the people he’d thought of as his family were back in Hyderabad, his parents and his older brother. Balu was slowly processing the fact that his biological mother was killed in a car crash that also involved him and his father. His father was informed of Balu’s death in the car accident during recovery. There was no exact reason why Maha Kaleshwar Reddy was kept in the dark about Balu’s survival. Balu was brought back to Rayalaseema by Maha Kaleshwar Reddy’s brother, who was also an influential figure, but his daughter was married off to Chenga Reddy. Chenga Reddy tortured her to get things done on the mining front with Maha Kaleshwar Reddy and his brother. Balu was informed about the tumultuous past of the family and their relationship with the mining mafia, and that he was brought back to this town in the hope he would take over his father’s reign and finish the job MLA Maha Kaleshwar Reddy’s started to make the region a safe place for women.
Why Does He Place His Sister As The Next MLA?
Chenga Reddy was keen on replacing Maha Kaleshwar Reddy as the next MLA to expand his power in the constituent assembly as well. There was no end to the amount of greed the man was showcasing. He was informed about Balu’s visit to the region for the last rite rituals. Out of obligation as a relative and as a show of support, Chenga Reddy showed up at Maha Kaleshwar Reddy’s home in the hope of displaying his power and asking for Balu’s support in his journey to be the next MLA. Balu, who was now being referred to as Rudra Kaleshwar Reddy, was made aware of Chenga Reddy’s manipulative games and his tendency to resort to violence to get things done. Balu upstaged Chenga Reddy by offering his support to his sister Vajra, who would be running from their father’s seat instead of Chenga Reddy. Chenga felt betrayed because he believed Rudra could easily be influenced because he believed Balu had zero knowledge of Rayalaseema politics. Rudra wanted to one-up Chenga Reddy and was keen to make his stance clear on his bullying tactics.
How Will Balu Tackle Chenga Reddy?
Balu’s sister was on her way to becoming the next MLA, as she was widely supported for being the only daughter of Maha Kaleshwar Reddy. To create a deliberate roadblock, Vajra was molested by one of the henchmen of Chenga Reddy. They were in the hope of putting Vajra on the backfoot by shaming her into withdrawing from the election campaign. A rather misogynistic approach utilized by the writer. This scene was only added to showcase Balu, aka Rudra, as the savior who would ultimately come forward to avenge his sister, father, and the entire family. Such theatrics are expected in masala films such as Aadikeshava. Even though the writing for the show added the women’s empowerment element by placing Vajra before Rudra, the woman had to step away for the men to take over and save them.
The savior complex is a must in a hero-driven film, which is what happens in Aadikeshava, as there is constant back and forth of bad blood between Rudra and Chenga Reddy. The latter wanted to eliminate his enemy, while the former was keen to seek revenge for his father after Chenga confessed to Rudra about his role in his death. Chenga’s penchant for harming his wife, who was Rudra’s cousin, and Vajra’s molestation forced the young man to deal with the bully head-on. A big clash with Chenga’s men led to the final confrontation between the villain and Balu, as shown in many films in this genre.
Chenga was beheaded by Balu because there was no end to the atrocities committed by the now-dead Chenga Reddy against the women of his family and the villagers. Rudra had to put a stop to all of this. Even though there was no police case against Balu for the murder, we believe the villagers and the local police may have wanted it this way. They were happy for Balu to have gotten rid of a man who made their lives hell. The writers may also have forgotten the repercussions of killing a man, no matter how awful it was when he was alive.
Who Was The Real Rudra Kaleshwar Reddy?
Balu, aka Rudra, came back to Hyderabad victorious, but he was in for a rude shock as his mother revealed that he had promised Maha Kaleshwar Reddy’s wife and brother-in-law that she would never send Rudra Kaleshwar Reddy back to Rayalaseema. This promise was strictly made because all were aware of the kind of politics that was carried out in the region, and the boy’s biological mother’s last wish was to keep his son away from further trouble in the hope he would stay oblivious and alive. Balu was confused, as his mother did the exact opposite by sending him off to the war zone, thus breaking the promise. It was then that his mother revealed his older brother was renamed Aadikeshava after Rudra Kaleshwar Reddy, and she kept her promise by keeping him away from the conflict. This final twist in the story did not make sense because she was willing to sacrifice her biological son to save the adopted one. There was no proper explanation as to why the mother pulled a stunt that endangered her son. This revelation is considered humorous as the film ends, but it does not answer the basic question of the mother’s motive. Aadikeshava‘s ending does leave room for a possible second part as Balu breaks the fourth wall, looks into the camera, and smiles.
