GOLI SODA ("REFRESHING")

January 17, 2014.

Cast: Kishore, Sree Raam, Pandi, Murugesh.

Director: S.D Vijay Milton.

Vijay Milton’s debut directorial venture “Goli Soda” deals with the life of four orphan boys for whom Koyambedu market is everything. They are content with the meagre daily earnings they get from a variety of things they do at the market. One among their daily timepass’ is checking out the schoolgirls who cross the market everyday on their way to school.

When one among the four boys falls for a girl who happens to be the daughter of “Aachi”, a mother like figure for the boys they decide to do something worthwhile in life. With the help of Aachi they open a food stall in the godown of the local gangster. Things get sour between the gangster and the boys when the boys get into a fight with the former’s right hand man.

One of the main attractions of Goli Soda is the boys themselves who are in top form. Armed with a good script and some nice dialogues they deliver a much better and a very mature performance in comparison to their debut film. Their chemistry is really good and they really win your hearts in certain scenes.

The script offers plenty of twists and turns and is quite unpredictable, and for the same reason thrilling, at times. It manages to strike a really good balance between masala and realism; while some fight sequences and scenes may appear to be a bit masala-ish the rest of the film offers realism in plenty.

It could also be called a bit lethargic or naive especially in the second half because of the way in which the writer manages to arrive at a solution for the problem thereby ensuring justice for the boys; the way Vanmathi tracks down the boys is one such instance and the unexpectedly sudden change of heart of the gangster in the climax is another.

Keeping those apart, Goli Soda offers something really refreshing for the viewers especially when there is a barrage of masala films with over the top dialogues, fights and songs tearing apart anything that could be termed sensible or enjoyable.

I am giving a 3 for Goli Soda. It is a good film, a bit more thought on the part of the writer/director could have made it great!

Rating Scale (Out of 5)

Less than 2                   -           Unwatchable.

2    to 2.25                   -           Below average.

2.5 to 2.75                   -           Average.

       

3    to 3.25                   -           Good.

3.5 to 3.75                   -           Really Good.

4    to 4.25                   -           Great.

4.5 and above               -          Extraordinary.