Brother – Trailer | Jayam Ravi | Priyanka Arul Mohan | Harris Jayaraj | Rajesh M | Screen Scene

Bakasura Restaurant stars comedian Praveen and Viva Harsha in a comedy-horror setup that promised fun, mild thrills, and laugh-out-loud moments. Unfortunately, what arrives on the plate is a half-cooked dish that struggles to entertain.

Story
Paramesh (Praveen) is a middle-class private employee shouldering the expenses of his lazy bachelor friends Vaman, Sai, Palli, and Bhargav. While Vaman dreams of becoming a filmmaker, the others have no goals. Burdened by job pressure and financial woes, Paramesh dreams of starting a restaurant but needs ₹50 lakh to do so.

In a desperate bid, he starts a YouTube channel — Bindass Bachelors — filming in haunted places. During one such shoot, they stumble upon a book on tantric rituals, hoping it might bring them fortune. Instead, they awaken the spirit of Bakka Suri (Viva Harsha), and what follows is a chain of supposedly spooky and comedic events.

Where It Fails
The film falters both as horror and comedy. The scares are absent, the humor inconsistent, and the aesthetics questionable. Scenes of food being dumped on the floor and eaten with the left hand feel nauseating rather than funny or spooky. The crude dialogues, sprinkled with lowbrow lines like gunde jaari guvvaloki vacchindi and sudda pagilipoddi, alienate family audiences expecting cleaner comedy from Praveen and Harsha.

The climax throws in an unnecessary and forced transgender scene, while repetitive gags stretch the narrative thin, making it tedious.

Performances

• Praveen: Reliable in his typical middle-class role.
• Viva Harsha: Decent, but his flashback lacks depth and emotional impact.
• Srikanth Iyengar: Impresses as the sarcastic boss despite limited screen time.
• Garuda Ram: Brief but adequate appearance.
• Krishna Bhagavan: Returns after a long gap, but without his trademark humor punch.

Technical Aspects

• Background Score: Apt and mood-friendly.
• Songs: Nee Lungi Jaateeyam and Ayyo Emiraa Jeevitam are well-placed.
• Cinematography: Passable.
• Editing: Needs trimming — the first half drags with repetitive scenes.
• Production Design: Functional, but uninspired.

Verdict
Director SJ Shiva fails to strike the right balance between horror and humor, with weak writing, underdeveloped arcs, and questionable creative choices. Even a comedy-horror needs consistent suspense and wit — Bakasura Restaurant serves neither. The hint at a sequel in the rolling titles is wishful thinking unless the script is completely reworked.

Bottom Line: A comedy-horror that’s neither scary nor consistently funny — more stale leftovers than a hearty meal.