Last updated: 31 March 2023

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Film: Dasara (Telugu)

Directed by: Srikanth Odela

Cast: Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Dheekshith Shetty, Shine Tom Chacko, Sai Kumar, Samuthirakani

Highs: Standing ovation-worthy performances from Nani and Keerthy Suresh, impressive supporting performance by Dheekshith Shetty, interval block, outstanding background score by Santhosh Narayanan, top notch cinematography (Sathyan Sooryan), rural Telangana dialect, gripping first-half

Lows: Second-half goes downhill with one-dimensional, caricaturish characters and lack of twists/surprise elements, inconsistent editing in second-half action scenes, predictable ending

Cinemania rating: ★★★☆☆

Detailed Review

Plot: Set in the backdrop of a remote village called Veerlapally that is polluted by surrounding coal mines, Dasara kicks off with multiple sub-plots: a fierce rivalry for control of the local Silk bar that most of the alcohol-addicted men from the village frequent, politics involving two families – one headed by Shivanna (Samuthirakani) and his son Chinna Nambi (Shine Tom Chacko) and the another led by Rajanna (Sai Kumar), friendship between Dharani (Nani) and Suri (Dheekshith Shetty) who have grown up together and finally there is a triangular love story involving Venella (Keerthy Suresh). As each of these sub-plots come to a conclusion, a tragedy strikes and permanently changes the lives of the lead characters.

Performances: Nani gets the best introduction scene of his career to date. The actor, doing a role he’s never done before and speaking in a Telangana accent, leaves an indelible impact with his terrific performance as Dharani. Keerthy Suresh delivers yet another unforgettable performance as Venella – she dances, emotes and cries with tremendous ease. Dheekshith Shetty has a good screen presence and shines in his role as Suri. Sai Kumar, playing Rajanna, gets an impactful re-introduction scene during the first half, however he is wasted for the rest of the film. Shine Tom Chacko, who is a critically-acclaimed actor in Malayalam cinema, does justice to his role but the actor’s role is less impactful than it is meant to be due to screenplay and editing issues.

Technical departments: Srikanth Odela delivers a gripping first half with several interesting characters and sub-plots leading to a chilling interval block, however the director appears to have lost his way in the second half in which the story goes off track and focuses on a new sub-plot involving just three characters (therefore wasting the other characters who have had a good build-up in the first half) – there is where Dasara gets boring and predictable, culminating in a climax fight that resembles Kantara.

The other hero of Dasara is composer Santhosh Narayanan who, with his catchy songs (Chamkeela Angeelesi deserves a special mention) and excellent background score, can be felt in almost every scene in the film. Cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan is top notch and makes Dasara a visually-appealing film. Editing (Naveen Nooli) is inconsistent – too good in some scenes (interval block) but not up to the mark in some (for example, in the scene where the antagonist is revealed, the main victim he has killed isn’t shown. The antagonist simply slashes his sword at the camera, which dilutes the impact of that scene). Also a number of scenes needed some trimming in the second half.

In summary, Dasara offers a good theatrical experience with striking visuals, riveting background score and award-worthy performances from Nani and Keerthy Suresh.

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