What’s it about?
This is a tale of three close friends. Soori (Deekshith), Dharani (Nani), and Vennela (Keerthy Suresh). They spent their entire childhoods together in the same Singareni coal mine village. Like most of the men in the village, the two male buddies steal coal, do menial jobs, and drink. Vennela now works as an Anganwadi educator.
Vennela and Soori are in a romantic relationship. They had no idea Dharani had been in love with her since they were teenagers.
While Soori and Vennela are preoccupied with wedding preparations, the evil deeds of the local leader, Nambi (Shine Tom Chacko), alter the course of their lives irrevocably.
Analysis
Dasara is a festival that is celebrated with a great enthusiasm in Telangana. Women play Bathukamma for nine days, and Dasara festival is celebrated with dhoom dham. As a greeting, “Jammi” is given to relatives and friends. On Dasara night, Ravana’s effigy is burned. The festival is observed in a manner distinct from that observed in other parts of the country. Director Srikanth Odela has beautifully incorporated these elements into his story.
Despite the fact that the story is set in undivided Andhra Pradesh, the setting is 1990s Singareni colonies, a coal mine is in Telangana, and the cultural specifics are entirely Telangana. Director Odela has focussed more on atmospherics, at which he succeeds superbly.
Though the film begins slowly, it quickly picks up steam. The middle section of the film is the most satisfying. A stunning chase sequence and twist appear just before the interval bang. The entire sequence is beautifully shot, edited, and performed. At this point, the background score is wonderful. Keeping the momentum going, we get another big reveal after the interval bang, and the mood is carried. This middle section, which lasts about 30 minutes, is the best part of the film.
The plot then shifts into a standard revenge saga. Again, it comes to life with the climax fight, which, as previously stated, incorporates Telangana Dasara festival culture. The last fight also effectively uses the elements of Jammi tree and stashing astras (like Pandavas in Mahabharata).
Director Srikanth Odela clearly has ambitious ideas, but he only succeeds in realizing them to a limited extent. Many sub-themes in the story are not explicitly mentioned, such as alcoholism and caste politics, and thus get lost in the midst of the revenge saga. Characters that are poorly written stand out like sore thumbs especially the role of Samuthirakani.
In addition, the portrayal of coal miners as complete drunkards is unconvincing.
When it comes to performances, Nani steals the show. He delivered an outstanding performance. He breathes in it. His physical transformation is also superb. Keerthy Suresh has delivered another believable performance. She is convincing as Vennela.
Among the other actors, Deekshith Shetty as Nani’s friend and Shine Tom Chacko stand out. The remaining actors are given little to no screen time or proper characterisation.
Sathyan Sooryan’s work stands out among the technicians. The dark and dusty color scheme complements the story’s setting perfectly. Another example of his brilliant lighting scheme is the filming of the song “Ori Vaara.” Santosh Narayanan’s songs are more enjoyable to listen to than to watch, but he provides a terrific background score. Watch Santosh’s brilliant use of music in pre-interval chase scene.
Srikanth Odela makes an assured debut as a writer and director. He also has borrowed elements of Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Bottom line: “Dasara” is intense revenge story set in the Singareni coal mine area. The film’s middle section is fantastic. Nani brings his character to life. Despite its predictability and slower pace, the film is worth a watch. It is more ambitious, but the results are mixed.
Rating: 3/5
By Jalapathy Gudelli
Film: Dasara
Cast: Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Dheekshith Shetty, Shine Tom Chacko, Samuthirakani, Sai Kumar, Poorna and others
Dialogues: Thota Srinivas
Writers: JellaSrinath, Arjuna Paturi, Vamsi Krishna P
Music : Santhosh Narayanan
DOP: Sathyan Sooryan
Editor: Navin Nooli
Production Designer: Avinash Kolla
Stunts: Real Satish, Anbariv
Written and directed by: Srikanth Odela
Produced by: Sudhakar Cherukuri
Release Date: March 30, 2023
