Dasara Movie Review

Debutant director Srikanth Odela arrives in style with Nani’s Dasara, a completely engaging film that is made with ther right milieu, emotions, music and visual storytelling that is needed for a film in its space.

The film opens with us being introduced to the village of Veerlapally in Telangana, where a lot of politics has been taking place along with a lot of alcohol. The story brings us what happens in the lives of Dharani (Nani), Suri (Deekshit Shetty) and Vennela (Keerthy Suresh). The first half of the film is a bit slow, but it introduces us to the characters well and brings up the conflict nicely, taking fear into our skins through the terrific interval block. In the second half, the film totally takes a different route from what we saw in the trailer, and surprises us with its focussed narrative. The climax is an absolute blast, and it is tough to not like what you are seeing on screen.

Writer-director Srikanth Odela makes Dasara feel unlike a director’s first film, with splendid understanding of the craft and he is aided big time by the solid performances of Nani, Keerthy and Deekshit Shetty.

Nani totally overturns his career’s other performances and delivers a rocking show, along with Keerthy who is so good in an emotionally charged role. The film has a strong support cast led by Deekshit Shetty, Shine Tom Chacko, Samuthirakani and others.

The cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan and the music by Santhosh Narayanan turn out to be huge highlights, as they elevate the film to the next level and also bring up the ‘glocal’ feel that it wishes to attain.

Director Srikanth Odela has taken the road less traveled in Telugu cinema, bringing in a mainstream entertainer that also talks loudly about caste politics. Taking a leaf out of films such as Rangasthalam, Jai Bhim, Asuran and Karnan, Dasara is a rewarding feature that is worth watching for sure.  Dasara Movie Review by Siddarth Srinivas

Dasara Movie Review Rating: 3.5/5