Dasara Review

"Raw" - this was the word Nani and Keerthy Suresh often used to describe the movie and its characters at pre-release press meets. Dasara's emotions would be raw; the visuals would be raw; and the accent - a thick, unforgiving Godavarikhani slang - would be the rawest accent yet to make it to the big screen. Subtitles would be necessary.

Indeed, "raw" is the perfect word to capture the essence of Dasara - starting with its gritty setting. Veerlapally is a cluster of sooty huts overlooking the Singareni coal fields. Its only landmark is Silk Bar, the local watering hole where most of the village men spend their days in a drunken stupor. It's where the protagonist Dharani (Nani) and his gang of coal thieves end up after their heists, drinking their liver's fill. Dharani is the biggest addict of them all. He drinks not only for fun but also for courage, and most of all, to quietly suffer through watching his best friend Suri (Dheekshith Shetty) get together with Vennela (Keerthy Suresh), the girl that Dharani has loved all his life.

Because Silk Bar is the only place of real value in Veerlapally, its ownership is a contentious issue decided by elections. Brothers Rajanna (Sai Kumar) and Nambi (Samuthikarani) stand off against each other, but Nambi always wins, with the help of the corrupt tactics of his son Chinna Nambi (Shine Tom Chacko). This year, though, Dharani and his friends get involved in the elections, setting off a horrible chain of events that dramatically alter their lives.

Dasara is one of those movies that is much greater than the sum of its parts. Taken by itself, the story is not entirely original. In fact, it feels a bit muddled as it sharply changes tack from a political rivalry between Nambi and Rajanna to a personal story of lust, love and revenge that is intent on creating a big twist even though the movie didn't need one.

Dasara's visual style references the newly-popular "KGFcore" aesthetic - desaturated color palette with lots of browns and grays. Veerlapally is a world unto itself, one where the sun shines through a permanent haze of coal ash. And in some early scenes where Dharani and his friends siphon off coal doing daring stunts on a moving train, the movie is reminiscent of Pushpa.

Although Dasara's style and story may come across at times as imitative, the beating heart of the movie is uniquely its own. Debutant director Srikanth Odela's strong sense of place and time infuses the film with a distinctive quality. Veerlapally is based on Odela's hometown of Godavarikhani. Each character in this village, from those in its family of dwarves to the young widow who resorts to selling herself to provide for her family, is a reflection of someone that Odela knew personally. The rituals and celebrations depicted are deeply specific to the culture and history of that place, and add a layer of authenticity that heightens the emotionality of the story.

From a technical standpoint, Dasara is a masterpiece. The film's exceptional lighting and camerawork, particularly in a pre-interval chase sequence set in the narrow gullies of Veerlapally at night, are nothing short of sublime.

The impact of Santhosh Narayan's soundtrack on the movie cannot be overstated. Through the pulsating beats of "Dhoom Dhaam", paired with stunning cinematography, to the naatu Telangana melody of Chamkeela Angeelesi, each song captures the essence of the moment, conveying feelings that words alone could not have.

But the undeniable titan of Dasara is Nani. His gritty, visceral, and - there's that word again - raw performance as Dharani propels the movie to greatness, and proves once and for all that Nani is not one to be typecast. His "Natural Star" image, meant to recognize his talent for playing realistic roles, now makes sense only if it instead recognized him as one of our most naturally gifted stars. His ability to make even outrageous scenes work through sheer charisma is unparalleled. What Nani's character feels, we feel, too.

Keerthy Suresh is another immense talent, and in many ways, Nani's ideal female counterpart. Just like him, she has a talent for being both playful and intense, while never appearing over-the-top or hammy.

Of the remaining cast, Sai Kumar stands out as the quietly stern village elder, and he gives us an unexpected moment of comedy as he tries to wrangle his perfect Andhra enunciation to submission and muster a few words in Telangana slang. Chacko, who plays Chinna Nambi, has a menacing vibe that I wished were dialed up even more to suit the intensity of the movie. Dheekshith Shetty makes a fine partner to Nani, but he is, again, a touch too mellow and forgettable beside the others.

Dasara is a stellar debut for Srikanth Odela - a testament that he is a man with a vision and, more importantly, capable of deftly turning that vision into reality. He is the complete package: head, heart and hand. Odela is especially mature about depicting emotionality. In a powerful scene that follows a tragedy, he has his actors go catatonic rather than ballistic - it does so much more than convey the weight of the moment, transporting the audience into the raw depths of human grief.

Dasara has moments where it inexplicably veers away from its authenticity. But overwhelmingly, it is an honest, fierce, emotionally charged experience that had me utterly captivated. It will undoubtedly earn a place among the year's greatest films, and be recognized as a defining moment in Nani's career - one that cements his legacy as one of Telugu cinema's finest actors.