Nani’s Dasara review: An engaging rustic drama with brilliant performances

Natural star Nani’s Dasara is out in the theatres on Friday, 30 March, as a pan-Indian movie.

While Nani is sharing screen space with National Award-winning Keerthy Suresh, Kannada actor Deekshith Shetty is also playing a key role in this rustic drama.

Nani has gone all out to impress in a completely rugged role to woo the masses. Has his efforts paid off? Let’s check it out:

Story and backdrop of Dasara

Dharani (Nani), Surya (Deekshith Shetty) and Vennela (Keerthy Suresh) are childhood friends. They live in Veerlapalli village in the Singareni coal belt area located in northern Telangana.

While Vennela works as a teacher, Dharani and Surya lead a carefree life and make a living by stealing coal. The money they make through illegal means is spent on Silk Bar located in their village.

The men of Veerlapalli village are so attached to Silk Bar that even village chiefs vie for control over it.

While the Silk Bar is controlled by Chinna Nambi (Shine Tom Chako) and his father (Samuthirkani), they face a challenge from Rajanna (Sai Kumar) who has an eye on the power in the village.

In the ensuing fight for power in the village and Silk Bar, Dharani and Surya stand on the side of Rajanna. This proves costly for the childhood friends and their lives are pushed into severe difficulties.

What problems do Dharani and his friends face, how do they solve them, and who is Ravanasura that needs to be conquered for the good of the village, form the heart and soul of this rustic revenge drama.

Good work by Srikanth Odela

As revealed in the trailer, Dasara is set in the backdrop of the Singareni coal belt area in the 1990s.

While its story is predictable, the way Srikanth Odela treated the whole plot makes it interesting and novel.

Related: Srikanth Odela on his directorial debut with Nani — Dasara

He should be appreciated for showcasing the rustic yesteryear village atmosphere convincingly and making use of the Telangana dialect effectively.

Though Dasara seem to be slow in some phases, with enough twists and turns, Srikanth Odela ensured that the audience is engaged all through.

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— SLV Cinemas (@SLVCinemasOffl) March 30, 2023

Nani leads the way

What stands out in Dasara is the artists’ performances. Nani leads the way in this case. He completely transforms into a rugged and mass role. We see a different Nani in Dharani’s role in this emotional drama.

Keerthy Suresh has already proved her mettle as an actress. She excels in Dasara as Vennela. From full of cheer to emotional scenes, she carries her role with poise.

The surprise package of Dasara is Deekshith Shetty. This Kannada actor gets a key role to play and he does justice to it.

Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chako shines in a negative role. Samuthirakani, Sai Kumar, and Zarina Wahab appear in supporting roles.

Just us, looking at Dharani and Vennela 🤷‍♀️#Dasara #DasaraPromotions #DasaraOnMarch30th #PromotionBreaks pic.twitter.com/iBE3WG1lKF

— Keerthy Suresh (@KeerthyOfficial) March 29, 2023

Music and technical crafts

Several songs from the movie like “Ori Vaari” and “Chamkeela Angilesi” are already hits. They are equally good when watched on screen.

But what’s more impressive is the background score. Santosh Narayanan’s songs and BGM bring Dasara to life.

Cinematographer Sathyan Sooryan ensures that this rustic period drama unravelling in Telangana backdrop is shot well.

Also Read: Director Hemanth G Nair on his upcoming flick Higuita

He is ably supported by art director Avinash Kolla.

Overall, the technical team elevates director Srikanth Odela’s vision.

Final take

Dasara is a sincere attempt by the whole team to narrate a period rustic drama in the backdrop of Telangana. Telugu audiences may connect with this film which marks Nani’s launch as a pan-Indian actor.

(Views expressed are personal.)