Review for DASARA:
(REVIEW BY ARUNJYOTHI R)
•Language: TELUGU
•Duration: 02 Hours 36 Minutes.
•Genre: Action Thriller.
- POSITIVES:
1: Direction
2: Performance of Nani
3: Background Score
4 Action Sequences
5: Climax fight
6: Good first half
- NEGATIVES:
1: Predictable Story
2: Average Screenplay.
3: Songs
4: Stretched second half
5: Editing
6: Second half could have been better.
•ONE WORD: Nani shines brilliantly on an average action thriller.
•STORY IDEA:
The plot of Dasara was set in the village of Veerlapalle in Godhavarikhani. Most of the men in the village are addicted to alcohol including Dharani (Nani ) and his friend Soori (Dheekshith Shetty). Vennela (Keerthi Suresh) is the Childhood crush of Dharani and Soori had fallen in love with Vennela. Vennela and Soori were loving each other where Dharani sacrificed his love for Vennela for his friend Soori .The Silk Bar was taken charge by Chinna Nambi (Shine Tom Chacko), son of Shivanna (Samuthrakani) is elected as Sarpanch. Soori and his friends had been helped by Rajanna (Sai Kumar) from a case and after this Soori and his friends will start supporting Rajanna and elect him as their Sarpanch.Soori will be killed by someone at the wedding night of Soori with Vennela. Who killed Soori and what will Dharani do after his friend’s death and what will happen to the Vennela’s life after Soori’s death are shown in the second half of the movie
•DETAILED REVIEW:
The film Dasara is directed and written by newcomer Srikanth Odela. The movie is produced by Sudhakar Cherukuri under the production company of Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Cinemas. The film is distributed by AA Films and KRG Studios and E4 Entertainments. With a running time of 156 minutes, the film is currently running in theatres with a U/A censor certificate.
What I liked most about the film Dasara is the performance of Nani, and it’s the biggest positive factor of this film. Natural Star, that’s what Nani is described as and his acting always has the grace of natural performance. His previous characters were simple but now he had tracked into a full-fledged mass character. And I would say he had done a fantastic job, I am sure the character Dharani would have been challenging for him and he had truly given his best. In the entire film, his screen presence and his energy were flawlessly flowing. He had lived into the character and his natural skills in acting were evidently seen in every single minute.
The direction was by the debutant director Srikanth Odela and he had also written the script. I liked his direction, he had neatly executed the film and as a newcomer his direction was impressive. The direction was having the right balance and proper quality, moreover how he had used the skills of Nani should be separately mentioned. It’s rare to see Nani doing a mass role, so the way the director made his character and how he presented him was beautiful. The outlook of Nani reminded me of Allu Arjun’s character in Pushpa but still while watching one will be amused by the performance of Nani. Also, the direction style was amazing, till the end Srikanth Odela managed to carry the movie on the right track and it was like a direction from an experienced filmmaker. I am sure in future he can do wonders if he is making mass masala movies.
Sadly, the script of this film was mediocre, as a scriptwriter Srikanth Odela’s writing was on an average level. The story is entirely predictable and the basic theme of the story didn’t impress me much. The story has various events and some moments that make us sit up and watch, but when the story reveals the real reason for the enmity between the hero and the villain, the whole story seems like a normal plot that we have seen before. Till then the storyline was interesting with the contents of friendship, love and political games but sadly the climax content didn’t surprise me much. As I said the story is easily predictable, so what is going to happen next can be anticipated but the screen presence of Nani won’t make anyone bored.
The screenplay had given me mixed feelings, the first was crammed with many mass moments but many scenes in the second half were stretched unwantedly and it was making my viewing experience a little dull. But the power-packed action sequences in the climax lifted my mood to a thrilling atmosphere and Nani’s outstanding fight scenes were awesome to watch. So the climax was satisfying and if the director and editor had trimmed some scenes in the second half the movie could have been better. Also, I wished the villain character played by the Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko could have been written better. If he had given more screen space with some interesting scenes the rivalry between Nani and Shine Tom Chacko would have been lifted with some more thrilling scenes. The various emotions in the screenplay had worked out well, especially the romantic scenes. The scenes between Nani and Keerthi Suresh had many good catchy moments and also the friendship scenes between Nani and Dheekshith Shetty were top-class. The political games in the film were written out lustrously and it made the first half engaging. So overall the screenplay was average and if a little more effort and some unwanted scenes were avoided the full screenplay could have been working out well.
The production design of this film was outstanding, and the premise of the village of Veerlapalle in Godhavarikhani which was shown in the film had given an authentic feel. The living conditions of the characters, the politics in the village and how the use of alcohol affects the villagers were beautifully portrayed in the film. The atmosphere of the Dusera festival and the 90s were made with proper set and artwork so the premise and happenings in the film looked real and genuine.
Keerthy Suresh as Vennela did a terrific performance, her acting in the emotional scenes was superb. And the scenes with Nani were having many good moments, also her appearance and the outlook were suited well to the character. Dheekshith Shetty as Suri also did an impressive job, his supportive character made a real impact and the combination scenes with Nani drew the feel of a real friendship. Shine Tom Chacko as Chinna Nambi did the negative villain character, and his expressions and attitude were matching for the character. Samuthirakani and P. Sai Kumar had also done complete justice to their respective supporting characters. The performance of Shamna Khasim and Surabhi Prabhavath also deserves mention.
The musical work for the film was composed by Santosh Narayanan and I was not pleased with the songs but the background score was excellent. The track “Chamkeela Angeelesi” was the only song I liked and the rest of them felt ineffective for my ears. The background score was enriched with some powerful tunes and it worked brilliantly for the emotional scenes. Also, the action sequences had a backup of good tunes to make some impact. The cinematography by Sathyan Sooryan was effective because the visuals were extremely influential to engage us. The premise of the film was captured beautifully and I was able to get a feel of the village shown in the film. The camera work in the action sequences was remarkable, the sudden movements of the camera and the different angles made the action scene attractive. I wished the editor Naveen Nooli had trimmed some scenes in the second half for a smooth watchable experience because many scenes felt stretched. The action choreographer deserves a special mention for making the climax fight special. The CGI and graphical works in the film were sadly average, and felt artificial.
•CONCLUSION:
So overall the film Dasara had given me mixed feelings, it’s a good film for a one-time watch. The performance by Nani is the primary highlight and he made this movie engaging till the end. The direction of the newcomer Srikanth Odela was impressive but his scriptwriting doesn’t raised up to the right level to make a proper impact. Still, if you are a fan of Natural Star Nani then Dasara will entertain you but it’s better to watch with fewer expectations.
- VERDICT: One-time watchable.
- RATING: 3/5
- A Review by ARUNJYOTHI. R
