Dasara movie review: Nani, Keerthy Suresh shine in visceral, visually-stunning action film let down by weak script

Dasara

Director: Srikanth Odela

Cast: Nani, Keerthy Suresh, Shine Tom Chacko, Samuthirakani, Dheekshith Shetty, Sai Kumar, and Shamna Kasim

Where to watch: Theatres

Rating: 2.5 stars

Nani’s Dasara is a film that has a lot to offer and a lot to take in for the audience. On surface, it may look like a run-of-the-mill mass action entertainer, the kinds of which we have seen regularly across languages over the years. Even the visual aesthetics will remind you of both Pushpa and KGF, the two pan-India masala successes from the last two years. However, Dasara is both similar to and different from these films. It is a lot more layered, lot more nuanced but sadly also inferior in terms of packaging and narration. The end result is a film that is entertaining but could have been so much more.

Dasara is the story of Dharani (Nani), the hero is not quite the hero. He is cowardly, doesn’t like arguments, stays drunk all the time, and is prone to act impulsively. He pees his pants at the sight of danger and freezes when his friends are attacked. He is not even the ring leader of his gang of ruffians. That is his best friend Suri (Dheekshith Shetty). It is Suri who has a commanding voice, a strong moral code, and it is Suri who gets the girl – Vennela (Keerthy Suresh). But as tragedy strikes their group, Dharani must let go of his restraints and become the hero he needs to be.

Dasara works because it presents a new-age hero who has frailties and shortcomings. Even in a masala entertainer, this hero is allowed to be scared and hold back his rage. He is allowed to have his faults and be aware of them. Yes, he has swag but only when he is drunk. Yes, he gets a whistle-worthy entry and fights but they hold the best for the last. The film also works because its supporting characters are also more nuanced. Vennela has more agency than many heroines in films of this genre. She is outspoken, independent and certainly not a damsel in distress. And yet, the film is derivative of the successes of the past, particularly films like Rangasthalam and Karnan.

The villain – Chinna Nambi played smoothly by Shine Tom Chacko – is a surprisingly weak character despite the actor’s best efforts. It will remind you of Pushpa’s Shekhawat more often than you’d like. It is a shame that in a film where most characters are layered, the villain is largely unidimensional.

There is a lot going for Dasara, most importantly the focus on world building and emphasis on visual imagery. The film is set in the 90s and early 2000s in Veerlapally, a small village nestled in the middle of the coal mines. With a constant dint of ash in the air, blackened faces, and the right usage of filter, Dasara transports you both to the region and the era. The visuals of Dussehra festivities and some of the fight sequences are also aesthetically shot, making the film tolerable even in parts where it lags. Solid background score from Santhosh Narayanan is like a cherry on top.

But then there is the issue with the pacing. The film lacks cohesive storytelling and starts and stops every now and then. There will be times when you will be able to predict what is to happen and the film will look like a throwback to many successful films from the genre that you have seen before. The biggest sin on its part is that the first 20 minutes seem like a drag. The world is engaging but the build up to it is not.

Nani plays his part well. It is not one of his best performances but it is one of the better ones in the genre. Keerthy Suresh, as always is fabulous, and delivers arguably the best performance in the film. Any other actress may have reduced the role to the usual damsel-in-distress but she elevates it far beyond that. Shine Tom Chacko gives his best too and makes a weakly written villain more formidable than he ought to be.

Dasara is a brave attempt. It brings a hero who has more faults than you can count, a heroine who not only has agency but also does not cower down, and a world that feels fresh yet relatable. But it is also a case of ‘what could have been’. The songs, which are essential in this genre, are not catchy at all. Everybody was humming Srivalli. Not many would be able to name three songs from Dasara. Perhaps Srikant Odela will learn from this. He is a first-time director after all. The hope is that his filmography will only take an upwards trajectory from here on.