Dasara 2023

In 2009, Dharani, Nani, is a young ruffian who steals coal for a living and lives with his grandmother in Veerlapally, where the women of the village endure hardship under the heavy influence of alcohol. He spends most of his time with his best friends, Siddham “Suri” Suryam, Dheekshith Shetty, and Vennela, Keerthy Suresh. Dharani loves Vennela since childhood, but he soon learns that Suri and Vennela are in love as well, and he chooses to sacrifice his own happiness to unite them. Vennela’s mother Ramanamma, Jhansi, rejects their relationship because of Suri’s involvement in stealing coal.

Dharani devises a plan to advance Suri’s future by arranging his marriage to Vennela. He wins a local cricket match to help secure Suri a cashier position at the famous Silk bar, a move tied to a village political push led by Thurpugutta Shivanna’s son, Chinna Nambi, [Shine Tom Chacko]. Dharani and Suri clash with Chinna Nambi’s supporters at the bar, causing extensive damage to the establishment. The incident leads to Dharani and his friends being arrested, but Shivanna’s step-brother Rajanna, [Sai Kumar], bails them out and counsels them to stay away from village politics. Yet Suri urges Rajanna to contest the sarpanch elections, and Rajanna eventually agrees.

Rajanna rides to victory by rallying the village’s women to vote for the first time, and Dharani is appointed as Deputy sarpanch under Rajanna. Suri’s marriage to Vennela is fixed as part of the political deal. On the day of the wedding, Suri learns of Dharani’s deep love for Vennela and his selfless sacrifice, and he is heartbroken. As Suri travels with Dharani and their friends to meet at the bar, a mysterious gang launches an attack. Several of Dharani’s friends are killed, while another collapses from a stroke. Dharani is injured during the chase, and Suri escapes with him on a bicycle; in the escape, Suri is beheaded, a blow that devastates Dharani and Vennela.

Driven by vengeance, Dharani begins investigating the death and uncovers that Chinna Nambi was behind Suri’s demise. Chinna Nambi’s wife Vadinamma, [Poorna], reveals that her husband lusts after Vennela and killed Suri when he learned of their relationship, not merely because he opposed the match. Armed with this knowledge, Dharani resolves to protect Vennela and marries her during the 11th-day funeral rites of Suri. Initially, Vennela greets the marriage with resentment, seeing it as forced, but her feelings gradually shift as Dharani’s devotion becomes evident.

On Dasara, Chinna Nambi confronts Vennela and reveals his involvement in Suri’s death, alongside Dharani’s unwavering devotion to her, a truth that shocks Vennela. During Ravana Dahanam, Chinna Nambi’s hired gang—still bent on harming Dharani and his remaining friends—close in, but Dharani and his loyal circle manage to defeat them just as the police arrive to arrest the group. Dharani publicly exposes Chinna Nambi’s complicity in Suri’s death, underscoring the motive behind the crime. In a climactic moment, Dharani decapitates Chinna Nambi in front of the entire village, avenging Suri’s death. Dharani and his friends are subsequently imprisoned.

Seven years pass and Dharani and his companions return to the village after finishing their sentence. He finds that the women are still suffering due to alcohol’s hold on the community and that the men have not changed despite the earlier reckoning. Realizing that alcohol will continue to ruin lives, Dharani takes a drastic stand by setting the Silk bar on fire in a dramatic display before the entire village. Vennela runs toward the blaze, and the two share a long-awaited, heartfelt reunion, acknowledging the sacrifices they made and the hope for a new beginning.