‘Dharmasthala Niyojakavargam’ review: A meaningful political drama with a strong social message

Rating: 3/5

Dharmasthala Niyojakavargam is a socially relevant political drama that brings together politics, education, student issues and social responsibility into an engaging narrative. Not limited to the happenings of one constituency, the film tries to address wider concerns affecting students, parents and society. Let’s get into the detailed review.

Story

Bhairaj (Sai Kumar) has had an uninterrupted political career, winning seven consecutive elections as the MLA of Dharmasthala constituency. Despite being in power for years, his contribution towards the constituency's development is minimal. His political dominance faces an unexpected challenge as Eshwaraiah (Suman), an ordinary tea-shop owner, enters the electoral battle and defeats him.

The story unravels the reason why Eshwaraiah decides to get into politics, the mystery surrounding his son Badri's (Nataraj) death and why lecturer Arundhathi's (Vithika Sheru) fight for students and society is important. The film also touches on issues of problems in the education system, drug abuse among youngsters and the growing influence of money in politics.

Performances

Sai Kumar delivers a commanding performance as Bhairaj, making the political leader's authority and attitude convincing. Suman also offers an equally strong counterpoint with his dignity, emotion and determination as Eshwaraiah. Vithika Sheru gets one of the film's most significant roles and performs effectively as Arundhathi. Nataraj makes a confident Telugu debut as Badri and manages his role with impressive maturity. Rayamcha Kokkura is natural as his love interest and fellow student while Kasturi makes an impact in her first negative role. Varun Sandesh, Rajeev Kanakala, Shiva, Shafi, Raja Ravindra, Prithvi and Kalakeya Prabhakar contribute well in supporting roles.

Technicalities

Debutant director Jai Gnana Prabha Thota deserves kudos for choosing a challenging and socially meaningful subject. He successfully links the political and education-based tracks and manages a sizeable ensemble cast. Chandrabose's lyrics are among the film's biggest strengths as they complement the narrative rather than simply being songs. Mahaveer Ellandhar's music and background score fit the situations well. Cinematographer Venkata Hanuma captures the political, college and emotional sequences well while Saibabu Talari's editing keeps the proceedings neat. Aslam's dialogues add weight to the political and social portions of the flick, and Bhargavachari Noundla's art direction supports the film's setting effectively. Producer Merum Bhaskar deserves credit for backing a content-driven project.

Analysis

The biggest strength of Dharmasthala Niyojakavargam is its intention. The film touches on topics of politics, education, students, drug abuse and social responsibility without resorting to vulgarity and unnecessary controversy. Its focus on women's determination and the strength of teachers and education as a whole is a welcomed theme.

Overall, Dharmasthala Niyojakavargam is a socially relevant political drama that is supported by strong performances and good technical elements. It is not a typical commercial entertainer, but the clean presentation, strong message and sincerity of the story make it

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suhas Sistu

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Suhas Sistu, born in a family with education background, brought up with good principles and education. Though, coming from Engineering backdrop, his love towards language and passion towards cinema made him to pursue career in film journalism. Started his career as a freelance content writer for some Youtube channels, he later joined HANS India as a translator. From translator to Reporter/Sr. Sub-Editor, his journey is continuing in our organisation.

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