Dhandoraa

Murali Kanth Devasoth's 2025 Telugu film takes place over a single day in a remote village. Shivaji, an upper-caste man, dies, and four people respond to that death differently. The film gives the four views in turn. For some the death is a burden, for others an opportunity; the narrative shows the daily working of the caste order in those differences and offers no explanation. The cast speak in local dialect. The production is small and the setting narrow. The tone is dry, with no melodrama. Who it's for: viewers of independent Indian cinema and films that take up caste. Who it's not for: viewers unfamiliar with the context; the film proceeds without explaining the local order.