In Indian villages, land is more than soil. It holds memory, lineage, authority, and fear. It decides who can speak, who must obey, and who remains invisible. Why do laborers believe that ownership is a story they cannot tell? How does dignity become conditional, judged not by effort but by birth? Landlordset in 1980s Kolar, immerses us in a village where laws exist on paper while customs dictate lives. Fields are inherited, disputes are settled in panchayats that prioritise prestige over people, and suppressed anger eventually erupts. Jadeshaa K Hampi’s rustic drama film does not glorify rebellion. It confronts the hard truth of power and questions why respect and rights are privileges of the few.
Kodali Rachayya (Duniya Vijay), once from Ramadurga and now a daily-wage worker in Hulidurga, holds a quietly dangerous dream: cultivating his own two acres. In a system built on inherited dominance, even having aspirations is defiance. Vijay balances raw physicality with weary resignation. His fists may fly, but the exhaustion marked on his face from decades of being told where he belongs lingers longer than any punches. His command of the Kolar dialect roots the character both geographically and socially, making his struggle feel immediate and real.
Director: Jadeshaa K Hampi
Cast: Vijay Kumar, Raj B Shetty, Rachita Ram, Rithnya Vijay, Umashree, Shishir, Rakesh Adiga, Abhi Das, Bhavana Rao, and Gopal Krishna Deshpande
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