Sathish Babu Ratakonda

Jathara (2024) drags you straight into the tangled mess of a small, rural Indian village, where tradition’s got a death grip on everyone’s throat and secrets just won’t stay buried. Sathish Babu Ratakonda doesn’t play it safe—he throws you into a world that’s raw, sticky with tension, and honestly kinda hypnotic. The story centers on a local festival, but, man, it’s not all color and song. Underneath the drums and rituals, there’s a boiling stew of family rivalries, old wounds, and the sort of politics that’d make your grandma swear. The main character—torn between what his family expects and what he actually wants—keeps getting pulled deeper into this chaotic, almost claustrophobic drama. Add in a forbidden romance, a power-hungry priest, and some old lady who knows everybody’s business, and you’ve got a recipe for absolute chaos. Every time you think you’ve got it figured out, someone drops a bombshell secret or does something wild at the festival bonfire, and suddenly, the whole village is buzzing with gossip and suspicion. There’s this weird beauty in the way the movie looks at old customs—like, sure, they’re comforting, but they can also trap you. People wrestle with faith, betrayal, and the sheer pressure to keep up appearances. By the time the festival ends, nobody’s walking away clean. If you’re after something that’ll punch you right in the feelings and make you rethink the whole idea of tradition, Jathara’s the movie to watch.