Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja’s Music for a Marathi Film, ‘Dhasal’!

The much-awaited biographical film Dhasal is based on the life of Dalit Panther founder and rebel poet #NamdeoDhasal and has generated considerable curiosity since its announcement. On the occasion of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar’s 135th birth anniversary, the makers unveiled a grand poster of the film at a large public event in Mumbai and officially confirmed the release date. The film will hit cinemas on 1 October 2026 in both Marathi and Hindi.

#LalitPrabhakar plays Namdeo Dhasal in the film, and his intense first‑look as Dhasal—already revealed in the poster—has drawn special attention. The film is presented by Sanjay Pandey and The Bioscope Films and produced by Varuna Madanlal Rana. It is written and directed by Varuna Rana, with powerful dialogues by Pratap Gangawane. Veteran makeup artist Shrikant Desai is responsible for transforming Lalit Prabhakar into Namdeo Dhasal on screen. The film promises a realistic portrayal of Namdeo Dhasal’s fiery and struggle‑filled life, his role in the Dalit Panther movement, and his relentless fight against injustice and exploitation.

Through Varuna Rana’s writing and direction and Gangawane’s dialogues, the movie will depict how Dhasal’s pen sparked revolution and shook the social conscience with his radical ideas. The makers describe the film not just as the story of a poet, but as a document of a movement, a current of thought, and a battle against oppression that will unsettle viewers, force them to question, and perhaps turn them inward.

Director Varuna Rana has called Namdeo Dhasal not merely a personality but a provocative idea, and says bringing his struggles, rebellious poetry, and socially challenging stance to the screen is a major creative challenge. She explains that Dhasal aims to carry the fire of his ideas to today’s generation and to let audiences experience the storm he represented.

Lalit Prabhakar has said that his biggest challenge was to look like Namdeo Dhasal and that, after intense efforts by Varuna Rana and makeup artist Shrikant Desai, Dhasal’s wife Mallika Dhasal herself remarked during the first look trial, “This is exactly how Namdeo looked!”, which reassured the team. He also shares that the role allowed him a closer understanding of Dhasal’s revolutionary yet poetic spirit, which he considers an honour to portray. Music and producer’s view
The film’s music is composed by legendary South Indian composer Ilaiyaraaja, with lyrics by noted Hindi lyricist Irshad Kamil and Marathi lyricist Guru Thakur.

According to producer Sanjay Pandey, Padma Shri Namdeo Dhasal was like a storm: a Panther whose words burned with rebellion, who gave new life to an oppressed Dalit community, and who was among the first to give Marathi literature a global reach. Pandey calls Dhasal’s life story a burning torch and says producing a film on him is both his privilege and his greatest challenge, and that the movie will be a special event for Dhasal’s admirers, students, and activists in India and abroad.

By Keerti Kadam