Unless you are living under a rock, there is no way that you have resisted yourself from going back in time, to the fictional town of Dharmapuri. The latest ZEE5 Original, Gods Of Dharmapuri, has been the talk of the town and is truly a web-series that has changed the game for Telugu OTT content. We list our top 10 scenes from the 10-episode series, check it out.

During the first 35 mins of the show, the story goes on without the protagonist speaking. Finally, when he speaks he tells his son on a Ferris wheel, “If you close your eyes and look below, you’ll be scared. Open your eyes and look out, the town will be under you.”

Pratap thinks he is the most powerful, but he has a boss. And that boss has to bow down to someone else. The show teaches us that power is not a destination. It’s an endless ladder with someone standing at every step.

It takes two lives and some extreme moves and a whole lot of gut for Pratap to find his ground. It’s gripping and engaging. You might not like him but you’ll be on his journey alongside. You realise that he doesn’t bow down in the face of adversities. Spoiler alert: though that proves to be his death knell eventually, we realise that it’s always good to stand up and fight for your right.

DN Reddy is the man who controls the town of Dharmapuri. He is wheelchair-bound and can barely talk aloud. Yet he is the man who has the most control. Lesson learnt: you need to have intelligence to be powerful, not just muscles.

Ravi’s personal theatre runs shows as and when he likes. More often than not, he is busy watching Bruce Lee films on the 70mm screen. It is this very theatre and its closed doors that turn into war field, conference room and brainstorming place. Not only people, places too have character and need to change with time.

In the sixth episode, Venu, Ravi and their friend Pasha are out for a hunt and chase. They succeed but not before escaping an unexpected attack from the enemy. The rage in this scene truly comes out of the screen and hits you hard. While Venu plays a cunning young man who prefers non-violence, in this particular scene, he goes all out, thereby proving that when push comes to shove and if it’s your loved one at risk, you will stop at nothing to save them.

A night before Venu and Swapna’s wedding, a drunk Venu lands up at Swapna’s place and asks her to meet him right away. Back in the 70s, this must have been a great deal of rebellion. But hey, all’s fair in love and war. In the series, Venu is shown as someone who isn’t too expressive, especially towards Swapna, who has been madly in love with him. But in this scene, he sheds his inhibitions and challenges  her for a dare, just one of the signs that he too loves her and is struck by her innocence.

For the longest time, Ravi was a young boy who was full of violence, outrage and lustful. After his mother chides him and his elder brother Venu, makes his understand, he gradually transforms. Eventually, he falls in love with a simple girl, who is a far cry from his earlier ‘conquests’. It shows that true love is innocent and can make you feel like a child again grinning from ear to ear.

*No Spoiler* At one point, Chalapathi, Pratap’s honest and loyal companion, breaks down into tears because he feels broken inside when someone dies. The way he cries out aloud is so strong that it will move the strongest heart to tears. Message given that sometimes, it’s better to shed your inhibitions and cry your lungs out when you are extremely sad. You not only feel lighter but also a better perspective about things.

In the end, the old reigns fall down and youngsters start to carve a new reality. The last episode proves the universal thing that nothing is permanent, change is the only constant. We need to change with the times and make some tough decisions in order to survive. Let us know what were your biggest takeaways from the series.

For more, check out Season 1 of Kailasapuram on ZEE5.