Palasa 1978 is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language period action thriller film written and directed by Karuna Kumar in his directorial debut.

[4][5] The film is set in 1970s in Palasa, a town in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and revolves around the incidents related to caste discrimination and untouchability.

Rakshith, who was last seen in London Babulu (2017), was signed to play the lead role after he consulted short film director Karuna Kumar.

Award-winning editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao who worked for popular franchise Baahubali and film like Eega, Yamadonga, Magadheera, handled the editing production.

Yogesh Maitreya of Firstpost wrote that "Historically, Indian cinema exploited the labour of Dalits in its making, whilst erasing or appropriating their stories.

When their stories were told on screen, it would be by savarnas who also played their characters with patriarchal, sexist and casteist undertones.

Raghu Kunche truly does an outstanding job of staying true to the time, era and story that the film aims to explore.

"[21] The Times of India gave the film four out of five stars and wrote that "Highlighting the casteist nature of the state and mainstream politics, Palasa has a reference to many atrocities committed on Dalits across the country".

[22] A review in Sakshi appreciated director Karuna Kumar's attempt in picking up a sensitive subject like caste and opined that he succeeded in making the film appealing to all types of audiences.

Telugu cinema, even it has been talking about caste oppression in the recent past, has largely been averse to stories that are explicitly political.

So, to see a film that talks about caste-based oppression and its many complexities organically, without hiding behind happy endings and generic philosophies is refreshing to watch, warts and all.

"[24] Jeevi of Idlebrain.com wrote that "Palasa 1978 is a realistic film that deals with the caste divide in the 80's in the backward region of Uttarandhra.

The debutant director Karuna Kumar has tried to narrate it with utmost genuinity by adding some commercial touch.