Ashoka - Kannada Movie Review

Image via WikipediaAction Packed Story of modern day Robin Hood

I try and watch Kannada movies on Youtube and other online sources as and when I have some spare time on hand. I have noticed that while the overall quality of the movies are getting better there are still many many formula-based movies in Sandalwood. I wish the directors stopped making these movies, this will give a fillip to the industry and enhance the reputation of our state.

Anyway this movie also follows the typical storyline. A poor lowly police constable dreams of making his only son an IPS officer. The son Ashok (Shivrajkumar) is also a very straightforward, law abiding, diligent student and active in NCC and other extra curricular activities. The hero Ashok gets into trouble with the underworld just before becoming an IPS officer and his father throws him out of the house.

Enraged Ashoka becomes an underworld Don and starts getting into all kinds of businesses: Real estate, transport, extortion, kidnapping, etc. You name it and Ashoka is the king in that industry, but he is slowly and surely eliminating all the existing rowdy elements. At the end of the movie like in almost all Indian movies there is a huge confrontation between Ashoka and the real underworld Dons and it is anybody's guess who wins.

There is some emotional drama when Ashoka's father comes to know his son's true identity from the police officers who are pleased with Ashoka's work without a uniform or authority. There is a family reunion and of course the reason for the confrontation is Ashoka's girlfriend who discovers a scandal and reports on it. Will anybody make a movie in India without a heroine and few duets??? No way... similarly Ashoka also has two heroines and there are some suet songs and an orgy song :)... Ashoka dances and sings with two heroines instead of one.

My final verdict on this movie is - pass it unless you have a lot of time on hand. Shivrajkumar has delivered much better performances and has acted in movies with great storylines - go watch them.