We’ve all seen heist films. The ones in which there’s a gang that makes elaborate plans to loot a bank and make off with the money, leading luxurious lives, till someone manages to track them down.
Asuraguru is a thriller-heist film of sorts... the difference is that there’s no gang. There’s no elaborate planning that’s shown. All we know is that Shakti (Vikram Prabhu) is well-skilled in the ‘art’ of executing a crime; in fact, the film begins with an elaborate train sequence ala Thiruda Thiruda that has Shakti looting off a large amount of freshly-printed currency notes.
The art is in quotes for a reason: much into the film, a detective (Mahima Nambiar) even comments on how good this thief is. Shakti doesn’t leave any traces, and he knows his technology.
- Cast: Vikram Prabhu, Mahima Nambiar, Yogi Babu, Jagan
- Director: A Raajdheep
- Storyline: Why does a man keep attempting high-profile robberies?
But what does he do with the money he successfully loots off on three different occasions? That’s the moot question in Asuraguru. While the protagonist’s ‘motive’ is admittedly unique, Asuraguru does not quite explore it to the hilt. Director Raajdheep veers into sub-plots — replete with Yogi Babu’s not-so-funny comedy and Mahima Nambiar’s characterisation — that have weak links with the main plot. There’s also an attempt at a twist of sorts in the end, but it isn’t exactly that will make you jump up and take notice.
Vikram Prabhu’s choice of scripts in his career have been mildly interesting, but Asuraguru’ s over-the-top action sequences and tepid flashback sequences do not contribute to that space. As a lady detective solving a case linked to the main case, Mahima Nambiar gets some solid screenspace, but contributes little, save for the scene in which she is exasperated at the protagonist. Comedian Jagan pitches in, but that does not save Asuraguru from its weak cinematic pursuit.
