Asuraguru Movie Review: Vikram Prabhu Stars In A Heist Film That Is An Explosion Of Ridiculousness

Director: A Raajdheep

Cast: Vikram Prabhu, Mahima Nambiar, Yogi Babu, Jagan

When we first see Shakti (Vikram Prabhu), he's jumping off a bridge onto the top of a train. There's no tension on his face or worry of falling. If you look closely, you can almost see the outline of the green screen in the background. In a second, he torches the ceiling and jumps in to steal an insane amount of money. Is he happy or relieved? Is he Robin Hood or just a thief with no moral compass? Is Vikram Prabhu really invested in this movie or just sleepwalking through it? I can only answer the last question.

Asuraguru is a heist film but the only thing it really steals is our patience. Its director has big plans for the film. He wants a razor-sharp chase involving a sports bike and a car, he wants an explosion scene right in the middle of a flower market and he wants a bank robbery that uses a sophisticated green liquid that helps collapse an entire wall. But why do you plan for such visually extravagant shots when you just don't have the budget for it? Why try to make Oceans 11 when you can only afford Ocean One And A Half?

The problem isn't just with a screenplay that's too ambitious for its budget, it's the screenplay itself. Everything is a coincidence. So, Shakti accidentally runs into the film's heroine Dia (Mahima Nambiar) as he delivers a courier. The heroine then accidentally runs into Shakti when he's busy stealing money. The cop tailing Shakti then accidentally runs into both of them on several occasions, and then there's a money launderer who accidentally ends up wherever money is being stolen.

Dia is the only interesting character in the film. She rides a bike, smokes, is a detective and tells off a creepy man who checks her out. But the second she meets Shakti and realises that he's troubled, she stubs the butt and starts 'fixing' him.

Almost everything else is a blur with laughable twists. For instance, Yogi Babu's character has to listen to a line such as 'Nee seepu pona chimpanzee madhiri irukka'. There's also a racy background score that sounds suspiciously like Thupakki's. But, how much more can you expect from a film that copies its title font from Anjaan's?