Film: Aarakshaka (Kannada)Director: P VasuCast: Upendra, Ragini, SadaRating: *1/2

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Nothing but Upendra’s role in Aarakshaka was revealed until its release. Director P Vasu’s track record of belting out hits had got everyone even more curious about the plot. So what was all that secrecy about?

Arun Kumar (Uppi) dreams of becoming a police officer. So his joy knows no bounds when he is appointed as a cop and sent to a mental asylum to investigate the case of a missing patient. The doctors however are not forthcoming about the patient and it is up to Arun to figure out the truth. It is in this over-zealous attempt to solve the mystery that the hyper active cop leaves you with many clues about the plot that is to unfold.

A psychological disorder remains the crux of the story. But it is not long before you spot the problem with sufficient assistance from over the top performances and flashback sequences that you are taken to time and again. Sada’s homely performance or Ragini’s glamourous doctor avatar don’t help in lifting the story either. Gurukiran’s songs, even the one that opposes corruption, add little value. The saving grace however is the cinematography in the song Kalli kalli.... Vasu this time even seems to have run out of the luck that the letter ‘Aa’ had brought him in the case of Aapthamitra and Aaptharakshaka. Aarakshaka is not a film that is beyond your imagination more so if you have watched Shutter Island!