At the beginning of the film, a clipping of the movie Om is shown, in homage to the ‘first ever Kannada film to portray the underworld in a realistic manner.’ True, the Shivanna starrer set a benchmark in showcasing life of the underworld in Bangalore.

But the clipping also serves to show how far filmmakers have come in abusing viewer sensibilities under the guise of realistic portrayal.

Mindless violence, half-hearted characterisation and scenes that seem to have escaped saner minds all make up Agrahara, a name that is difficult to be linked to its story.

Drawing heavily from real-life incidents and characters, the director who is also the script and dialogue writer, dishes out crude fare, pausing only in a song to allow the cameraman to provide some relief.

What could have been a gripping narration of an oft-told story — an innocent boy getting sucked into the vortex of crime — falls flat with its hastily thought-out climax. Of the actors, Kishore as Auto Manoja is effortless.
The heroine is wasted as her character is not developed at all.

A launch pad for the hero, Agrahara showcases Arya’s eventual ease with the camera, but his curly mop gets in the way of discerning the range of his emoting skills.

There is cause to worry, however. A young boy appearing not more than 12 years, plunges a knife deep into a don’s rectum during the climax, before getting killed.

If this is ‘reality’, then it is not to be wondered that exploitation of children is getting pushed to the background these days. With the Censor Board washing its hands off, the answer seems to lie elsewhere.