The Rise of Ashoka (2026)

The Rise of Ashoka (2026) is set in the village of Avarati near Mysuru, where the local barber community lives under an exploitative system controlled by a powerful middleman who monopolizes their livelihood and keeps them subjugated through fear and economic coercion. Ashoka, a young man from this community, grows up largely unaware of the depth of this oppression, as his focus is on education and his personal ambition to secure a government job, particularly as a revenue officer. His aspirations are supported by his father, who makes significant sacrifices to fund Ashoka’s education, believing it to be a path out of generational hardship.