The Rise of Ashoka trailer: Will Sathish Ninasam’s Ashoka’s dream of becoming a revenue officer come true?

The Rise of Ashoka is Sathish Ninasam’s most ambitious project to date. A tale of oppression and the fight for equality, the film will be in theatres on February 27 in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.

Sathish Ninasam in The Rise of Ashoka

Sathish Ninasam’s The Rise of Ashoka, which was earlier called Ashoka Blade, is finally set for its theatrical release, following delays owing to the demise of the director, Vinod Dondale. The film was eventually completed by editor Manu Shedgar and will hit theatres on February 27, 2026 in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu. The multi-lingual release, Sathish says, is because audiences in those markets can relate to the subject.

What is The Rise of Ashoka about?

A trailer was released on February 18, which, in its 3 minute run-time, provided more than just a glimpse into what to expect, but also revealed quite a bit of the plot. As per the trailer, Sathish’s Ashoka hails from a lowly barber community, but is one of the more educated ones, who aims to get into government service, rather than follow the family ‘occupation’. He’s got his sight set firmly on becoming a revenue officer. That, of course, does not sit well with the local landlord, who is willing to go to any length to ensure that the downtrodden remain downtrodden.

But how long will they endure this oppression? When push comes to shove, they revolt, and that charge is led by Ashoka. The Rise of Ashoka also stars Saptami Gowda, Sampath Maithreya, Dragon Manju, B Suresha. Gopal Krishna Deshpande, Yash Shetty, P Ravishankar, among others. Music is by Poornachandra Tejaswi.

In a recent conversation with OTTplay, Sathish had discussed the film’s oppression and fight for equality theme, but underplayed it, stating that The Rise of Ashoka is a commercial film that has a socially relevant theme. The discussion had come up in connection with the underperformance of Duniya Vijay’s Landlord, which is also a period film around a similar subject.

Also read: Sathish Ninasam on The Rise of Ashoka: It would be unfair to dub the film as a tale of oppression | Exclusive

Sathish was vehement that his film had ample doses of romance, drama and action and is not singularly focused on the fight against oppression. The Tamil and Telugu versions will release simultaneously with the Kannada original.

The Rise of Ashoka FAQs

Q. What was The Rise of Ashoka called initially?

A. The Rise of Ashoka was initially titled Ashoka Blade, which, leading man Sathish Ninasam thought did not suit the narrative and then changed it.

Q. Why was The Rise of Ashoka delayed in the making?

A. The Rise of Ashoka's director Vinod passed away during the making, leading to production being stalled for a while. Much later, the film's editor stepped in and wrapped up the filming.

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