He has been hailed as the next big thing of Mollywood and with the release of Asuravithu, actor Asif Ali has lots at stake.
The media has been going on comparing him with Prithviraj and Asif added to this with some controversial statements on those lines.
But with Asuravithu opening to mixed response at the box office, the obvious question is that can Asif Ali live up to all the expectations and hype?
Asif was launched as a baddie in Shyama Prasad’s Rithu and later, among his many films only Siby Malayil’s Apoorvaragam and Sathyan Anthikkad’s Kadha Thudarunnu (Asif played a guest role) had an okay run at the ticket windows.
The saving grace for him was the Aashiq Abu hit Salt N’ Pepper and to a certain extent, Rajesh Pillai’s Traffic in which he had a brief role.
Meanwhile, the debacle of Nishad’s Best of Luck, Rajesh Kannamkara’s Ithu Nammude Katha, Joshiy’s Sevenes and Siby Malayil’s Violin raised serious questions on his credentials as a solo hero. It is at this juncture that the performance of Asuravithu becomes crucial for the actor.
There is a funny coincidence here as well. Asuravithu is a sequel to the 2002 hit Stop Violence, which had Prithviraj as the hero.
His character was that of a criminal nicknamed Saathaan and Asif plays Saathaan’s son in Asuravithu. So, who’s going to be the winner – Saathaan or his son?