‘Murugaa’ Ashok in 4554, a Dr. Karnan Mariappan directorial is about One Day in a Call Taxi Driver’s Life

Ashok says – this film is genuinely a tribute to the dedicated Driver whose contribution we tend to take for granted.

Its a journey of helping the passenger reach his destination against all odds despite the physical & emotional turmoils en route, the personal and professional commitments etc., to an extent where at a stage its not about winning an arguement, but winning one’s heart and completing the task at hand and also going a notch higher beyond stipulated duty and that is where humanity triumphs.

There have been films where the protagonist is a Driver but the plot of the story would be something else.
However 4554 celebrates and glorifies the Driver in all purity.

I loved living the role. I asked the actual driver/owner to relax and be a passenger (customer is King, isnt it?) saying he does it all the time, so please take a little break ‘coz you deserve one. I told him you be the Arjuna, I will be your Parthasarathy – Krishna the charioteer/driver.
A beautiful coincidence is that my on-screen debut happened to be Ramanand Sagar’s teleserial ‘Sri Krishna’ where I was the little Krishna dancing on the Kaliya Serpent and lifting the Govardhan Mountain.

Infact Ashok had won the Best Child Actor Award from Uptrons in 94-95 and received it from the Legendary Late Actor Ashok Kumar with whom he shares his name as well.

So literally I was the one driving the taxi from location to location, back to production office and home and living the life of a Call Taxi Driver.
No Caravans, No Make Up and sometimes, No Food too… Just Duty!
That reminds me, I need to take my Driver Bata, apart from my pending remuneration from the Producer!

Realised that working round the clock is not just an Actor but also a Call Taxi Driver amongst other professions like Doctors, Engineers or even the PM or CM for that matter.

Saying this coz being a Driver is no simple job and not everybody’s cup of tea.

It was like I was living my life as a Driver and a camera was just shooting it. Its that realistic a travel.

Ashok has worked in different genre films like his debut Murugaa, Pidichirukku, Kozhi Koovuthu, Gangs of Madras, Kadhal Solla Aasai,.. to name a few.
Ashok whose 2022 releases have been Vidiyadha Iravondru Vendum, Bestie, Mayathirai and now 4554, says exploring characters and living lives is a fun process.
The seasoned theatre actor played strong negative leads in Chithiram Paesudhadi 2 opposite Radhika Apte and his performance in the webseries Kuruthi Kalam on MXPlayer as the eccentric flamboyant villain ‘Item Kumar’ surprised the audience and gained him lots of accolades.

This Nrithyamayur awardee’s next release is Maya-Puthagam which is a Fantasy Thriller which showcases his talents as a Classical Dancer too.

Ashok also received the Honorary Doctorate for his journey in the field of Performing Arts and Holistic Wellness from the Malaysia-South India Chamber of Commerce (MSICC).

Ashok accepts it with all grace and feels humbled, but drops the ‘Dr. Ashok Kumar Balakrishnan’ tag when it comes to his screen name & is fondly known as ‘Murugaa’ Ashok after his maiden film.

His Fitness and Wellness Programme is called ‘Freak-a-thon with Ashok Kumar’ and he calls himself a “Freakaholic”!

Ashok is currently dubbing for Director Laxmi Ramakrishnan’s film and says, though its a little cameo, ‘Tyagi’ will surprise you.
It was a pleasure working with the intuitive director.

Other films in the pipeline are the multi-lingual E-mail, Magarandha Kolaigal and a web series in Hindi, details of which he chooses to keep on hold until the official announcement.

Best wishes to the Actor and wishing him more success in his forthcoming endeavours.