Saarathi

Saarathi (Kannada: ಸಾರಥಿ, English: Charioteer) is a 2011 Indian Kannada romance action film written and directed by Dinakar Thoogudeep. It stars Darshan and debutante Deepa Sannidhi in the lead roles. V. Harikrishna scored for the film's background and its soundtrack, lyrics for which was penned by V. Nagendra Prasad.

The film released theatrically on 30 September 2011 when the Darshan was under judicial custody for alleged domestic violence against his wife, Vijayalakshmi. After initial denial, the makers admitted in February 2012 that the film was inspired from the 1994 film The Lion King. It received three awards at the 2011 Karnataka State Film Awards, including the Best Entertaining Movie.

Plot

The story revolves around Raja (Darshan), an auto-rickshaw driver, who falls in love with Rukmini (Deepa Sannidhi). But she has an enemy in Pratap (played by Ajay), a relative who wants to marry her, and takes her to his hometown - Durgakote. Raja follows her to the place and finds that she hails from the family of palegars who rule the place. The story takes a turn when Raja finds that Rukmini is the daughter of his father's sister. The movie ends with action sequences.