Watch on ‘ZEE 5’
While it’s a brave, new OTT film directed by the undaunted Anubhav Sinha ( known for hard hitting socio-political films like ‘Mulk’, ‘Article 15’ and ‘Thappad’ ), surprisingly it has not created any hype unlike the recent much promoted and highly acclaimed mega blockbuster movie for it’s hyper nationalism and jingoistic patriotism !
This when there is so much talk and chest-thumping for women’s safety, well being and empowerment that all parties are deeply concerned about but have probably skipped the heartbeat of a gut-wrenching film like ‘Assi’ that is a searing indictment of a system that has failed to protect its women across the board in their own cities, towns and villages.
Ironically, the film’s name is ‘Assi’ (or 80) that depicts the number of rape cases that occur in India every day. It highlights a, “80 per day, every day” statistic, aiming to shed light on the widespread issue of sexual violence and the failure of the justice system.
It’s still commendable that the film has been allowed to be released albeit with ‘A’ rating. With the rawness and intensely dark contours of our social fabric depicted with courage and sans any gloss, it’s a woman’s gritty fight for justice and dignity, where the cornered victim of a gang rape has her family & work life shattered and must prove her innocence. Such cases are prolonged because credible evidences & witnesses are not available or often the ones obtained are tampered or destroyed by the police authorities in collusion with influential guardians of perpetrators. And social stigma and media trial continues..
The film raises many social and moral issues but none more grave that such crimes are often committed by wards of affluent parents in powerful posts, by youth who are given education often in our so called elite schools. It’s a reflection on a wayward and immoral society that doesn’t nurture its children with the right values as good & upright citizens. The patriarchal mindset in young men must change to respect & take women as equals.
Without divulging the storyline of the film that’s also slow-burn courtroom thriller, it reminded me of two brave films : ‘Insaaf Ka Tarazu’ (1980) & ‘Aaj Ki Awaaz’ (1984) both dealing with violent rape which couldn’t deliver justice to victims and revenge in form of vigilantism becomes an answer. Yet ‘Assi’ deals the subject with realism, sensitivity and an air of helplessness, even from the judiciary which has only circumstantial evidence.
The film belongs to three brilliant and heart-rending performances – Taapase Pannu as the crusading lawyer fighting for justice, Kani Kusruti as the hapless victim who’s life turns upside down with trauma & Revathi as the reflective Judge on the chair . There are notable performances from Kumud Mishra, Mohd Zeeshan and Manoj Pahwa, A cameo from Naseeruddin was inconsequential, having played many meaty roles with aplomb !
Working on Living 