The movie poster.
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Movie review: Assi
Cast: Kani Kusruti, Taapsee Pannu, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Naseeruddin Shah and Revathi.
Director: Anubhav Sinha
Rating: 8/10
ASSI means 80, hence the title, from the statistics which say that there are 80 rape cases reported across India every day. Director Anubhav Sinha does not let the viewer forget this by flashing a bright red slide full screen every 20 minutes throughout the movie.
The movie is set against the backdrop of a gang rape by a group of young men against a teacher, wife and mother Parima (Kani Kusruti) on her way home.
Taapsee Pannu is superb as the lawyer, Raavi, who is trying to find justice for Parima against huge challenges in a male-dominated society.
Sinha addresses a range of social challenges in India today of misguided youth influenced by social media; corruption in the police force; unscrupulous lawyers defending clearly guilty clients; misogyny and gender violence; and crime in general as the plot unfolds. He does this in an interesting way through the eyes of a young boy witnessing all this trauma almost silently.
Kani matches Pannu's performance all the way as the victim.
The supporting cast of Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as her supportive husband, Vinay; veterans Naseeruddin Shah, and especially one-time leading lady in Tamil cinema Revathi as the judge in the case; Kumud Mishra as a vengeful friend with a chip on his shoulder; Jatin Goswami as a police inspector with a conscience; and Manoj Pahwa as the father of one of the perpetrators; all have good roles.
No dances or songs for diversion and no comic relief scenes makes Assi a serious movie with only two situational background songs. The plot and carefully-crafted script give the cast ample opportunity to show their talents, with soliloquys by several, especially Pannu in the climax, making the movie worth a watch. Look out for a sudden surprise in the end.