Imagine an opportunity, where you have a chance to cover the true nature of the holy city of Varanasi. You have some of the finest actors with you on this project, who can bring life to a dead script. You also have a director, who has given us one of the most memorable television series that is still remembered for its noble tribute to one of the finest brains of India i.e Chanakya.
Despite that, ‘Mohalla Assi’ fails to score big on an opportunity to depict how a neighborhood dealt with a turbulent time of the Indian politics, especially during the Ram Janmbhoomi movement of the 90s.
The Plot :
Directed by Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, and starring Sunny Deol, Sakshi Tanwar, Mukesh Tiwari, Ravi Kishan, Akhilendra Mishra, this movie is adapted from the popular Hindi novel ‘Kashi ka Assi’, written by Dr. Kashinath Singh.
The movie, as per the novel, revolves around the time from 1988 to 1998, and how the Indian politics affected the lives of the residents of Assi Ghat in Varanasi, especially ‘Shastri’ Dharamnath Pandey played by Sunny Deol, who doesn’t approve the inclusion of foreign tourists in his ‘all Brahmin’ neighborhood.
What Works for this Movie :
To be honest, ‘Mohalla Assi’ has had a turbulent journey on its road to being released in theaters. As such, one should appreciate Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi for not bowing down to constant pressure, and ensuring that his creation hit the theaters. Despite taking 6 years to hit the theaters, the film still looks fresh, thanks to the cinematography of Vijay Kumar Arora. He has beautifully depicted the city of Varanasi in its true spirit, especially the nuances of Assi Ghat, the focus of attention in the film.
The actors have been impressive as well. Be it the street smart broker cum tourist guide Kanni, played efficiently by Ravi Kishan, or the nationalist Radheshyam Pandey, played by Mukesh Tiwari, or even Akhilendra Mishra, who has played the role of Tanni Guru, the star of ‘Assi’ who supervises the task of not letting people defecate on the river banks of the holy Ganga, everyone has done justice to their role.
However, the stars of this movie are Mithilesh Chaturvedi, Sunny Deol and Sakshi Tanwar. Sunny Deol, the poor but self respecting priest in this movie, ably depicts his struggle to accept the impending change in his neighborhood, as well as his devotion towards the cause of Hindu renaissance, even if he has to take a bullet for the same.
Equally awesome is Sakshi Tanwar, who plays the foul mouthed but caring wife, Savitri. Completely different from her previous roles, Sakshi is one of the chief reasons why ‘Mohalla Assi’ is certainly not a cringe fest, as purported by some left liberal critics. Mithilesh Chaturvedi, who has played the role of the cynical professor, Dr. Gaya Singh, is another man who stands out with his effortless performance, giving absolute justice to the hilarious character of this novel.
What Doesn’t :
However, despite such performances, ‘Mohalla Assi’ fell clearly short of being termed a superb movie. The reason is simple, the opportunity to weave the five short stories beautifully, as in the novel, was completely wasted.
Even though some of the cusswords were used brilliantly in the novel, it was not the same in the movie. Using some dialogues repetitively, and relying on dialogues more than the emotions of the actors is one reason why ‘Mohalla Assi’ won’t strike a chord with the audience.
Also, like ‘Manto’, ‘Mohalla Assi’ horribly wasted the opportunity of depicting the turbulent times of the 90s, when every event used to capture the attention of the entire nation. A movie with topics as sensitive as the Mandal politics, the Ram Janmbhoomi movement, the coalition tussle etc. should have given each issue an independent space.
In this movie, it was the complete opposite. While the issue of commercialization of Varanasi was over stretched, scenes where the residents of Assi Ghat put their opinion on every random issue in India wasn’t given a due attention. It was an awkward mashup of random scenes, inserted here and there according to the editor’s convenience, leaving the audience waiting for a reasonable conclusion till the very end.
All in all, Mohalla Assi was an opportunity that was once again lost to amateurish treatment of sensitive subjects. Although it isn’t as horrible as ‘Thugs of Hindostan’, it is certainly not as great as ‘Oh My God’. This was certainly not expected from a man as remarkable as Dr. Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, who is known for movies like ‘Pinjar’. An honest rating for this movie would be 2.5 /5.
