Mohalla Assi

About the film

Mohalla Assi (transl. The neighbourhood of Assi Ghat; Hindi pronunciation: [moːɦəllaː əssiː]) is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language satirical drama film starring Sunny Deol and Sakshi Tanwar, and directed by Dr. Chandraprakash Dwivedi.

The film is loosely based on Dr. Kashinath Singh's popular Hindi novel Kashi Ka Assi, a satire on the commercialisation of the pilgrimage city, and fake gurus who lure the foreign tourists. Assi Ghat is a ghat in Varanasi (Banaras) on the banks of Ganges River, and the film is based in a famous and historical 'Mohalla' (locality) by the ghat, on the southern end of Banaras. The film is a satirical drama that explores the commercialization of religion and the changing social and political landscape of Varanasi in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The film's supporting cast includes Saurabh Shukla, Mukesh Tiwari, Ravi Kishan and Rajendra Gupta.

Plot

The story revolves around an orthodox Brahmin priest and Sanskrit teacher, Pandit Dharmanath Pandey, and his struggle to hold on to his principles in the face of a rapidly modernizing world. He lives around the famous Assi Ghat in Varanasi, a place of deep religious and cultural significance.

Dharmanath is a staunch traditionalist who believes in the sanctity of his neighborhood. He is a respected priest but lives in poverty due to his rigid ideals. He is vehemently against the commercialization of the ghats and is particularly opposed to foreigners staying in the homes of Brahmins as paying guests, believing they will corrupt the sacred space.

The tale progresses against the backdrop of significant events in Indian history, including the Mandal Commission and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. The story portrays how these political and social shifts affect the people of Varanasi. A central meeting point for a group of friends with differing ideologies is a local tea shop, which acts as a "mini-parliament" where they engage in passionate debates about politics, religion, and the changing culture of their city.

Production

Dwivedi had previously directed Pinjar (2003), starring Urmila Matondkar and Manoj Bajpayee, and most known for television epic Chanakya. Ameesha Patel was offered the female lead role but turned it down because of financial differences with the film's producer. Sakshi Tanwar was cast as her replacement.

The principal photography of the film started on 28 January 2011 on the sets erected at the Film City, Mumbai, later scenes were also shot in Varanasi where film is set.

Music and soundtrack

The lyrics of the film's songs were penned by Gulzar and the music for the songs was composed by Amod Bhatt. The background score of the movie was done by Amod Bhatt and Utpal Sharma.

Release

Mohalla Assi was initially delayed for three years as the film director had stopped the work claiming that he had not been paid his dues, The release date of Mohalla Assi was repeatedly pushed back and allegations of non-payment continued to surface through 2012. However, the film became eventually ready for release in October–November 2015.

After extended delays, on 12 June 2015 film's trailer was released, ahead on its late 2015 release. Shortly after, an FIR was filed in Varanasi against Deol and Dwivedi for the alleged use of abusive language in the film.

The film was banned by the CBFC on 8 April 2016.

Critical reception

It received negative reviews from critics. Jyoti Sharma Bawa of Hindustan Times stated that Mohalla Assi is a delight to watch film and gave it 2 out of 5 stars. Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror stated the film is a beautiful and realistic depiction of Varanasi's issues and gave it 1.5 out of 5 star. Troy Ribeiro of News18 stated that the film is verbose yet important and gave it 2 stars. Reza Noorani of Times of India stated "At two hours of runtime, 'Mohalla Assi' feels more like an anti-tourism commercial rather than a feature film" and gave it 2 stars.

Box office

Mohalla Assi collected around 1.30 crore on first day. The fim grossed ₹ 14.49 crore in its first weekend in India. and lifetime 18.57cr.

Key details