After watching Mohalla Assi, I finally understood what is it about the movie that made the then CBFC chief in 2015, Pahlaj Nihalani, sweat buckets. Contrary to what was reported then, Mr Nihalani wasn't wary that the movie was anti-Hindu. He must have been petrified of the conversations presented in this film, that there is a difference between Hinduism and the Hindutva, disguised as the former, and how people jump between the two as per their own convenience. Mohalla Assi, directed by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi, has some very sharp truths to discuss through its many colourful characters, but I do wish the film itself would have been equally sharp!

The movie is set in Assi Ghat of Kashi, beginning in the late '80s, where the holy town is being sought by spirituality-seeking foreigners. Dharamnath Pandey (Sunny Deol) is a Sanskrit scholar and a priest who sits on the ghats of Ganga to look into people's horoscopes. An astute Brahmin, he is proud of his traditions and doesn't want foreigners or any meat-eaters to even live in his mohalla, much to the chagrin of his more accommodating neighbour (Saurabh Shukla). He also feels his knowledge is not to be commercialised and therefore, earns little for his livelihood, to the annoyance of his nagging wife (Sakshi Tanwar).

Then there is also a sleazy, cunning guide Kanni (Ravi Kishen) who also acts as a broker for arranging local accommodation for the tourists. Then there is a  barber (Faisal Rashid) who falls for a foreign tourist, which changes his life forever. Not to mention, some of Assi's tapriwale that range from hardcore right-wingers to liberals and communists (Rajendra Gupta, Mukesh Tiwari, Akhilendra Mishra, Mithilesh Chaturvedi et al) who frequently haunt the local tea-shop to discuss politics. Despite having different views and problems, everyone living in the Assi ghat share one trait -  their tongues are possessed by the chants of 'Har Har Mahadeva' and some really colourful abuses.

However, as the era enters the '90s, new chants of 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Mandir Wohi Banayenge' began to get heard in a louder octave. Dharamnath Pandey is all for the mandir, but he is affected by another change that is not just taking over his town but also the country - winds of commercialisation. Pandey begins to lose his livelihood and since he has not learnt to adapt to the changes, is not able to get employment. Left with no option, he begins to compromise on some of his ideals, only for his own conscience to question his religious beliefs, while others start taking advantage of his now-loosened stance.

Loosely inspired by a novel, Dr Kashi Nath Singh's Kashi Ka Assi, Mohalla Assi has a difficult theme to tackle, especially in the current volatile situation that India is going through. By bringing Hindu beliefs and traditions to the forefront, the director invokes us to choose a side when it comes to our religious beliefs. Pappu Ki Dukaan stands for social media and the changes in Pandey's situation is our culture reluctantly accepting outside factors. However, the movie itself chooses no sides, as it presents the pros and cons of every argument presented through the various discussions held.

For example, while Pandey may be the protagonist that the movie owns, but he is not a perfect man. He is stubborn, patriarchal and chauvinist. In a hilarious scene, he assures his wife that he will take care of the tourist they are hosting in their house, only to later make her do all the chores herself. At the same time, he also presents the idea that adhering to your traditions and values are not bad, only you can't be stuck in the extreme.

Some of the dialogues will also make you smirk in self-realisation. Like that scene where Pandey returns from a protest with a bullet injury in his leg, and his wife tells him that everyone loves a revolutionary, but only in the neighbour's house. It is a selfish thought that is owned by nearly everyone here - we may want things to change for good, but we also want others to fight the battle for us.

Mohalla Assi has many such thought-provoking discussions and quotes. Unfortunately, this is not a book. A movie needs more than table-room discussions to be called a good one. Which Mohalla Assi is not in its entirety.

It looks dated for sure (even before its Censor troubles, the movie has been stuck in production since 2012), but that's not even Mohalla Assi's biggest issue. It wants to be a satire but then it takes itself too seriously later. The proceedings are seeped in theatricality that makes many of the scenes, especially the tea-shop sequences, look something out of a stage play. The portions in the second half get too melodramatic and heavy-handed. At one point, we can identify with Pandey's crisis but fail to empathise with his plight. The reason being that it takes some time for the movie to focus on Pandey and his family as it explores into the neighbourhood.

And that brings us to the movie's another big problem - it's too lengthy. Some of the supporting characters start off on an interesting note, only to end up irritating us. The subplot involving the barber and his foreign girlfriend could have been trimmed away. The conclusion feels like ending a big firecracker show with a wet bomb that splutters all the while but doesn't go off.

For a movie that is sure gutsy, Mohalla Assi kind of glides over the whole Ram Mandir saga, despite having characters make some pertinent insights on it. The abuses may work as adding more of a realistic edge to the story, but it feels very contrived when the characters keep adding one abuse word per sentence. Also, like the inhabitants of the Assi Ghat, the movie also have a narrow, sleazy view when it comes to looking at foreigners as pot-smoking, sex-addicted people to be made fun of.

The Performances

Mohalla Assi's Dharamnath Pandey could be Sunny Deol's most-layered, textured character in years. For once, the director relies more on the actor's strong screen presence rather than his punches. I actually don't remember the last time seeing Sunny paaji in such a realistic character. As far his performance goes, the actor is decent, though he surprises in some of the lighter scenes. After Dangal, Sakshi Tanwar delivers another knockout act. Here, her character is far more feisty than the submissive one she played in the Aamir Khan film, and the actress pulls it off with ease.

While the supporting cast is good, Ravi Kishan stands out with a scene-stealing turn. His scene with Sunny Deol where he reminds the latter of his higher gothra is really good.

Watch The Trailer of Mohalla Assi Here -

Yay!

- An interesting premise

- Some strong conversations

- Good Performances

Nay!

- Dated making

- Some subplots get annoying or totally unnecessary

- A heavy-handed approach in the second half

Final Thoughts

Mohalla Assi shows us a faint glimpse of a film you didn't think Bollywood had the guts to tackle since the era of Gulzar and MS Sathyu. However, despite some witty satirical points, Mohalla Assi suffers from a real lack of focus and some serious need of editing.

Rating:2.5out of 5

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 16, 2018 02:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).