Assi begins on a shocking note that grips the viewers instantly. The makers inform at the very beginning that a rape is reported in the country every 20 minutes. This information is reminded to the viewer after every 20 minutes into the runtime and it further packs a punch. The courtroom scenes are the most memorable. At the same time, director Anubhav Sinha focuses on what the survivor goes through and the female members of the rapists’ families, further enhancing the impact. Despite so many plusses, the film sadly slips at several plusses. In some scenes, the film has been executed in a ‘film festival’ style. Anubhav should have ideally helmed it like Mulk or Taapsee’s Pink – films which were legal dramas, were not masala entertainers as such and yet, had mainstream appeal. Secondly, for some reason, a lot of prominence is given to the character of Kartik (Kumud Mishra), which distracts the viewers from the principal story. Even the cop character’s track doesn’t pack the intended punch. Speaking of performances, Taapsee Pannu returns to the zone that she owns and is too good, as always. Kani Kusruti plays a very difficult character and comes out with flying colours. Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub gets to play a lovable, unconventional character and he essays it with panache. Kumud Mishra is okay. Satyajit Sharma (Navratan; defence lawyer), Rajendra Sethi (senior cop), Jatin Goswami (Sanjay; cop), Revathy (Vasudha; judge), Manoj Pahwa (rapist’s father), the actor playing ASI Vanita and others lend able support. Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak and Seema Pahwa are impressive in special appearances. All in all, Assi is definitely worth a watch, but could have been a classic had the direction been consistent.
My rating – *** out of 5!