Assi review: Taapsee Pannu and Kani Kusruti headline Anubhav Sinha’s intense courtroom drama exploring trauma, dignity, and justice — though not every narrative thread lands effectively.
Director Anubhav Sinha compels you to experience the survivor’s anguish, yet not all elements align.
| ✅Short Summary: Assi, directed by Anubhav Sinha, is an emotionally intense courtroom drama led by Kani Kusruti and Taapsee Pannu. The film explores trauma, resilience, and the fight for justice through a survivor’s journey. While it delivers strong performances and raises important questions about society and accountability, certain narrative elements feel forced, making it a powerful yet uneven cinematic experience. |
Taapsee Pannu’s Assi Explores Trauma, Justice & Social Reality
Fear and anxiety strike you immediately as Anubhav Sinha’s Assi starts. However, this disturbing social narrative concludes in a way that would surprise any cynic.
Parima, portrayed by the exceptional Kani Kusruti, is a Malayali woman working as a teacher at a school in Delhi. She has a caring husband named Vinay (a flawless Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub) who is a Haryanvi and a young son named Dhruv. In a single night, the family is broken apart: Parima is kidnapped and raped by five men in a vehicle after leaving the Metro late following a school farewell event.
These men alternately rape and attack Parima, almost causing her to lose sight in one eye. What comes next is an unyielding, harsh series, overly alarming, excessively infinite. Those minutes stretch like hours; the men’s laughter in their ‘brotherhood’ competing to see who endures the longest is intolerable. The director compels you to experience the survivor’s confined trauma. It ought to have concluded earlier.
After hours of assaulting and raping Parima, they leave her by the railway tracks, half undressed, at dawn. A kind stranger sees her in the morning and assists her. In a pivotal scene, a pair of women spread dry red chillies from a thela to take Parima to the closest hospital, likely a nod from Anubhav Sinha and co-writer Gaurav Solanki to Ketan Mehta’s Mirch Masala
Introducing Taapsee Pannu as Raavi, a legal representative for Parima during the trial. Raavi trusts in the correct form of justice through proper procedures, even though she frequently feels disheartened by the results. Raavi understands that ghee doesn’t come out with a straight finger, so she follows the advice of the well-known Hindi saying.
She is mourning the death of a dear coworker, Kaveri, who passed away in a hit-and-run incident (Divya Dutta in a voice role). Kaveri’s husband Kartik, portrayed by Kumud Mishra, is a mysterious individual who struggles with the guilt of abandoning his wife to perish while he was supposedly “abroad.”
Prior to the assault, we see that Parima and Vinay are nurturing a boy in the digital era, ensuring their son Dhruv understands instead of instructing other girls on what to be cautious about. Parima remains steadfast despite the adverse developments in the case. She discards the dupatta that was covering her face. She feels stifled with the dupatta hiding her true self. And what reason does she have not to? She is innocent.
Parima returns it to the defense lawyer, who attempts to discredit her evidence in court. During her case, she hopes to return to teaching at her school as she aims to get back into the routine, but she is disheartened by a discouraged principal (Seema Pahwa) who claims “the entire school had failed” her. The expression on Parima’s face when she observes women in a baaraat dancing to the lyrics of Main Toh Tandoori Murgi Hoon from the song Fevicol Se in Dabangg 2 is truly sorrowful
Her spouse Vinay is attempting to build a nurturing, friendship-based bond with his son, which is notably different from his strict, khap-controlled father. He affectionately refers to his son as “Yaara”, similar to the way Shah Rukh Khan’s father addressed him. Their son is never directly informed that Parima was gang-raped, yet he understands that his mother is hurt deeply, both inside and out. We observe him maturing within a few hours, as an optimistic child evolves into a pragmatic young adult.
Mohd Zeeshan Ayyub delivers a deeply moving performance as the man who manages to stay composed while watching his wife endure immense suffering. As Vinay, he’s the reliable one – he stands by Parima, without words or questions, simply there. The reliable moral backing with strength.
Manoj Pahwa is also in Assi. Another of Anubhav Sinha’s reliable associates, he portrays the father of one of the defendants who aids them in concealing the crime for as long as feasible. Be attentive to the part where he compares a plate of Chhole Bhature consumed outdoors to the one at home with women. Supriya Pathak Kapur features in one scene and excels in her role as a woman in her 50s who has accepted patriarchy and now uses it as a tool
Assi includes a wide range of topics in its 2 hour 14 minute runtime, addressing themes like locker room discussions, consent, shame, corruption, vigilante justice, social media trials, children’s futures, and adult accountability. Positive motives, yet not everything makes sense.
For one, there’s a subplot of a murder mystery where a nameless ‘hero’ emerges, roaming the town and eliminating Parima’s rapists. He is referred to as ‘The Umbrella Man’. No need to speculate about his identity, but it seems contrived. The judge, portrayed by Revathy, attempts to remain impartial, but it’s clear that she had made her decision on the verdict well in advance.
Assi creators report that an average of 80 rape incidents are documented daily in India. After 20 minutes, the large display flashes red, signaling that a rape has just happened. No reminder is necessary, yet the red flash on the 70 mm screen pulls you from the movie directly into the terrifying reality it reflects.
