ASSI Cast/Actors: Taapsee Pannu, Kani Kusruti, Mohd. Zeeshan Ayyub, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Seema Pahwa, Supriya Pathak, Revathi, Naseeruddin Shah
ASSI Director: Anubhav Sinha
ASSI Production House: Balaji Telefilms and Anil Kapoor Film & Communications Network
ASSI Movie Release Date: February 20, 2026
ASSI Movie Available On: Theatrical Release (likely to be released on ZEE5 OTT Platform)
ASSI Released/Available In Languages: Hindi
ASSI Movie Runtime: 2h 13m
ASSI Movie Review:
When a film talks about a crime as dastardly as rape, gang rape in this case, its social import is disturbing.
The nocturnal rape of schoolteacher Parima (Kani Kusruti) on a lonely stretch in Delhi, brings out all that’s expected of a crime.
Those equipped to get away with it, will escape jail term without too much of a compromise with the conscience.
The victim will stay traumatised, the family bewildered, helpless.
The lawyer will fight but justice will be frustratingly elusive. Writer-director Anubhav Sinha’s opening shot of a mercilessly beaten woman thrown on a railway track is unambiguous in its intent.
However, like he did with Thappad, Sinha’s well-intentioned social comment gets derailed by wanting to make too many statements. The screenplay by Anubhav and co-writer Gaurav Solanki meanders.
Way back in 1978, Gulzar had produced Ghar, a film that told the story of a housewife (played by Rekha) who is gangraped. And the trauma that follows her and her empathetic husband (played by Vinod Mehra).
Anubhav’s theme is therefore, not novel to Hindi cinema.
His storytelling is beset with the problem of too much. Even if one would wonder why any father would bring his little son to the courtroom where the case of his mother’s gang rape and abuse are being heard, maybe just the shots of the baffled kid (an endearing Advik Jaiswal) would’ve made the required statement on the impact of the crime on children. But Sinha stretches it by packing the courtroom with children and throws in the side track of school children’s comments on their traumatised teacher. Plus, a statement from the principal (Seema Pahwa).
There is also a tendency to be mysterious instead of straightforward storytelling. Parima’s husband Vijay (Mohammed Ayub Zeeshan) has a friendly equation with supervisor Kartik Sir (Kumud Mishra) who has his own demons to deal with. Kartik has an equation with lawyer Raavi (Taapsee Pannu) and another unexplained character played by Naseeruddin Shah. Somewhere there’s also an inaudible message from Kartik’s dead wife.
Intermittently, the screen breaks into “20 minutes”, a reminder that a rape happens somewhere every 20 minutes.
But it’s not the audience that needs this reminder. It’s Sinha as he wanders into a one-scene dialogue between Manoj Pahwa (the father of one of the culprits) and wife Supriya Pathak to make a comment on the compromises in a marriage. He also has the father and the rapist-son bonding over street chole-bhature with an analogy on what should be relished at home and what outside.
There’s a cop (Jitendra Goswami) who has his own dodginess.
And Sinha tops it with “Umbrella Man”, a vigilante on the loose, egged on by a blood-thirsty social media that wants justice for the victim and death for the rapists.
Although there are earnest attempts by lawyer Raavi and the judge (Revathi) to keep it woman-sympathetic, the outrageous crime and its victim get sidelined as too many tracks spoil the plot.
ASSI – Watch it or not?: Yes, for its social relevance.
ASSI Movie Review Score Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (i.e. 2.5/5)
ASSI Official Trailer:
ALSO READ: O’Romeo Movie Review: Bloody Overindulgence
source https://lehren.com/assi-movie-review-overstuffing-a-social-package/
