Mohalla Assi: Things to look forward to

Court orders FIR against Sunny Deol for abusing Hindu Gods
Ever since Sunny Deol's Mohalla Assi trailer leaked online, it has been mired by controversies. And the latest update is that a court has directed the police to lodge an FIR against the film. The FIR was ordered by the court on a complaint case filed by lawyer Sudheer Kumar Jha on June 30. The complainant claimed he had seen the movie and was shocked to see Lord Shiva, goddesses and 'pandas' of Kashi being called names. The complaint will be lodged against Sunny Deol, Ravi Kishan, Sakshi Tanwar and six others for allegedly abusing Hindu gods and goddesses in Mohalla Assi.
Read on to know why the film's release has been halted...

The release of Mohalla Assi has been halted throughout the country by a Delhi court which found it hurting religious sentiments or so claims a PTI report. The court said the film should not hit the theatres till the allegedly offending scenes and dialogues are removed. The court restrained the movie’s director, producer, and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from releasing the film on July 3 till further order. Noting that the trailer showed the movie to be based on the surroundings of the Assi Ghat in Varanasi on the banks of the river, Ganga, civil judge Kishor Kumar said, “In the entire trailer clip, characters have been shown using very filthy language. In one scene, a character dressed as lord Shiva is shown using filthy language. Use of such language by lord Shiva makeover is really hurting. It may hurt religious sentiments of the people in case the movie is released and seen by public at large. Therefore, at this stage, a prima facie case is made out that until the religiously-hurting scenes and dialogues/words wherein the abusive and filthy language has been used, are removed, the movie should not be released."

To find out what can be expected of the film that is already embroiled in controversies, click on the next slide...

The trailer of the film, Mohalla Assi, is out and is already making news. While the trailer has been leaked online, and it isn't clear if the makers intended for it to release anytime soon, the content of the film seems quite controversial. If the trailer is any indication, Mohalla Assi seems to open a can of worms. Here's what to expect from the film...

Cuss words and lots of it: The trailer is laced with cuss words. Everyone - men, women and pseudo Gods - is mouthing the expletives without batting an eyelid. It seems that, in Kashi, where the film is based, cuss words are a part of the vocabulary. They are used as adjectives, verbs and even nouns! Ask them about this and they boast, "Bina gaali ke yahan pyaar aur aashirwaad ka len den hota hai kya?"

Heavyweight dialogue: Dialogue exchanged between the characters makes the film even more interesting. Recently, the dialogues from the film, Tanu Weds Manu Returns, were lauded and cited, over and over again. It seems like the dialogue from Mohalla Assi, too, will make history. Sample this, "Har Har Mahadev ke saath bh**d*ke ka naara toh Kaashi ka sarvajanik abhiwaadan hai," or, "Hum ghat ko picnic spot aur Ganga ko swimming pool nahi hone denge." So, while Sunny Deol won't flaunt his dhai kilo ka haath this time, he sure will mouth some bhaari dialogue.

Firangi connection: Kashi is a favourite with the foreigners and not for all the right reasons. The ghats of Kashi and Benaras have been inhabited by the sadhus since time immemorial. These ascetics have free access to drugs. This makes the ghats, a hot spot for the junkies. They enroll for Sanskrit classes but all they are looking for, is a thick joint to smoke, or so claims the leaked trailer of the film. A dialogue of the film goes, "Kaun Sanskrit padh raha hai, sab Kashi mein charas, ganja aur rukne ke bahane dhoond rahe hai."

Gettin' dirty with it: Somewhere, in the middle of the ghats and the gaalis, the goras and the non-goras are exploring the darkest corners of their being in one of the holiest cities. The locals and the foreigners are cavorting without a cause and this is causing friction between the two (pun completely unintended). Purists are hating it and the tension is tenuous. Is this the beginning of an end? Well, that we will only know once the director of the film speaks up about it and announces a release date for the film that has always been shrouded in mystery.

God of small things: Gods aren't flawless in Chandraprakash Dwivedi's rendition of Kashi. They pose for selfies, dance with the groupies and even swear. Well, by now we know that using cuss words is a must for anyone in Kashi, even the Gods. We have seen religion and the very existence of it being questioned in Bollywood with films like OMG - Oh My God and PK. It would, however, be interesting to see what Gods, or fake Gods, do at the place where Hinduism was born.