Parag Maniar (BOMBAY TIMES; April 27, 2014)

After backing critically acclaimed ventures like Gangs Of Wasseypur, Shaitan and Shahid, Bohra Bros Production is ready with their next outing, Mastram.

 The film revolves around Rahul (played by Rahul Bagga), who wants to become an established writer. When he finds no takers for his serious stories, he starts writing pornography under the pseudonym Mastram. The books sell like hotcakes in his hometown in Himachal Pradesh and the writer, whose identity is still a secret, becomes popular. But once Rahul reveals the truth about himself, the same hypocritical society looks down upon him.

 Interestingly, there’s a real-life Mastram who is yet to come out in the open. Says debutant director Akhilesh Jaiswal, “Mastram books are published even today and have a large readership in the North. I have read his books as a student. It’s his writing that inspired me to make this fictional biography.”

 The filmmaker adds that he wants to convey a message through the film, which is presented by Sunil Jain and A Jar Pictures Production. He explains, “A porn writer is not a bad person. Also, the fact is that these books do sell. This movie also exposes our society’s double standards.”

 Producer Sunil Bohra says, “I read Mastram even today. There are no images, but the books still succeed in creating a fantasy because of their impressive use of Hindi.”

 Mastram releases May 9.