Subhash K Jha (DNA; June 9, 2015)

The trailer of Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s long-in-the-making Mohalla Assi is bound to raise extreme reactions from conservative elements and from the Censor Board. The film, based on the well-known novel by Hindi litterateur Kashanath Singh is a critique on the tourist-driven commercialisation of Varanasi.

In the film, Sunny Deol plays a self-righteous priest fighting against the ecological and moral pollution of Varanasi. The actor, who has never been known to use even a single cussword in his entire career, is heard calling himself a ch**iya in the trailer and commenting on the rampant guru-shishya ke naam pe pela peli (screwing in the grab of teacher-pupil) in Varanasi. Worse, and potentially blasphemous are references to Lord Shiva who is seen appearing in Deol’s dream and berating the bhakt, “Bh**di ke, tu meri sunega ya logon ki?”

In fact, the extremely abusive Hindi term is equated with the chant Har Har Mahadev in the trailer. We hear veteran actor Rajendra Gupta saying that the two go hand-in-hand in Varanasi.

The film and trailer both make abusive reference to tourists. Sample this: Ravi Kissen, who plays a tourist guide brings a Caucasian paying guest home to Sakshi Tanwar, she refers to the female tourists as randiyan (whores). Another scene has a local woman tell Sakshi how female tourists complain, “Yahan bahot garmi hai.” “Kahaan? Varanasi mein?”, asks Sakshi. “Nahin, dono tango ke beech mein (between the legs),” replies the woman.

When reached for comment, the film’s director Dr Dwivedi expressed ignorance about
the trailer.