Mohalla Assi actors Sakshi Tanwar, Ravi Kishan on shooting in Varanasi for Sunny Deol's much-delayed film

While Sakshi Tanwar’s first major big screen outing was Dangal (2016) opposite Aamir Khan, it was  Mohalla Assi  (with Sunny Deol) that she signed and completed prior to the sports drama, in 2011-12. Tanwar has often wondered if the film would ever see the light of day due to legal and censor troubles . Now that Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi-directed film is finally releasing (on 16 November), Tanwar feels relieved.

“I was willing to wait for the film’s release. It’s one of my better works. I would want people to watch the film. It’s a performance-oriented role that no actor would have refused. Aamir’s Dangal came later on, so when I was offered Mohalla, I was excited to work with Sunny as he was the first superstar I would be sharing screen space with. I was very happy because I wasn’t expecting to get this film just like I never expected Dangal would be offered to me. Those days I was content doing television,” says Tanwar.

[caption id=“attachment_5554851” align=“alignnone” width=“788”] Ravi Kishan and Sakshi Tanwar in a still from Mohalla Assi[/caption]

Mohalla Assi, based on the well-known novel Kashi Ka Assi by award-winning Hindi litterateur Kashinath Singh, is a scathing critique on the commercialisation of the holy city of Varanasi. It is a satire on the globalisation of the pilgrimage city and the challenges that Varanasi and its culture may face due to sweeping changes brought in by liberalisation. In the film, Deol plays a self-righteous priest battling bigotry, pollution and tourist invasion. The language of the film, filled with expletives, which is an integral part of the local lingo, spares no holy entity and also touches upon the sensitive issue of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Ravi Kishan, who plays a significant role of that of a tourist guide, says it was quite a task for the lead players to utter profanities. “I’m from Banaras, so for me that language and abuses is like eating paan (laughs). But for other actors, it was a big task. I was really keen on hearing them abuse (laughs out loud). I knew what Sakshi and Sunny were going through, and I was enjoying all that. Sunny gave lot of re-takes because of these abuses. He would also be worried about speaking pure Hindi and he would take to corner and learn the language. But I really I wanted to work with Sunny, I have worked with his father a few times in the ’90s. He was made to convince that speaking this kind of language was important but he wasn’t comfortable. Probably this was one of the reasons why there is still so much curiosity about this film, otherwise the film was murdered. We all had moved ahead in our lives and career,” says Kishan.

Tanwar plays a housewife “with a lot of spark”. “I was a bit hesitant speaking the language but then I realised that it is very much part of the culture there. It is an expression. It is as normal as breathing,” laughs Tanwar, who was quite excited shooting in the holy city. “Varanasi has got a lovely vibe. We would start shooting at the crack of dawn, at around four or five am, take a break at noon and then again start shoot in the evening. It didn’t feel like we were up so early because we would see people around bathing in Ganges at that time, they would all get busy with their routines that early," she adds.

[caption id=“attachment_5554871” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Sakshi Tanwar and Sunny Deol in a still from Mohalla Assi[/caption]

Further talking about her character, she says, “I had to look at the changing scenario due to liberalisation from a housewife’s point of view… budget, prices. The film talks about how the Western culture started influencing us and how small towns were affected. My character, Savitri Pandey, reacts to every situation around her. It is a beautiful graph. She, at times, questions her husband’s ideology. She is opinionated, a nagging wife who taunts her husband but that spark in their relationship remains alive. She wants to know what is happening on the ghats, what’s happening in other people’s lives, she uses her privileges as she is the second and young wife of the priest (played by Deol). I read the book later but I followed the director completely as I didn’t want my perception to seep into my character,” says Tanwar.

Kishan seems to be in love with his character as well. He says it is an author-backed role that will make his fans happy. “I’m from Banaras, nobody enjoyed doing the film the way I did because I know that culture. I know the ghats, the greed, how people abuse, then there are also some learned people in the midst who teach in the BHU (Banaras Hindu University). They discuss (Donald) Trump to (Narendra) Modi, sitting in the campus. Even I am a student of BHU,” says Kishen, further adding, “I play a very chalu (street smart) guide who attracts tourists. He wants to sell Banaras. Such a person still exists there. He wants foreigners to visit Banaras, give them one room so that we can earn $500 every month. His weakness is young girls from foreign countries who he persuades to hire him as their guide.”

While both the actors refrain from talking about the delay in the film release and how the film got leaked online in 2015, Kishan feels that the film will draw audience for its powerful content. “We don’t want to talk about the ban. It is a long debate. We are happy that the film is finally releasing. Our country is excited to watch it. It’s voyeuristic and people will find it entertaining. People living in big metros will be intrigued. Recently, we have seen how films like  Badhaai Ho , Stree , Raazi , Dangal, Tanu Weds Manu have been appreciated by the audience,” he says. “Big budget films have that aspirational value but you can identify with these (small) films as these are the real situations in our lives. These days people are enjoying all kinds of cinema with good stories and interesting characters. Also, good actors are getting their due,” says Tanwar.

All images from YouTube.