Parvinder Bhatia
Bollywood Director Visits Jamshedpur Ahead of ‘Assi’ Release
Jamshedpur: Known for his thought-provoking and hard-hitting movies like ‘Tum Bin’, ‘Ra.One’, ‘Mulk’, ‘Thappad’, ace Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha is now all set to hit the big screen once again with his upcoming movie ‘Assi’ starring Tapsi Pannu.
Before the film is released on February 20, the director is on an all-India tour, visiting cities and small towns, understanding the pulse of the audience, and motivating them to view cinema in theatres. Sinha also aims to bridge the growing communication gap between filmmakers and audiences by engaging with cinema lovers across the country. Reflecting on how tastes and perspectives in small cities have evolved, he emphasized the need for filmmakers to better understand what viewers want so that meaningful cinema can go deep into the minds of the audience.
On his Jamshedpur visit on Friday, Sinha interacted with the media. Sharing his thoughts on the emerging platform of cinema on OTT, he said that films on digital streaming platforms are like ‘Packed Food’ that is catered directly to viewers. “It is like a ready-made food served on a plate. However, visiting the theatre to view the cinema is a totally different experience. Imagine sitting in a dark room and a story unfolding on a big screen. The adventure is totally unmatched. The real Indian cinema lives in the theatre,” said the filmmaker.
Sharing his thoughts on the steel city, Sinha said he had heard a lot about Jamshedpur; this is his first visit to the city, and he is quite impressed with the cleanliness and greenery. “The city looks well organised. I am happy to be here. Jamshedpur has produced stars like Imtiaz Ali and R Madhwan, and we are all proud of them,” said Sinha.
Armed with a Mechanical Engineering degree from the Aligarh Muslim University, the famous director had never thought of making it into the cine world. He said that he was passionate about storytelling, and destiny brought him to filmmaking.
Sinha added that for him, any film starts with the story. Apart from directing the movie, he is also the co-writer of Assi. “The story is inspired by everyday news, realities we often choose to ignore. To tell a story like this and that too in a courtroom drama, Taapsee was a natural. She has delivered her best,” he said.
Apart from Taapsee, the film features Kani Kusruti, Revathy, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles, along with special appearances by Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, and Seema Pahwa. Gulshan Kumar and T-Series present Assi, a Benaras Mediaworks Production, backed by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, and Anubhav Sinha. Sinha also expressed his desire to work with Amitabh Bachchan. He is waiting for the right script to match the aura of Big B.
