The makers of Taapsee Pannu-starrer Assi on Wednesday unveiled the trailer of the upcoming social drama, which tells the story a lawyer fighting a rape case.
Written by Anubhav Sinha and Gaurav Solanki and directed by Sinha, the film also features Kani Kusruti, Revathy, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in key roles.
Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak and Seema Pahwa make special appearances in the film.
The trailer shows Taapsee as a lawyer who takes up the case of a woman whose life is devastated after she is raped by a group of men and thrown onto railway tracks. Kani Kusruti and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub play the couple at the centre of the case.
In one of the key moments in the trailer, Taapsee’s character makes an emotional argument in the courtroom, pointing out that 80 rape cases were reported in the country in a single day.
Assi marks the third collaboration between Taapsee and Sinha after Mulk (2018) and Thappad (2020). Taapsee said the film seeks to confront audiences with realities that often get reduced to routine crime headlines.
“I felt it was time to bring these stories together and put them in front of people to remind ourselves that what we read as everyday crime news should never be normalised. These incidents are alarming, they're happening around us, and they seem to be growing,” she said in a statement.
“Sometimes it's not just about the crime itself, but also about how little we do to stop it in our own capacity. When we shaped this into a two-hour narrative, it became deeply moving for me as a performer, because it forces you to confront a reality we often look away from,” she added.
“For me, my film has to hit the core of the story. With Assi, it felt like a loud thud exactly where it should. That impact compelled me to make this film. The story draws from everyday news, realities we often choose to ignore,” Sinha said.
“To tell a story like this, Taapsee is a natural; you just take her there and she delivers her best. And with Bhushan Kumar backing a film like Assi, we know we're striking the nail in the right corner,” the filmmaker added.
Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar and Anubhav Sinha, Assi is scheduled to release in theatres on February 20.
