Manoj Pahwa

Review: Taapsee’s Assi – Slow-paced courtroom drama

by 123telugu February 21, 2026

Movie Name : Assi

Release Date : Feb 20, 2026
123telugu.com Rating : 2.5/5
Starring : Taapsee Pannu, Kani Kusruti, Revathy, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, Seema Pahwa
Director : Anubhav Sinha
Producers : Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Anubhav Sinha
Music Director : Ranjit Barot
Cinematographer : Ewan Mulligan
Editor : Amarjit Singh

Related Links : Trailer

Bollywood’s latest courtroom drama Assi, featuring Taapsee Pannu and Kani Kusruti in the lead roles, has hit the big screens today. Let’s see how the film is.

Story:

Parima (Kani Kusruti) works as a teacher. One day, she gets raped by a group of thugs. Advocate Raavi (Taapsee Pannu) takes up Parima’s case to deliver justice to her.

What shocking facts did Raavi unveil in this regard? Who are the thugs who assaulted Parima? Did the police catch them? Did Parima get justice? The answers will be known in the film.

Plus Points:

There is a high level of intensity in Assi, which is usually present in courtroom dramas. The director has addressed an important issue related to today’s society. He intends to convey that physical assaults on women have become common lately, and this is indeed true.

Kani Kusruti, who played the victim, did a fabulous job. The way she emotes her pain through expressions is very good, and her portrayal will connect with everyone. Taapsee Pannu lived in the character of an advocate, proving how good a performer she is. Kumud Mishra did well in a pivotal role. The core point of the story is presented well.

Minus Points:

The main problem with Assi is its slow pacing. The director took his time to introduce the main plot, and the proceedings that happen after the key event are too dramatic. The way the police look at the sexual assault as just another normal crime feels questionable, and Kani Kusruti’s role isn’t well designed, despite the actress showing her brilliance.

Also, Taapsee Pannu’s role feels underwritten, and she is restricted to the second half alone. Kani Kusruti’s husband’s role is also not effective. Kumud Mishra’s character fails to get a proper ending.

The courtroom scenes in the second half are dragged after a point. Hence, we get the feeling that the movie is progressing at a snail’s pace. A senior actor like Naseeruddin Shah is wasted in a cameo.

Technical Aspects:

Though director Anubhav Sinha chose a strong core point, he struggled to execute it perfectly. Though the film carries an important and necessary message for society, the slow pacing and weak screenplay hamper its impact. The cinematography is alright, while the production values are good. The background score adds depth. The editing could have been much better.

Verdict:

On the whole, Assi is a courtroom drama with an important message, but the execution isn’t effective in conveying the intention strongly. Taapsee Pannu and Kani Kusruti delivered good performances and did justice to their roles. A serious story is weakened by slow pacing and an unengaging screenplay. Hence, the film ultimately falls short.

123telugu.com Rating: 2.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

February 21, 2026

Lockdown Review : Kadak – Hindi film on Sony Liv

by 123telugu June 27, 2020

Cast : Sahukar, Shruti Seth, Rajat Kapoor, Tara Sharma Saluja, Sagar Deshmukh, Nupur Asthana, Kalki Koechlin, Chandrachoor Rai, Palomi Ghosh, Manoj Pahwa, and Yamini Das

Director : Rajat Kapur

Producer : Gurudas Pai, Mithya Talkies

So, continuing the series of reviewing movies and shows during the lockdown period, our today’s pick is the new Hindi film Kadak. The film is available on Sony Liv and let’s see how it is.

What’s it about

Sunil(Ranvir Shorey) is happily sitting at home on a Diwali holiday. A guest named Raghav(Chandrachoor Rai) arrives and starts irritating Shim. At once, Sunil does not know who Raghav is but in further conversation, comes to know that Raghav is the husband of Chayya with whom he is having an affair with. The twists in the tale arise when an upset Raghav shoots himself. Sunil’s wife(Mansi Multani) arrives at the scene but she does not know about her husband’s affair. The rest of the story is as to how the couple manages the body with guests arriving back to back for Diwali celebrations.

What’s good?

Ranvir Shorey is a terrific actor and we all know that. He showcased his best as the confused, frustrated husband who is handling a murder scene. He is serious with his role but for the audience, the whole set up and how the character get tense is a lot of fun. The dark comedy touches many aspects and has scope for various emotions that are showcased well by the actors. The twists and turns in the film are pretty decent and come in quick succession without irritating the audience. Mansi Multani does a superb job in the role and adds a lot of depth to the proceedings. Cyrus is also good in his small role.

What’s bad?

The plot of the film is simple and is established nicely right at the beginning of the film. But in the last half an hour too many characters are introduced making the narration dilute. Actor turned director, Rajat Kapoor has his story on point but his execution falters, in the end, make things look a bit over the top. Things look too silly as the way the main leads act in spite of having a dead body at home.

Final Word

Overall, Kadak is a dark comedy with a superb premise and solid performances. The film starts off well but all the fun is diluted in the crucial last half an hour disappointing the audience. As it has a crisp runtime of under two hours, this film can be given a shot during this lockdown period but with very low expectations.

Rating: 2.5/5

June 27, 2020

Lockdown Review : Hasmukh – Hindi series on Netflix

by 123telugu May 28, 2020

Starring : Vir Das, Ranvir Shorey, Manoj Pahwa

Directed by : Nikhil Gonsalves

Producer(s) : Monisha Advani, Madhu Bhojwani, Nikkhil Advani, Vir Das, Sameer Nair

Cinematography : Akash Agrawal

So, continuing the series of reviewing movies and shows during the lockdown period, our today’s pick is the Hindi web series Hasmukh. Directed by Nikhil Gonsalves, this series is now available on Netflix.

What’s it about?

Hasmukh(Vir Das) is a small-time comedian who wants to make it big in the world of stand up comedy. He joins comedy king Gulati(Manoj Pahwa) and waits for his turn to make his debut. But when he does not get his chance, an upset Hasmukh kills Gulati brutally and takes over his show in a splendid manner.

All this is watched by Gulati’s manager Jimmy(Ranveer Shorey) who now becomes Hasmukh’s manager as well. But in all this, Hasmukh has serious performance issues doing standup comedy. Jimmy makes him understand that for him to do good on the show, he needs to kill somebody. The rest of the story is as to how Hasmukh starts killing people for his own benefit and what problems does he face in the due course of time.

What’s good?

The basic plot of the web series is quite good and has some interesting stories behind the killings. Vir Das gets the role of a lifetime and delivers a good performance. But it is Ranvir Shorey, the senior actor, who shines as Jimmy. His dialogues, screen presence makes things quite interesting. The first three episodes are quite interesting and have humor as well as a lot of riveting drama. The production values of the web series are top-notch. Dialogues are good and so is the whole crime angle that is showcased initially in the series.

What’s bad?

The series has such a good premise and starts off quite well. But once the fourth episode starts, things go downhill from there. A good plot is wasted as many new characters are introduced for no reason. Just to make things interesting, the makers add so much gore and crime which is not relatable to the characters at all.

The pace drops and the series enters its own world altogether. There was absolutely no need to have 10 episodes for such a story and things could have been wrapped up in six or seven episodes. The emotions of the lead characters change after a time and a small point is stretched for no reason.

Final Word,

Overall, Hasmukh has a superb premise and also some fine performances. It is a lot of fun to watch the initial few episodes of the show but from thereon, things get de-railed, and logic goes for a toss. A small point gets dragged forever and bores you in the latter episodes making it a dull watch during this lockdown.

Rating: 2.5/5

May 28, 2020