Aashram (English: Hermitage) is an Indian Hindi-language crime drama web series directed by Prakash Jha for MX Player original.[1] It is produced by Prakash Jha under Prakash Jha Productions.[2] The series stars Bobby Deol along with Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Tushar Pandey, Anupriya Goenka, Adhyayan Suman, Vikram Kochhar, Esha Gupta, Tridha Choudhury, Rajeev Siddhartha, Sachin Shroff, Anurita Jha, Parinitaa Seth, Jahangir Khan, Kanupriya Gupta, Preeti Sood, Navdeep Tomar and Ayaan Aditya, in key roles.[3][4] It is written by Madhvi Bhatt, Avinash Kumar, Sanjay Masoomm, Tejpal Singh Rawat and Kuldeep Ruhil.[5] Its first season was made available for streaming on OTT platform MX Player for free from 28 August 2020.[6]
| Aashram | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Updated official poster | |
| Genre | |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | Habib Faisal |
| Directed by | Prakash Jha |
| Starring | Bobby Deol |
| Voices of | Sanjay Masoom |
| Composers | Sunny Inder (songs and background score) |
| Country of origin | India |
| Original language | Hindi |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 28 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer | Prakash Jha |
| Production location | India |
| Cinematography | Chandan Kowli |
| Editor | Santosh Mandal |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Production company | Prakash Jha Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | MX Player |
| Release | 28 August 2020 – present |
The second season of the series was released on MX Player on 11 November 2020,[7] with the third season following in June 2022, respectively. The series has been renewed for a fourth season in 2023.[8]
Summary
editThe story revolves around a godman, Baba Nirala (Bobby Deol), whose followers (mostly from the disadvantaged sections of the society) have blind faith in him and will do anything that he asks of them. In reality, he is a conman who ensures that his devotees devote their wealth to him and stay attached to his ashram for life. Politicians Hukum Singh (Sachin Shroff) and incumbent CM Sundar Lal (Anil Rastogi) vie for Baba Nirala's support in the upcoming State Legislative Assembly Elections owing to his large number of followers for their vote bank politics, which only increase after a pop singer, Tinka Singh (Adhyayan Suman) decides to conduct tours with Baba Nirala to promote his new song.
Meanwhile, SI Ujagar Singh (Darshan Kumar) is a police officer who has little interest in his job and simply follows his seniors' orders, until he meets Dr. Natasha (Anupriya Goenka) in a case related to a skeleton found on the property of an industrial group which has good ties with Sundar Lal. Her constant pestering, along with the stubbornness of a small-time journalist Akhivendra Rathi alias Akki (Rajeev Siddhartha) encourages him to take up this case, along with his assistant senior constable Sadhu Sharma (Vikram Kocchar).
Cast
edit- Bobby Deol as Kashipur Waale Baba Nirala / Monty Singh
- Chandan Roy Sanyal as Bhupendra “Bhopa Swami” Singh
- Aaditi Pohankar as Parminder “Pammi” Lochan
- Tushar Pandey as Satwinder “Satti” Lochan
- Darshan Kumar as Sub-Inspector Ujagar Singh
- Anupriya Goenka as Dr. Natasha Katariya
- Tridha Choudhury as Babita Lochan
- Vikram Kochhar as Senior Constable Sadhu Sharma
- Rupesh Kumar Charan Pahari as Nonny, pammi Cousin
- Anil Rastogi as Ex - CM Sundar Lal
- Sachin Shroff as Chief Minister Hukum Singh
- Anurita Jha as Kavita
- Kanupriya Gupta as Mohini and Sohini, twin sisters
- Rajeev Siddhartha as Akhivendra “Akki” Rathi
- Jahangir Khan as Michael Rathi, Monty's henchman
- Adhyayan Suman as Tinka Singh, a famous pop singer
- Keshav Pandit as Kavita's father
- Mala Sinha as Kavita's mother
- Navdeep Tomar as Sunny, Monty's henchman
- Subrato Roy as Goyal, Ashram Head administrator
- Preeti Singh as Sangeeta
- Ayaan Aditya as Ravindra Rawat alias RR
- Esha Gupta as Sonia, Hukum Singh's Beau and international brand building expert
- Hemant Choudhary as I.G. Sumit Chauhan
Series overview
edit| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 9 | August 28, 2020 | ||
| 2 | 9 | November 11, 2020 | ||
| 3 | 10 | June 3, 2022 | ||
Episodes
editSeason 1 (2020)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pran Pratishtha(amar)" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 2 | "Grih Pravesh" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 3 | "Duh Swapna" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 4 | "Sewa Daar" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 5 | "Amrit Sudha" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 6 | "Vish Haran" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 7 | "Gati Rodh" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 8 | "Shuddhi Karan" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
| 9 | "Maha Prasad" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 28 August 2020 |
Season 2 (2020)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Triya - Charitra" | amarnath | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 2 | "Chhadma - Vesh" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 3 | "Naag - Paash" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 4 | "Mrig - Trishna" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 5 | "Kaliya - Mardan" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 6 | "Chhadma - Yudhha" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 7 | "Moh - Bhang" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 8 | "Koot - Neeti" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
| 9 | "Chakra - Vaat" | Prakash Jha | Habib Faisal | 11 November 2020 |
Season 3 (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Indra - Prastha" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tarikh | 3 June 2022 |
| 2 | "Chakravyu" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 3 | "Charan - Kamal" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 4 | "Guru - Dakshina" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 5 | "Kaam - Vatika" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 6 | "Swarg - Lok" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 7 | "Halahal" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 8 | "Kuchakra" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 9 | "Shankh - Naad" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
| 10 | "Mahabhiyog" | Prakash Jha | Hassam Tariq | 3 June 2022 |
Marketing and release
editPromotion
editThe official trailer of the two seasons of this web series was launched on August 16, 2020[9] and October 29, 2020 respectively by MX Player on YouTube.[10]
Release
editSeason 1 and Season 2 was made available for streaming from August 28, 2020 and November 11, 2020 respectively on OTT Platform MX Player.[11] The series made its TV debut through The Q on October 11, 2021.
Critical reception
editWriting for NDTV, Saibal Chatterjee rated the series 3 out of 5 adding that “Prakash Jha's digital debut is ambitious, provocative and action-packed.” He praised the performances of actors and concept handling from the director Prakash Jha.[12] Rohan Nahaar of Hindustan Times wrote that Aashram is “a show that doesn't have the courage of its convictions. The self-censorship of sex scenes is emblematic of the trepidation with which Jha approaches the story. As it turns out, that ridiculous disclaimer was utterly unnecessary.”[13]
Controversies
editIn December 2020, Jodhpur Court had served a legal notice to Bobby Deol and director Prakash Jha after Karni Sena filed a case on the actor and the director for hurting their sentiments and stated that the show "is an attempt to discredit Hinduism and Ashrams".[14][15] In October 2021, the Bajrang Dal group targeted Aashram web series sets and Prakash Jha for defaming Hindus and the entire aashram system, through his web series, whereas the sets were vandalised by the group.[16] Director Prakash Jha stated that "They will voice their concerns, but I think about the thousands who see my project in the correct manner. It is no joke that 1.5 billion people watched it. If we say there will be no objection, it is not right. "[17] Later, Bobby Deol supported Jha and stated that the show is not about defaming anyone and as an actor nothing else matters.[18]
References
edit- ^ "MX Player drops the trailer of 'Aashram'". National Herald. 18 August 2020.
- ^ "Bobby Deol's Aashram, The Gone Game, Malayalam flick Veyil: Trailers released this week". Firstpost. 18 August 2020.
- ^ "'Aashram' trailer unveiled: Bobby Deol-Prakash Jha shed light on politics in spiritual world". DNA India. 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Aashram Trailer: Bobby Deol Steps Into The Digital World as Spiritual Leader in Prakash Jha's New Series". www.india.com. 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Aashram Trailer: Bobby Deol blends into a new character in a show that questions its morality". mid-day. 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Watch | Bobby Deol's 'Aashram' trailer out now". The Statesman. 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Bobby Deol-starrer Aashram season 2 to premiere on 11th November 2020". The Daily Voice (India). 11 November 2020.
- ^ Tom Llewellyn (3 June 2022). "AASHRAM SEASON 4 CONFIRMED BY BOBBY DEOL, RELEASE SET FOR 2023". HITC.
- ^ "The trailer of Prakash Jha's upcoming webseries Aashram was released today - The Thinkera". 17 August 2020. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
- ^ "Aashram trailer Bobby Deol plays a spiritual leader who veers between 'aastha' and 'apraadh' in Prakash Jha's new series". Hindustan Times. 17 August 2020.
- ^ "The trailer of Prakash Jha's Aashram starring Bobby Deol looks promising". www.indulgexpress.com. 16 August 2020.
- ^ "Aashram Review: With Bobby Deol's Solid Presence, Prakash Jha's Digital Debut Is Nothing If Not Bingeworthy". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Aashram review: Bobby Deol's show has a bark that's worse than its bite". Hindustan Times. 28 August 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "'Aashram': Jodhpur Court Serves Notice To Bobby Deol And Director Prakash Jha". ABP News. 14 December 2020.
- ^ "'Controversial depiction of Hindu saints in Aashram': Plea filed against Prakash Jha, Bobby Deol". Daily News and Analysis. 16 December 2020.
- ^ "Ashram 3 Sets in Bhopal Vandalised". Hindustan Times. 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Prakash Jha on Aashram 3 controversies: 'For each one who objects, there will be thousands who support your vision'". Hindustan Times. 3 June 2022.
- ^ "Actor Bobby Deol Comes in Defence of 'Ek Badnaam….Ashram 3'". The Statesman. 9 June 2022.