The Caste, Politics, Power and Faith of Aashram.
Prakash Jha has been one of the very few filmmakers who has raised contemporary issues through his films, time and again. Whether it was corruption in the Police department in Gangaajal, the reservation in the education system in Aarakshan or dysfunctionality in a family through the lens of Politics in Raajneeti. All of these come together in his new show for MX Player, ‘Aashram’.
The division, the concept of othering, whether on the basis of caste, religion, nationality has been ingrained in our genes from start. Anyone different from us, there’s a sense of alienation creeps inside us and tells us, that person is unlike you in some way. However, it bothers me in a couple of ways that the thought isn’t succeeded by a ‘Why’. Why did I think like that, what’s the reason? Have I been taught in the same way or I haven’t been taught about the right way? And why did it come in the first place? And, seeing the current scenario, I feel this is ingrained in our society so deeply that these aspects come to the mind even before realizing the person is human being first.
Now, Aashram deals with caste issue (at first). How a girl from a lower caste isn’t given the decision her way in a wrestling game and is disqualified under dubious circumstances, even when she was the clear winner. Another instance takes place when a marriage procession of a boy from the lower caste is going through the ‘Bada Mohalla’ and how they are lynched. Then, enters god-like Baba Nirala (Bobby Deol), who provides respect and regard to the not-so-well-off and reminds their place to the people belonging to high caste.
Arrives faith, or should I say blind one. I wonder why people like these babas are called god-men. Are they god’s men, like the human form of God or they are used as a messenger to God, I guess the latter but we should not kid ourselves in believing it since most of them are just there for minting money using others’ devotion, as we have seen in real life too.
And, Prakash Jha takes this heads on. After his arrival, the plot moves into the more serious stuff. Dead bodies, a corrupt senior inspector, a junior inspector who wants to do the right thing after getting a kick up his backside, and the real business of the Aashram. As the show unravels, revelations, dirty secrets, and character motivations are revealed, but this show never goes in an unchartered territory which the story promised.
Earlier, in shows like Paatal Lok and Undekhi, we saw how power works and how the powerlessness of the powerless is used and utilized to the advantage of the powerful. Here, faith gets intermingled with power and it gets multiplied by manifolds. ‘Babaji toh Bhagwan k samaan hain’ (Baba is like the God), says the wrestler who was rescued from the clutches of people of the higher caste. But, it gets dangerous when the faith goes blind and you are not even up to listen to the other point of view.
Every other institution — journalism, medical, police (honest) — gets chased, threatened, and attacked. Medical officers are threatened to change the reports, journalists are told to delete the footages, police officers are suspended, as every institution has some or the other person belonging to Aashram or has a favour to repay of Baba or his sidekick Bhopa Swami.
Seeing the increase of Baba’s popularity, the Chief Minister and the opposition leader too want to get their hands on him for votes, obviously. While Baba gets an addict DJ Tinka Singh on board to gain popularity amongst the millennials. Yeah, the plot is scattered, but it remains related to its central theme, which is vital here.
In the latter part of the show, we see the now upright Police officer, trying to do his things secretly. I guess that’s the sad part of today’s reality, that fake news and corrupt leaders have power and exercise it openly, without law even looking at them and honest have to find shelters if they are doing the right thing because their bosses won’t let that happen.
All of it, then boils down to money. Whether the votes are being bought or it is given to shut some traps or it becomes so important that it becomes the only important thing. ‘Paise se kisi ka bhi munh band karwaya jaa sakta hai’ (Money can shut mouths) is a famous saying, but I think many people have taken this very seriously, that they are ready to go to any extent to prove the proverb true.
Lastly, they have teased for the Part-2 as well, which I will be interested to see as one thing that Prakash Jha and his writing team deserves credit for is coherence. The story and the screenplay are detailed and coherent even though the central performance almost lets it down. The show from the start is ambitious, which has been one of the characteristics of Jha’s filmography. But, I just wish all the aspects/themes were tackled more, which I felt were just touched and left in favour of a more popular theme or two I should say — Police procedural and romantic drama.
That’s why I just wish, part 2 is braver than its predecessor. Because, first one lets its writing and themes down, which showed promise and conviction at the start, but it faded away as the 45-minutes went along.
Aashram is available for free on MX Player.
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