Every day, every day 80 cases of rape are reported in India. A number that reveals the horrific reality that Indian women continue to face every day. However, even this number may not provide a complete picture. According to the World Health Organization (WHO)Sexual violence remains massively underreported in India. The 80 cases registered every day therefore do not represent the full extent of the violence, but only those cases that are reported and included in the official files.
Assi, Anubhav Sinha’s latest film, is about this reality that Indian women face. The title “Assi” means “eighty” and refers to the 80 cases of sexual violence reported every day. The film tells the story of Parima (played by Kani Kusruti), a teacher who is sexually abused and left for dead by her attackers.
Parima (Kani Kusruti) in pictures. Image Source: Benaras Media Works/T-Series Films
Bollywood films have long been criticized for producing melodramatic narratives about violence against women that are intended to shock. However, when cinema attempts to depict reality, it often goes unnoticed or receives limited audience attention. Unsurprisingly, “Assi” didn’t do particularly well at the box office, despite being an important film that underscores a serious reality in contemporary India: the fragile sense of security that women experience.
However, the discourse surrounding the film focuses less on the reality it depicts and more on the extended rape scene, which is admittedly graphic and deeply disturbing. But the film asks us viewers a simple question: What’s more shocking? The scene we see or the reality we routinely ignore? Throughout the film, the screen turns red every twenty minutes to remind viewers that another sexual assault has been reported somewhere in the country. Assi raises the question of how viewers deal with films that confront instead of comfort.
Violence and the cinematic view
After the Delhi rape and murder case in 2012, the issue of sexual violence entered the public discourse in an unprecedented way. Films and series such as Pink and Delhi Crime attempted to portray both the brutality of such crimes and the institutional processes associated with them. But despite the increasing visibility of sexual violence Rape culture continues to exist and thrive in India, and with it the patriarchal social norms that normalize, excuse and overlook violence against women.
In such a context, cinematic attempts to explore such themes are inherently risky. Assi attempts to view sexual violence not as an isolated act of deviant individuals, but as a product of systemic patriarchy.
In such a context, cinematic attempts to explore such themes are inherently risky. Assi attempts to view sexual violence not as an isolated act of deviant individuals, but as a product of systemic patriarchy. The hyper-realistic depiction of the banality of such incidents becomes a central part of the film’s narrative.
Parima (Kani Kusruti) and Raavi (Taapsee Pannu) in Assi. Image Source: Benaras Media Works/T-Series Films
The core plot of the film is about how Parima is kidnapped by five men, brutally sexually assaulted, tortured and left for dead. The narrative then largely unfolds in an intense courtroom drama led by public prosecutor Raavi (Taapsee Pannu). Through the legal process, the film explores various themes such as judicial delays, media attention, vigilantism and trauma.
The film recalls elements of other court-based narratives such as Pink (2016) and Talvar (2015). However, Assi is distinguished by the conscious decision to depict the attack sequence graphically, which ultimately becomes the central theme of the ethical debate surrounding the film.
Should films show graphic violence?
Before we discuss the relevance of the graphic rape scene in Assi, it is important to understand the arguments for depicting violence on screen. On the one hand, a case can be made for realism. This is what the French film critic André Bazin argued realism should be the basis of every film work.
So you can say that if depictions of violence on screen are toned down, the audience can distance themselves from it and see it as just another crime. Therefore, this school of thought encourages filmmakers to portray crimes realistically and force viewers to confront brutality in the real world.
However, there is criticism of the graphic depiction of rape. Laura Mulvey writes in her groundbreaking 1975 essay: Visual pleasure and narrative cinemaHe talks about how the camera often positions the audience as a voyeur. Therefore, the graphic depiction of violence could desensitize the viewer. In this setting, the camera not only records violence; It also structures how the audience views it. The American writer Susan Sontag also spoke about this when she said that images of suffering can shock but also stun.
Creating Discomfort: How Assi Represents Sexual Violence
So the real question here is not whether violence should be depicted on screen, but how it should be depicted. While images of sexual violence have been exploited in cinema in the past, the portrayal of rape in Assi is realistic and neither exploitative nor voyeuristic. The scene in the film is an example of responsible filmmaking that aims to address the reality of the crime depicted in it, but not normalize graphic depictions of violence against women for the purpose of shocking.
Ravi (Taapsee Pannu) in Assi. Image Source: Benaras Media Works/T-Series Films
The film is shot in an observational style without glamour, true to the realism it aims to portray throughout. Additionally, the sound design uses minimal background music. The silence itself increases the discomfort and makes the viewer uneasy and restless. This choice leads to an intense emotional experience. The choice of editing also takes into account the film’s demand for realism. Long takes, especially during the sexual violence scene, force the viewer to stay with the scene despite their discomfort.
The 20-minute warnings on the red screen are based on Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect, a technique that forces the viewer to distance themselves from the narrative and think critically rather than passively observing what is unfolding on the screen.
The lighting presents a muted color palette and there is no stylization or aestheticization of the narrative. The 20-minute warnings on the red screen are based on Bertolt Brecht’s alienation effect, a technique that forces the viewer to distance themselves from the narrative and think critically rather than passively observing what is unfolding on the screen.
At the end of the film, reality remains unchanged
The film refuses to provide emotional catharsis. Instead of leading to a reassuring solution, it deliberately leaves multiple narrative threads open. This lack of closure reflects an uncomfortable truth: films like this don’t ground themselves in reality; Instead, they reflect it.
The film ends, but the consequences of the crime described do not. Many questions therefore remain unanswered. Even if certain outcomes seem hopeful, the viewer is left unsettled because the film leaves us with one thought: the film ends, but the violence it depicts continues.
Ananya Shukla is a development communication researcher and poet currently pursuing her Masters at Jamia Millia Islamia. Her work combines science and creative expression, using media such as documentaries and poetry to explore how storytelling can drive social change.