Aashram review: Prakash Jha shows how caste system & power play is prevalent in society

Aashram is a series directed by Prakash Jha, marking the director's digital debut. The series cast includes actors like Bobby Deol, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Aaditi Pohankar, Darshan Kumaar, and Adhyayan Suman. The series is a political satire and will focus around Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh’s life. It is available to watch on MX Player.

Plot of the show

The plot of series revolves around a self-proclaimed Godman who goes by the name, Kashipur waale Baba Nirala. He gains influence over the lower strata of society by openly taking a stand for them and challenging anyone who discriminates against them. His followers start seeing him as their Messiah and this leads to a cult being formed.

Things start looking suspicious for the ‘Babaji’ when a sudden resurfacing of a skeleton in adjacent forest land to the aashram. A diligent and sharp police officer, Ujagar Singh is keen on solving the murder cases and putting the culprits behind the bars. But he must face many hurdles from corrupt officials and politicians before he can further his investigation against the Babaji.

The investigation points towards the Aashram of Baba Nirala and brings out many dark secrets about powerful corrupt officials as well as the Baba. It puts in doubt people’s belief of whether he is actually a Messiah or not. The question remains, will Ujagar Singh be able to bring out the truth?

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What works?

Series marks the debut of Prakash Jha, who has captured the caste system, oppression, and power play in our society. While Bobby Deol is the face of the series, each supporting cast has put up a decent performance in the series.

What doesn't work

The theme of the series was to show how the 'Godman' in the eyes of the people, was actually a 'conman'. However, in the series, there are sequences where the scenes seemed a bit dragged and deviate from the theme. There is no urgency to solve the murder cases among authorities, which is one of the major turning plot points of the series. 

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 Final thoughts

The 9 episode series is a desperate attempt to show the real story of Babaji who had been conning numerous people over the years and had formed a cult. The series is an attempt to show how the events had occurred and how the 'Babaji' was proven guilty. It can be watched for Prakash Raj direction and good performances by the actors who have depicted well the prevalence of caste system operation powerplay that is prevalent in our society.

Rating: 3/5

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