After a worldwide tour at various International film festivals, Prakash Jha's critically acclaimed Pareeksha: The Final Test is all set for a global premiere! The Adil Hussain, Priyanka Bose and Sanjay Suri starrer that revolves around the story of an ordinary rickshaw driver in Bihar fighting against all odds to provide his son the best possible education, will premiere directly on Zee5 on August 6. However, Pareeksha doesn't seem the only Prakash Jha release next month.
Peepingmoon.com has exclusively learned that Prakash Jha's web-series, Aashram that stars Bobby Deol in the lead will also come out in August. Sources close to the development have told us that MX Player is planning to release the 10-episode series in the third week of August, and will lock the exact premiere date in a couple of days. The streaming platform is apparently also working on a huge promotional strategy to raise the excitement for this debut digital vehicle of the maverick filmmaker known for his hard-hitting, socially-conscious dramas like Aarakshan, Gangajal, Rajneeti and Satyagraha.
File photo of Bobby Deol
We've also heard that Aashram has already been commissioned for the second season. Jha is said to have already started developing the script and will likely dive into it sometime next year. The Bobby Deol, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Anupriya Goenka, Darshan Kuumar and Sachin Shroff-headlined show went on floors in October last year and was largely shot in Ayodhya and Lucknow. It was earlier supposed to be out in May but the Coronavirus lockdown pushed the post-production work delaying it to August.
A Haryanavi political satire loosely based on the life of Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who's currently serving life imprisonment for rape and murder, Aashram is believed to be more of a critique on the Godman culture and showcases the dark crime of the so-called gurus who hid under the veil of spiritualism. Bobby will be seen playing the role of the controversial Baba, and if sources are to be believed, he has delivered one of his best performances this time.