Assi trailer out: Netizens hail Taapsee Pannu’s hard-hitting comeback after Khel Khel Mein

The trailer of Anubhav Sinha’s upcoming film Assi, starring Taapsee Pannu, has been released and has triggered a strong online response. The film addresses the issue of rape and the silence surrounding it, placing the focus firmly on uncomfortable realities rather than spectacle.

Taapsee was last seen in the 2024 release Khel Khel Mein. With Assi, she returns to the big screen after a gap of over one and a half years.

The film marks her third collaboration with director Anubhav Sinha after Mulk and Thappad, both of which were known for engaging with social questions. Assi continues that trajectory, using the courtroom as its central space to examine crime, accountability, and complicity.

Sharing the trailer on Instagram, Taapsee wrote, “A man is already dead when he stops thinking and speaking, long before death arrives. — Uday Prakash.”

The trailer has received largely positive reactions, with viewers responding to its restrained tone and pointed messaging. One comment read, “Taapsee in courtroom can never go wrong!! (sic).” Another user noted, “This doesn’t feel like a trailer line, it feels like a truth we keep postponing. Quiet, unsettling, and necessary. Some stories don’t shout—they accuse (sic).”

Assi features an ensemble cast including Kani Kusruti, Revathi, Manoj Pahwa, Kumud Mishra, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Naseeruddin Shah, Supriya Pathak, and Seema Pahwa. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on February 20, 2025. It will face competition at the box office from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s production Do Deewane Seher Mein, which arrives on the same day.

While both films cater to different audiences, Assi positions itself as a serious courtroom drama, while Do Deewane Seher Mein is a romantic narrative. The box office outcome will ultimately depend on audience preference in the opening weekend.

Given its subject, the film is expected to provoke discussion beyond ticket numbers, particularly around representation, responsibility, and the role of mainstream cinema in addressing violence without sensationalism. This conversation may determine how audiences engage with Assi in the long term after its theatrical release across India this year.