By: Mohnish Singh
Award-winning filmmaker Prakash Jha has claimed that his much-talked-about show Aashram (2020) has garnered a whopping 1000 million digital views so far. Starring Bobby Deol in the lead role of godman Baba Nirala, the series streams for free on home-grown streaming media platform MX Player.
Aashram, which dropped its two parts in quick succession, received a mixed response from critics, but it managed to catch audiences’ attention and raked in huge viewership on the streaming media platform. Before the premiere of Part 2 in the month of November, Jha had said that Part 1 clocked 400 million views.
Talking to a publication, the filmmaker said that the high viewership of Aashram is proof that audiences are liking it, contrary to what certain controversies surrounding it might suggest. “When you make something that affects the masses, a polarised reaction is to be expected,” he said about the controversies the show created.
The filmmaker went on to add, “They (viewership figures) kept rising, but I was really surprised to see it cross the 1 billion mark. From this I gauged that people love to watch such content; I can’t imagine why though!”
“During my research, all of which is in the public domain, I learned how these organisations function, and even those who go there exploit such places to absolve themselves of their sins. I had to sift through a lot of mundane stuff to explore the relationships these self-proclaimed godmen have with women, police, investigative agencies, politicians, the youth, and also drug cartels,” he concluded.
The filmmaker also confirmed that he is already working on the next chapter of the series, which will focus on the downfall of Baba Nirala. More details are expected to arrive soon.
Keep visiting this space again and again for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.
