Shashank Review - Casting Couch, Nepotism, Sex Scandals & Film Industry.. 

Sanoj Mishra's latest movie, "Shashank," is a harrowing take on the cinema industry and its terrible consequences. It deals with several factors that are unknown to the normal public when they go to cinema halls to watch the movies of their favourite stars and directors. What you see on the big screen is fun, but the story behind making that big screen spectacle is indeed not fun.. There are thousands of dreams, hundreds of sacrifices, and plenty of scandals behind the making of that one project, which you may never know. Shashank attempts to expose all the industry insights in detail.This movie is based upon the life and journey of a superstar who is facing downfall in his career (it might resemble the late Sushant Singh Rajput, but it's not, as the makers have already declared it a fictional version) and is fighting for survival and existence in Bollywood. This story also covers the situation of some strugglers who come to the film industry with the ambition to be stars and the circumstances they face. This story also covers a lot of issues like nepotism, drugs, harassment, sex scandals, political connections, female sexuality and its misuse, newcomers' mentality, and lost souls who once dreamed of becoming actors. Although it resembles many true events, the makers are clear about the fact that the film is a work of fiction and is not connected to anyone real.Producers Ravie Sudha Choudhary and Marut Singh have backed up a story that has many layers and openly speaks out against the cinema industry's lynching. Every character is based on the real-life struggle of someone from the industry, be it a newcomer, a wannabe heroine stuck in a casting couch, a group of strugglers who have become male ascots, a night-lady who traps TV actors, a sex hungry producer and his super hot wife, a sex victim, a drug provider, a director who is going to run away with money, an unknown political party, a superstar's girlfriend who feeds him drugs and drinks, a kind-hearted taxi driver, and so many others. You will relate to all the characters if you know this industry well, and even if you are not aware of the situation, you'll at least find a connection with one of them.Shashank features an ensemble cast of Ravie Sudha Choudhary, Aarya Babbar, Rajveer Singh, Muskan Verma, Nawal Kishore, Sanju Solanki, Varun Joshi, Aditya Roy, Md Salauddin, Akash Sharma, Aachal Pandey, Akash, Priya Shrestha, Naveen Sharma, Rajendra Kedar, Utkarsh Bajpai, Priyambada Pandey, Vanu Verma, and others. Except for one or two, all are newcomers and unknown faces. So it's obvious that they do not deliver mature performances, but they are somewhat tolerable. Arya Babbar, being the most known face, rules the cast, while other male artists couldn't even deliver their dialogues properly. The female actresses aren't that good, but their glamorous looks and sex appeal will attract you.Aaditya Gour and Percy's music comes and goes without any heed. Writer Sanoj Mishra does a simple job of putting several stories together, but the screenplay has some brutal moments too. Renu Yadav's dialogues are hard-hitting on some occasions, as you hear names like Shah Rukh Khan (and his son), Rajkummar Rao, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and others used on the right occasion for the right reasons. The camerawork of Neetu Iqbal Singh is forgettable, while the editing of Yogesh Pandey does not bore you, thankfully. Sanoj Mishra's direction is strictly okay, but one must admire his guts to present this story. It may not create any havoc inside the industry, but it might save somebody's life who is trying to enter the cruel world of the film industry. Casting couch, nepotism, sex scandals, the film industry, and what not.. Shashank is the complete package of every negative trend on social media.