When Prakash Jha’s Aashram premiered on MX Player in 2020, it didn’t just arrive—it erupted. Set against the dust-choked, color-drenched landscapes of a fictional town called Kashipur, the very first episode, serves a potent cocktail of blind faith, political muscle, and raw exploitation.
If you enjoyed the slow-burn tension of "Sacred Games" or the political cynicism of "Narcos," Episode 1 of Aashram is your next addiction. Jai Nirala? More like Jai Manipulation. MX Player Episode Runtime: 48 minutes Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – A gripping, uncomfortable start.
We meet Pammi, a state-level hockey player whose real name is Ujagar Singh. She is fierce, athletic, and hungry for a national title. But the system is corrupt. Her coach demands a bribe of ₹2 lakhs (approx. $2,600) to "recommend" her for the camp. Her father, a struggling farmer, can’t afford it. Desperate, Ujagar visits the ashram, hoping Baba’s blessings will change her luck. She is talented, but talent without money is worthless in Kashipur. aashram season 1 episode 1
Out steps (played with chilling charisma by Bobby Deol). He is not a monk in rags; he is a celebrity in white linen. His hair flows. His sunglasses are polished. His smile is calibrated.
The scene is quiet, almost corporate. They drink tea and shake hands. The sacred and the profane become business partners. The final act focuses on Ujagar. She returns to the ashram after failing to secure her hockey bribe. Baba Nirala notices her. He sees not a devotee, but an asset—a young, strong, beautiful athlete who could be the ashram’s new "face." When Prakash Jha’s Aashram premiered on MX Player
Meanwhile, we meet Satti, a simple young man whose mother is dying of a kidney ailment. Doctors have given up. But Satti believes Baba Nirala can perform a miracle. He sells his only buffalo—his family’s livelihood—to buy a silver throne for the Baba as an offering. The tragedy is immediate: he gives everything for a man who doesn’t even know his name. The Supernatural Business Baba Nirala’s first on-screen "miracle" is a masterclass in manipulation. A blind woman is brought before him. The crowd watches in tears. Baba places his hand on her eyes, mutters a mantra, and— poof —she claims she can see light.
It’s brutal in its simplicity. Faith is not being nurtured; it is being engineered. No cult survives without political protection. Episode 1 introduces Minister Sundar Lal (Anupriya Goenka) —a tough, pragmatic politician. She visits the ashram not to pray, but to negotiate. She needs the "Baba's" followers as a vote bank in the upcoming elections. In exchange, she offers police protection and a blind eye to the ashram’s land grabs. Jai Nirala
Within the first ten minutes, the show establishes its central question: Is this a story about God, or about the business of God? The episode opens with a montage that feels almost tranquil. Sunlight filters through the windows of a sprawling, ashram complex. Thousands of devotees, mostly poor and desperate, sleep shoulder-to-shoulder. The serenity is shattered by the sound of a helicopter.