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Ranjan and Hritaja a college couple, travel to Varanasi on a pleasure trip. Once in the eternal city, they take up residence in a shabby old guest house.

The story revolves around the rundown guesthouse that is run by a septuagenarian, Shivprakash Pandey. Pandeyji, as he is known locally, as exceedingly pious and conservative in his outlook. He feels disgusted by the lack of faith and bellicosity that modern times have brought about in people. Pandey Ji is constantly enraged at the people who defile the holy city.

The Eternal City, the abode of Lord Vishwanath in Hindu mythology had prospered as a centre of religious and spirituality for centuries. Now in the ultra-liberal world of social media and millennials, neither faith, not morals get the importance that it deserves. People now seek lodging at his inn not to visit the holy shrines but to drink and make merry accompanied by their girlfriends or even prostitutes.

Meanwhile, Pandey Ji is being pestered by Shabbir a local goon who wants to buy the guesthouse and turn it into a brothel which would be more profitable. When Pandey Ji refuses, Shabbir threatens to murder him but is stopped by Ranjan who arrives at the scene. Shabbir then threatens Ranjan and Hritaja before storming out. The next day Ranjan and Hritaja's corpse is found in the Ganges and police arrest Shabbir as a suspect.

The Inspector who in charge of the investigation is a local and an old acquaintance of Pandeyji. He assures Pandeyji that he will take care of Shabbir or anyone who brings shame to their city. While they are conversing, a middle-aged couple arrives at the guesthouse and are warmly welcomed. They have returned after many years to offer their prayers to Lord Vishwanath. Pandeyji attends to them personally as he leads them to their room.

The couple appears to be pious and well mannered but we find the wife being insulted & dominated by the husband. There seems to be no feeling attached to their relationship. A few days later the couple, having visited the temples, depart Varanasi safely. Pandey Ji asks them to visit again.

That evening, a man arrives at the guesthouse with a prostitute and asks for a room. Pandeyji insults them in an offhand way. The man is enraged and they are about to leave when Pandeyji calls them back and offers them a room. That night while the couple is having sex upstairs, Pandeyji knocks on their door. As soon as the door is opened Pandeyji stabs the man in his jugular, killing him. As he corners the prostitute, she begs for mercy. Pandeyji smiles wickedly and in an act of mercy murders her brutally thus send her soul to Lord Shiva where she would find peace.

In the next scene, Pandeyji meets the inspector at the riverbank, the corpses of the prostitute and her client lie nearby wrapped in jute bags. We understand that it was Pandey Ji and not Shabbir who had murdered Ranjan and Hritaja because they had sex outside marriage. The inspector seems to be helping Pandeyji to cover up his crime. He even applauds Pandeyji's efforts to clean up the city and believes that Lord Shiva would surely bless him for it.

The film ends here, leaving behind the question - is "evil" justified when committed for a "greater good"?

Religious fanaticism promises to enforce its dictates at the expense of human lives both in the story depicted here and across the breadth of our nation.

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Moksh -The Rouge Nation

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