Love, Life
and Death
Film: Masaan
(with English subtitles)
Cast: Richa
Chaddha, Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra
Directed by:
Neeraj Ghaywan
Duration: 1
hr 43 mins
Rating: * * *
1 / 2
Debutant director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan which picked up a
couple of awards at Cannes this year has a very simple story at the heart of
it, but it is the manner in which it is told that leaves an indelible
impression. It celebrates love, life and serves a reminder of the ultimate fate
that awaits all of us.
The beauty of Masaan lies in the way in draws us into the
world of the characters, slowly and steadily they start growing on you. We have
Devi (Richa Chaddha) who meets a guy she likes in a seedy little hotel but
things take a turn for the worst. She is a feisty young lady who knows how to
take it on her chin. But her father (Sanjay Mishra) a retired Sanskrit
professor who does translation work and runs a small shop on the ghats of
Banaras is devastated. Although he is not the typical male who likes to keep
control of all that his daughter does, this is a heavy blow for him. Moreover,
he is also being blackmailed by a police officer (Bhagwan Tiwari)
The parallel story that runs is of Deepak (debutant Vicky
Kaushal, impressive) who is all set to become an engineer. But he comes from
the family of domes, who cremate
bodies on the ghats of the river Ganga.
And bodies are burnt by the dozen there- skulls have to be crushed so
that the soul can be released. It is a different yet intriguing world out there.
They are a marginalized community but in a way, Deepak has
broken the barrier in terms of getting decent education. But he still has to
lend a helping hand to his family’s profession. It is love at first sight when
he sees this girl (Shweta Tripathi). But in more ways than one, they are quite
distinct – she loves the poetry of Nida Fazli, Basheer Badr and Mirza Ghalib,
he hardly has any clue as to who they are and honestly admits it. Symbolically
balloons are released, Facebook friendship request is accepted and love is
professed. But in many parts of the country, the first thing is to check after
falling in love is the caste of the other person. That could make or break
things.
Writer Varun Grover and director Ghaywan touch on these
issues but the larger picture is more than just that. You are left wanting more of the innocent romance and their
exchanges, there is a certain purity to it.
When you have multiple threads in a story, the ending is
always a bit tricky – I was left with mixed feelings.
There are some wonderfully crafted scenes, take the
father-daughter exchange for example, that is a fine piece of writing, or the
character of the lonely railway employee (Pankaj Tripathi) who works with
Devi. There are many such endearing
moments in the film.
And then there is Banaras, the city. Cinematographer Avinash
Arun (who directed the award winning Marathi film Killa) captures the essence
of the city in the most unobtrusive way. While the heart of the city is
evident, subtlety is also the name of the game of here. One particular shot
where the kids jump into the river makes you wish you had a remote control to
rewind and watch it again.
The background score by Frenchman Bruno Coulais and the songs
by Indian Ocean are apt. On the acting front, Sanjay Mishra and Richa Chaddha
fit the bill, but the youngsters Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi steal the
show here.
Masaan is well worth a trip to the theatres, besides you can
also applaud the changing face of Indian cinema.
Published in The Navhind Times on 26th July 2015
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