MASAAN: A Loosely Entangled Journey of Two Souls
Genre: Drama, Romance
Masaan (Shamshaan) is set in the holy city of Banaras. It portrays the parallel love story of two characters — Devi and Deepak, who are surrounded by an orthodox society. The tone of the movie is set in transforming times. When old beliefs and traditions are changing and the new generation is taking over.
The innocent and ambitious Deepak who belongs to the Dom (corpse burner) community in Varanasi, aspires to be an engineer and move out of his family profession. He’s extremely happy as he starts falling in love with Shaalu Gupta, who unfortunately is of an upper caste. His pure and simple nature mixed with hesitant approach makes his love story relatable. Despite the fact that he cannot climb the barriers of caste and society, he attempts to bend his fate by going against the norms.
Devi on the other hand is an independent and strong woman who desires to become a reliable daughter. She does not give in to the societal pressure and constantly tries to make a place for her in this patriarchal world. Devi finds herself in love with a boy, Piyush Agarwal who attends the same coaching. Their relationship quickly escalates to a physical one but they were in for a surprise as things do not go in the expected direction.
Their lives experience a sudden turbulence when a tragedy befalls in their respective lives. Masaan embarks both Devi and Deepak on a journey of philosophy of life where they experience love, death and eventually, forgiveness. It is ironic that in a city where people come to die in search of salvation, these characters are struggling to live a happy life.
The movie remarkably presents a juxtaposition between the old and the new. Even though Deepak aspires to be an engineer and step out in the new world that awaits him, he is bound to work at the ghats, burning dead bodies because of his family’s years old profession.
Another example would be the conversation between Pathak ji, a retired Sanskrit professor (Sanjay Mishra) and a group of students who approach him to know about the history of a ghat.
Pathak ji: Kya tum recording karoge.
Student: haa sir, wo kai baar likhne mein thoda choot jaata hai.
Pathak ji: Itihaas, haiin!
Pathak ji is surprised by the fact that the student prefers recording the conversation instead of taking notes, which is in contrast to his understanding of gaining knowledge. This conversation is a also a beautiful remark on the known history of the world, adding an artistic charm to the movie.
Apart from the philosophy of circle of life and death, the movie captures a long list of other ideas from patriarchy, caste barrier, corruption, stereotypes, the cold-hearted modern man and many more. Although, the youth tries to break free from the stereotypical and traditional mindset, they cannot shake off the shadow of the orthodox society and struggle to carry their own way of life.
The screenwriting of the movie is very detailed and convincing. The excitement of finding the person you love on Facebook; meeting up with them in coaching classes, conversing in local language, or browsing the internet in a cyber cafe, Neeraj Ghaywan leaves no stone unturned to express the love stories in small, non-metropolitan cities. Director Neeraj Ghaywan has done various interesting projects like, the story of a transgender woman and activist who came to adopt a young girl whose birth mother died of AIDS. His latest award-winning short film, Juice, subtly tackles patriarchy and misogyny in the Indian household. He has also directed the second season of Sacred Games. His work often explores the concept of love and breaking free from the stereotypes. Masaan is a prime example of his ideas in motion.
The cinematography and locations throughout the movie shows their deep commitment towards the script which makes the story even more compelling. Cinematographer Avinash Arun, showcases the raw beauty of Benaras by capturing the narrow lanes, small old houses, the ghats, the rivers and the seasonal fete.
The songs are written by renowned writer and lyricist, Varun Grover; and sung by the popular band Indian ocean (Tu kisi rail si guzarti hai , Mann kasturi and Bhor) which amplifies its poetic charm and contribute in the vivid expression of emotions felt by the characters in their respective scenes.
The supporting cast includes Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, Pankaj Tripathi, Vineet Kumar, Bhagwan Tiwari, etc. Even though Pankaj Tripathi has a very small part in the movie, his performance is extremely entertaining and impressive! Though all the actors have done a brilliant job, it is Vicky Kaushal’s act that stands out. He is almost unrecognizable as a thin, young, Benarasi boy. His performance packs a punch whether it is his innocent smiles or his touching sobbing.
Final Thoughts
Masaan is a deeply philosophical and heartening experience. With its detailed and layered writing, it urges the viewers to think about it more and more and appreciate its artistry. Both the story and the sound tracks leave a lasting impression which makes it a fulfilling drama to watch.
