Masaan Film Review: Beautifully crafted social commentary on clash between modernity and age old traditions

Masaan is a masterpiece with an extremely strong and contemporary relevant subject combined with stellar performances by the entire cast.

Mumbai, July 22: Masaan (literally meaning crematorium) is the directorial debut of Neeraj Ghaywan, who has also assisted Anurag Kashyap in his prolific gangster saga film Gangs of Wasseypur.  Masaan portrays two love stories stuck in the tug of war between modernity and age old traditional customs and beliefs. Set in the holy Hindu town of Varanasi, a veritable symbol of century old traditions, the storyline is a strong social commentary on the changing landscapes of the values and sexual expressions of the young Internet generation of India.

In the opening scene, we see the fiercely independent Devi (Richa Chadha) watching a porn film and then leaving for a sexual rendezvous with a friend Piyush Agarwal  in a cheap hotel room. The meeting soon turns tragic as law comes knocking at the door of their room and Piyush slits his wrist in panic while Devi is taken into custody. (ALSO READ: Cannes 2015: Masaan wins two top awards)

The vile police inspector Mishra (Bhagwan Tiwari) videotapes the barely clothed Devi on his phone with the intention to blackmail her father Vidyadhar Pathak (Sanjai Mishra) by holding the family honour to ransom. Devi’s father, brilliantly essayed by Mishra, is a poor old Sanskrit teacher turned small store owner who helplessly tries to collect the money that the inspector has demanded of him- the price to keep his daughter’s shame under wraps.

Richa Chadha’s Devi personifies the spirit of a growing number of middle class youngsters who have grown up believing in global values, imbibed from the Internet. Quite opposite to the behaviour of a typical small town girl, Devi never once expresses shame or blames herself for the situation she finds herself in. She remains strong throughout, never allowing herself the luxury of tearing up until the very end when she manages to extricate herself from the helpless situation. (ALSO READ: Will Masaan prove mettle in the Indian box office?)

Parallel to this story is another story about a lower caste boy studying civil engineering, Deepak Chaudhary (Vicky Kaushal), belonging to the caste of the traditional pyre burners, who dares to fall in love with an upper caste girl Shalu Gupta (Shweta Tripathi). Their love blooms against the backdrop of burning funeral fires in a world of strong social restrictions but their happy ending is not to be. In a cruel twist of fate, Shalu is killed in an accident and her corpse turns up at the same ghat where Deepak and his family prepare funeral pyres as an occupation.

Masaan is a masterpiece with an extremely strong and contemporary relevant subject combined with stellar performances by the entire cast. All the characters are well rounded and relatable but the time lapse is a bit confusing in the script written by Ghaywan himself and Varun Grover.

Another notable performance is that of Nikhil Sahni who has played the lively boy Jhonta, who works for Devi’s father. Pankaj Tripathi, who played the character of Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur,  also makes an appearance as the jolly colleague of Devi’s, Sathya Ji. Mishra manages to elicit a few giggles from the audience in the otherwise emotional script.

Add to all this, the soulful music by Indie rock band Indian Ocean and the delightfully haunting cinematography by Avinash Arun Dhaware which brings to life the beautiful night scenes at the banks of the Ganges, you get a rare gem of a film, which is a must watch for people from all walks of life.

Film: Masaan (Fly Away Solo); Director: Neeraj Ghaywan; Production: Drishyam Films, Phantom Films, Macassar Productions, Sikhya Entertainment; Cast: Richa Chadha, Sanjai Mishra, Shweta Tripathi, Vicky Kaushal, Nikhil Sahni, Pankaj Mishra; Script: Neeraj Ghaywan, Varun Grover; Music: Indian Ocean; Cinematography: Avinash Arun Dhaware

Rating: 4.0/5