Small-town India has always fascinated our filmmakers. There are stories hidden in every corner and there are so many aspects waiting to be explored on celluloid. Debutant director Neeraj Ghaywan also jumps into the bandwagon, but not just for the heck of it. He has a story to say and he says it with conviction, honesty and most importantly, simplicity. No wonder that it turns out to be a wonderful small film and one of the best of 2015!
The story of the movie: The film is set in Varanasi. Devi(Richa Chadda) meets a friend Piyush and both proceed to a hotel room to ‘satisfy their curiosity’. However, it ends up in a disaster, putting Devi and her father Vidyadhar Pathak(Sanjay Mishra) in a spot. Deepak(Vicky Kaushal) belongs to the Dom community, who are involved in the cremation work at Harishchandra Ghat. He falls for Shaalu(Shweta Tripathi) and she too gets attracted to him. However, while Deepak belongs to the lower caste, Shaalu is a Gupta, i.e from the upper caste. Vidyadhar on the other hand is trying to get himself and his daughter Devi out of the tough situation and he realizes that the kid, Jhonta(Nikhil Sahni), who works with him can prove lucky for him.
Masaan has three tracks and except for Devi and Vidyadhar, none of the other stories ever intersect. Making such kind of a film is never easy but the director and writer come out with flying colours in this regard. The film is just 110 minutes long and very easy to understand and comprehend. It is slow but not a single sequence can be deemed unnecessary. The plot is set in motion in the first shot itself. The manner in which Devi’s sexual escapade takes a wrong turn is quite shocking. The entire idea of the Dom community is neatly depicted by the makers. The best part of the film is the Deepak-Shaalu’s romance. It is very cute and is bound to put a smile on one’s face. The intermission point is a masterstroke. The second half is as good and maybe even better, especially when the tragedy unfolds. One wonders if the makers will be able to do justice in the finale. And they do! A nice twist is incorporated in the pre-climax and the final scene is simply amazing! Any blemishes? Few questions remain unanswered but in the larger context of the film, that doesn’t really matter much.
Masaan is embellished with some very memorable performances. Richa Chadda as always delivers a bravura performance. She totally seems like a 20-something girl from Varanasi – her accent, her body language – everything reeks of realism. Check out the scene when she’s working as the receptionist or her face off with her father – she is so brilliant! Vicky Kaushal looks quite dashing and wins hearts with his performance. The manner in which he blushes while talking about Shaalu or when he breaks down or when he gets angry – he’s amazing in each of these diverse and challenging sequences. What’s amazing that he is a teetotaler in real life and yet got drunk for a crucial scene and he just rocks in that one sequence! See it to believe it! Shweta Tripathi looks very adorable and delivers a very lovely performance. She never goes overboard and remains truly in her character. Hope we get to see her more! Sanjay Mishra, after Ankhon Dekhi and Dum Laga Ke Haisha, gives yet another terrific performance that leaves a mark and makes a huge difference. He has played so many diverse roles and yet, he manages to surprise viewers every now and then by bringing something new to the table. Pankaj Tripathy(Sadhya ji) makes his presence felt in a small role. Nikhil Sahni(Jhonta) is confident and steals the show in his scenes with Vidyadhar. Bhagwan Tiwari(Inspector Mishra) gives a brilliant performance. One can’t help but hate his character – he brings out that anger in viewers very well! Saurabh Chadhary(Piyush Agarwal) is superb in the one very important scene of the film.
Indian Ocean’s music as always is fantastic. All 3 songs of the film – Tu Kisi Rail Si, Mann Kasturi Re and Bhor – are soulful and very nicely incorporated in the film. Bruno Coulais’ background score is minimal but impactful. Avinash Arun, who recently got accolades for directing Killa, rocks as the cinematographer here. The locales of Varanasi are so beautifully captured and it was very essential as Varanasi is an important character of the film in a way. Sound design adds to the realism while casting director Mukesh Chhabra hits the bulls eye yet again with his amazing casting. Varun Grover’s dialogues are sharp, simple and real. His screenplay is effective and remains on track. No attempt is made to do anything dramatic. The story is allowed to move organically. Notice how none of the characters try to fight the system. Everything in the film is real and simple. Neeraj Ghaywan scores a sixer as a director and that too in his first film. His execution is so subtle, yet so easy to understand – this is no easy task and some of the biggest filmmakers have sometimes faltered while trying to do so. But Neeraj succeeds and here’s hoping he comes up with many more such films!
Some of the best scenes:
Devi-Piyush in the hotel room
All scenes of Deepak-Shaalu
Inspector Mishra visits Vidyadhar’s house
The intermission point
The song Mann Kasturi Re & Tu Kisi Rail Si
Deepak called at the ghat at night
Deepak breaks down
Devi blasts Vidyadhar
Devi-Vidyadhar’s emotional moment
Sadhya ji gets kheer for Devi
The last 15 minutes
On the whole, Masaan is a beautiful tale told with honesty and simplicity and hence definitely deserves a watch. The film boasts of some award-winning performances, script and direction. Varanasi has been shot amazingly. The film never goes overboard in any department and the realism is kept intact from start to finish. Do give this film a chance if you are done with Baahubali and Bajrangi Bhaijaan – you surely won’t be disappointed!