Casts: Vicky Kaushal, Richa
Chadda, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi
Banner: Drishyam Films,
Macassar Productions, Sikhya Entertainment, Phantom Productions
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Producer: Anurag Kashyap, Vikas
Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane, Manish Mundra, Guneet Monga
Screenplay: Neeraj
Ghaywan and Varun Grover
Music: Indian Ocean
Release Date: 24th
July 2015
Story line:Benares,
the holy city on the banks of the Ganges, reserves a cruel punishment for those
who play with moral traditions. Deepak, a young man from a poor neighborhood,
falls hopelessly in love with a young girl from a different caste. Devi, a
young student who’s gone off the rails, is tortured by feelings of guilt
following the disappearance of her first lover. Devi’s father Pathak, a victim
of police corruption, has lost his moral compass because of money, while a
young boy, Jhonta, is in search of a family. These characters are all seeking a
better future, whilst buffeted between the demands of modern life and an
attachment to tradition. And their paths are about to cross…
Set in present day Banaras,
the plot of Masaan follows two seemingly separate story arcs that eventually
converge.
The first of these tells
the story of Devi (Richa Chadda). The film opens with her and her fellow
student, Piyush, checking into a hotel room. They are interrupted when the
police bursts in, accusing them of indulging in “indecent behaviour”, and even
getting a confession from Devi on videotape. Subsequently, Devi and her family
are subjected to blackmail by the police, particularly one Inspector Mishra,
who demands a hefty bribe from Vidyadhar Pathak, Devi’s father.
The second narrative concerns Deepak (Vicky
Kaushal), a young boy (also from Banaras) who belongs to the untouchable Dom
caste. As a result, he is forced to work on the Ghats of the Ganga, burning
bodies on funeral pyres; he longs to escape this atmosphere of marginalization.
Deepak meets and falls in love with Shaalu (Shweta Tripathi), a young girl who
belongs to the upper-class Gupta clan, and their difference in caste leads to
familial and societal conflicts
Key Information
·
Masaan is debut solo directorial venture of
Neeraj Ghaywan who assisted Anurag Kashyap in Gangs Of Wasseypur.
·
Neeraj Ghaywan was a co-director with Shlok
Sharma, Siddharth Gupt, Anirban Roy, Rohit Pandey. They directed movie named
“Shorts” released in 2013 starting Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Huma Qureshi and Richa
Chadda received very good response from critics.
·
Masaan is first Indo-French co-production
·
Masaan was screened in the Un Certain Regard
section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
My Gut Feel and comments:
Just saw the promo of Masaan , it is indeed
engaging. Banaras seems to be captured in its row form with a screenplay webbed
around two engaging story. Film’s duration is of 2 hours; screenplay seems
realistic and on top of it, is backed by highly sincere creative team which is
overall an interesting combination. Sometimes realistic cinema goes in deeper
zone of darkness and it lost the entertainment value which neither get
appreciation from critics nor applauded by audience. I am hoping this is not a
case with Masaan. As far as box office recognition is concerned,
with bahubali and bajrangi bhaijaan around it’s a daunting task for Masaan.
I am expecting Masaan, a good movie which will surely get due consideration
from critics however will find tough to reach out to much deserved mass audience’s
attention.
I am giving Masaan 3.5 out of 5 stars, three
days before the release.