Four things that make Masaan stand out

Debutant Director Neeraj Ghaywan’s Masaan has been making waves for some time now. After impressing the international audience at the Cannes Film Festival and winning three prestigious awards, the film is now wowing India. Here are four things that define Masaan:

1. Storyline

Written by Neeraj Ghaywan and Varun Grover, Masaan has drawn rave reviews for its screenplay. The film won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival 2015. Among those from Bollywood who appreciated the film, writer and lyricist Javed Akhter tweeted: “When I came to see the film, I knew I was going to watch a very good film... over-awed.” He said it was one of the finest films Hindi cinema had produced; it was perfect. The performance, direction, camera work, acting, writing were all unbelievable. “It’s a very good film by any standard in the world.”

2. Commentary on moral policing

The movie begins with Devi (Richa Chadda) watching porn on her computer. After a while, she leaves the room and gets ready to meet Piyush (Saurabh Chaudhary), her boyfriend. The two check into a hotel and are enjoying each other’s company only to find themselves in trouble when police raid the hotel. They are found in a compromising position; the policemen film her in a semi-naked state, while Piyush has to take refuge in the bathroom. Later, the police call Devi’s father, Vidyadhar (Sanjai Mishra), narrate in great detail everything they witnessed in the hotel room, and demand money for hushing the issue to save her (Devi's) “honour”. The movie raises the issue of moral policing by the police.

3. The caste issue

The film seems to take stock of an inter-caste marriage issue. Deepak (Vicky Kaushal), a lower-caste guy, falls in love with Shaalu Gupta, a girl from a higher caste. An immensely sweet romance, peppered with Facebook and long phone conversations, ensues. Both actors have delivered realistic portrayals of two small-town youngsters. Kaushal and Tripathi also share an easy chemistry and their relationship, which goes from stolen glances in a crowded fair to an awkward kiss on a lonely river bank, is very well pictured. But later, on Shaalu’s eagerness to visit Deepak’s home, there is an outburst from the latter. What follows is a sad tale with the hope of picking up the pieces and moving on.

4. Varanasi

Another important thing to look forward to in the movie is its portrayal of the Ganga and the banks of Varanasi. Masaan (crematorium) would have been forgotten if it was not for Varanasi’s. At one point in Masaan, a character points out that there were 28 trains that stopped in Varanasi but 68 that didn’t. Matlab yahaan aana aasan hai, par yahan se jaana mushkil (That means coming here is easy, going from here isn’t).