Masaan
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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
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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.