Varanasi (Benares) has held a strange fascination for an unlikely plethora of travelers and denizens, from ash clad Aghori Sadhus and weed smoking hippies to hapless widows and trigger happy photojournalists. For me the defining image of Varanasi is of the never ending pyres on the banks of the Ganga, death in all its naked glory. It is this image that Director Neeraj Ghaywan & writer Varun Grover (Gangs of Wasseypur) take as a central theme of the film to showcase a series of interwoven stories set in this haunting, mythical city. The film explores the lives of the families of a preparer and tender of funeral pyres and a Sanskrit scholar, ubiquitous professions that define Varanasi. A previous attempt by Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta to showcase the lives of the widows of Varanasi in Water (2005) was largely shot in Sri Lanka as its take on misogyny and social ostracism fell foul of the right wing. Incidentally the screenplay of Water was written by Anurag Kashyap who's Gangs of Wasseypur seems to be a finishing school of sorts for India's cinematic talent. Consider this: the writer, director and lead actress of Masaan are a paean to Anurag's unerring instinct forte as a talent scout
The film's protagonists, newcomer Deepak Chaudhary, as the pyre tender's son & Richa Chaddha as the scholar's daughter provide finely nuanced yet restrained performances that serve as a backdrop for Sanjay Mishra's electrifying performance as the beleaguered father who is a respected scholar coming to terms with a sex scandal that his educated, daughter is embroiled in. This is truly his magnum opus, his portrayal of Vidyadhar Pathak,a man in the last legs of his life and career on having to bravely deal with something that could jeopardize the only thing he has left: his reputation in a city where its the greatest currency. While Deepak has definitely made an impression this film is not a patch on Richa Chaddha's performance in Gangs of Wasseypur. It was never meant to be and that is what makes Richa one of the most watchable actresses of our times.
Masaan has a subtle underlying message of human aspirations and how death, near death and loss of dignity cannot curb our desires to fly. When all hope and companionship is lost we are not averse to 'flying solo'. In a cruel irony Vicky (Deepak) is tending to the pyre of an anonymous woman who he discovers to be his beloved. This was one of the finest scenes of Masaan, where Deepak's soundless pain is felt by the audience. Devi (Richa) has to cope simultaneously with the loss of a loved one, the loss of her employment, a blackmailing inspector Mishra (Bhagwan Tiwari) and her own father's humiliation. Young Jhonta (Nikhil Sahni) nearly loses his life diving for coins in the Ganga as part of a betting game that his employer Vidyadhar Pathak sees as a means to accumulate the bounty demanded by the blackmailing inspector. Yet, they all bounce back. It's not an easy process as we see Devi deal with indecent propositions and suitors and Vicky struggling to master his grief to bag a job, his only ticket out of the burning ghats of Varanasi, where his family has slaved for generations at the bottom of the caste pyramid.
The Cinematography by Avinash Arun does justice to Varanasi in all its dark splendor but restrain in the use of sepia would have saved the viewer some monochrome fatigue. The misty images of Ganga as seen from a boat during a day provide a perfect contrast to the countless scenes of blazing funeral pyres on the banks.
'Love becomes a Funeral Pyre' is the latest biography of The Doors by Mick Wall released in October 2014. The name is borrowed from the lyrics of a popular song by the band titled 'Light my fire' released in 1967 in their self-titled debut album and spent three weeks at top of the Billboard top 100 chart. The theme of the song is 'love cannot wait' something Devi and Vicky epitomize in Masaan.
The film's protagonists, newcomer Deepak Chaudhary, as the pyre tender's son & Richa Chaddha as the scholar's daughter provide finely nuanced yet restrained performances that serve as a backdrop for Sanjay Mishra's electrifying performance as the beleaguered father who is a respected scholar coming to terms with a sex scandal that his educated, daughter is embroiled in. This is truly his magnum opus, his portrayal of Vidyadhar Pathak,a man in the last legs of his life and career on having to bravely deal with something that could jeopardize the only thing he has left: his reputation in a city where its the greatest currency. While Deepak has definitely made an impression this film is not a patch on Richa Chaddha's performance in Gangs of Wasseypur. It was never meant to be and that is what makes Richa one of the most watchable actresses of our times.
Masaan has a subtle underlying message of human aspirations and how death, near death and loss of dignity cannot curb our desires to fly. When all hope and companionship is lost we are not averse to 'flying solo'. In a cruel irony Vicky (Deepak) is tending to the pyre of an anonymous woman who he discovers to be his beloved. This was one of the finest scenes of Masaan, where Deepak's soundless pain is felt by the audience. Devi (Richa) has to cope simultaneously with the loss of a loved one, the loss of her employment, a blackmailing inspector Mishra (Bhagwan Tiwari) and her own father's humiliation. Young Jhonta (Nikhil Sahni) nearly loses his life diving for coins in the Ganga as part of a betting game that his employer Vidyadhar Pathak sees as a means to accumulate the bounty demanded by the blackmailing inspector. Yet, they all bounce back. It's not an easy process as we see Devi deal with indecent propositions and suitors and Vicky struggling to master his grief to bag a job, his only ticket out of the burning ghats of Varanasi, where his family has slaved for generations at the bottom of the caste pyramid.
The Cinematography by Avinash Arun does justice to Varanasi in all its dark splendor but restrain in the use of sepia would have saved the viewer some monochrome fatigue. The misty images of Ganga as seen from a boat during a day provide a perfect contrast to the countless scenes of blazing funeral pyres on the banks.
'Love becomes a Funeral Pyre' is the latest biography of The Doors by Mick Wall released in October 2014. The name is borrowed from the lyrics of a popular song by the band titled 'Light my fire' released in 1967 in their self-titled debut album and spent three weeks at top of the Billboard top 100 chart. The theme of the song is 'love cannot wait' something Devi and Vicky epitomize in Masaan.