'Masaan' review: Visually compelling, haunting performances and nuanced writing make it a must watch

Film: Masaan
Director: Neeraj Ghaywan
Cast: Richa Chadha, Saurabh Chaudhary, Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi, Bhagwan Tiwari
Rating: **** (4 stars)

What's it about

Set in modern-day Varanasi, here's a story in the city of contrasts where much has changed, yet, so little has. Two intertwining stories -- one has Devi (Chadha) being blackmailed by a corrupt cop in lieu of evidence of her 'curiosity/jigyaasa' (she checked into a hotel with a fellow student to make out but are caught red-handed), the other has Deepak (Kaushal), a low-caste young man, an engineering student, who belongs to the untouchable Dom caste, but falls for an upper class poetry-loving girl, Shaalu (Tripathi).

What's hot

It's hard to turn away from the screen while watching Masaan. And it isn't just Avinash Arun's mesmerising cinematography that's to be credited for that. The film, while visually compelling, comes alive because of its simple yet nuanced writing (Varun Grover), its beautiful music (Indian Ocean), a solidly even directorial debut (Neeraj Ghaywan) and haunting performances by some cast members. Vidyadhar's (Sanjay Mishra) conflict becomes your own as he and Devi struggle to make sense of the deep end they've been thrown into. Vicky Kaushal, as Deepak, is superbly simple and captivating at the same time as he courts Shaalu, despite realising they can never be together. She loves him enough to want to elope, if the need arises and you believe her in a heartbeat. The performances, by most of the main as well as supporting cast is what drives the film, full-steam into your consciousness. And it is these performances by most of the main cast, as well as the supporting ones (Jhonta, Vidyadhar's chela, played by Nikhil Sahni and Devi's colleague, played by Pankaj Tripathi, in particular) that stay with you. And some of those dialogues and one-liners, they never do let go...

What's not

Richa Chadha comes off a tad bit underwhelming despite the potential to knock the socks off you. And this is an actress who has done this before in smaller roles. At two-odd hours running time, you want things to move along a little faster than it does. Death (Masaan means crematorium) as a central subject tends to loom larger than the most uplifting bits of the film. That kinda limits the people who will venture out to catch this film. 

What to do

A film that runs the risk of predictability, but is compelling enough to keep you hooked to what happens next without succumbing to the danger of getting waylaid by its own indulgence, is what makes Masaan a film you cannot and mustn't miss.