Movie Review: Masaan..burns a little too slow

Much like its funeral pyres which are strewn liberally across this movie, Masaan (which is literally another word for shamshaan) takes a long time to burn through what it intends to portray and by the time it is ashes, you’re sure to have lost interest. There are a few embers here and there, but plot-wise its mostly just smoke. The movie is technically sound so that may explain where some of its awards are coming from, but if you are thinking this is path breaking cinema with a definitive plotline – clearly you’ve been misled

Having seen a slew of such films now, I am beginning to have a grudge of sorts, against this ‘realism for the sake of realism’ genre that is increasingly permeating our silver screen today. The realism part is good, and the right direction, but devoid of a solid plot one wonders what is the intent of such portrayals in the first place. I am just gonna rip off the band-aid in one go – Masaan has no storyline whatsoever unless of course, following the lives of two random people is now a plotline

That really is the curse of this otherwise well made movie. That and the excruciating pace it slows down to extinguishing any spark of interest. The movie has an interesting, even unique, context. There are precisely two points, story wise that can be said to have some impact. However, with no structure to prop them in place, they too become meaningless in the larger scheme of things. Instead, you are forced to sit through scenes, where the director should’ve ideally yelled ‘cut’ 15 minutes ago and sadly this happens over and over again

What you can watch Masaan for is the good cinematography with some great shots of the ghats, the Ganges and the rising and setting sun. The performances are also quite good – The newbies more than do justice especially Vicky Kaushal who puts in a very natural act and the chemistry between him and Shweta Tripathi create some of the most innocent and fine moments in the film. Richa Chadha puts in a good restrained performance but her character lacks critical depth and Sanjay Mishra is particularly impressive as the pandit father.

There is one powerful message this movie has about the stark reality that is life, though I am not sure if the director particularly intended to pass that on, since its never mentioned through the roughly 2 hour presentation.

Masaan had potential to be ground breaking. If it would’ve had a good plot and storyline that burned brightly all through, even at the cost of bringing a touch of the poetic and dreamy, it could well have been worth it. Such as it is, I wouldn’t go far as to say that if you still want to go – its your funeral, but prepare for a pretty dull time in the hall.