Masaan: An Emotional Ride To Tranquility!
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Masaan basically means, 'Shamshaan', a place where dead bodies are cremated. The English title of the film suggests, 'Fly Away Solo'. Whether alive or dead, you have to travel your journey solo, alone. You have to help yourselves, in order to help others. The narrative by debut director Neeraj Ghaywan, revolves around the beautifully interpreted web of essential emotions of life like love, death, hope, redemption and pain. And how the emotion of love and hope empowers all other human feelings within the boundaries of small city, Banaras.
The story line draws two parallels, one being of a girl named Devi, who gets trapped into 'sexual experimentation'- which is tagged as 'Jigyasa'(curiosity) of her in the movie by the character. This story line highlights the experimentation of love with natural physical intimacy and non-acceptability of it in a stereotypical small town like Banaras. Also Devi played by Richa Chadda, exclaims in one of the scenes, "Jitna chota shehar, utni hi choti soch". Another story satirizes the concept of inter-caste marriages. How a boy, who works for his family business of cremation at Ganga ghats (but, well educated) falls in love with a girl, who belongs to upper caste family. The small nuances are the real strength of this film, as one of the scenes, a Lady who belongs to upper caste, remarks at a restaurant, "Acha khaana hai na? Humari caste waalo ne banaaya hai!"
Stereotyping of the society and that too in a small city like Banaras, have shown like never before, in this masterpiece. As I also mentioned above these small refinements in the film which implicates 'typical conventions' of society are the strings of the movie, which connects you to the reality of life. For example, entrance of girls forbidden at Ghats and disputes over the segregation of the purest river Ganga, in form of Ghat disputes, highlights nothing but the hypocrisy of our society in truest form. The game of coins to collect from the river by children competing with each other and gambling over it, is another example of crude reality of our society, which in return signifies the irony of 'Jigyaasa' and innocence of a small boy in contrast to harsh reality, which is unknown to the innocent souls.
Eternal emotions like love, loss, pain, self-exploration and hope is personified through the characters of Devi and Deepak. The journey starting from love and life, ends at the 'sangam' of self-exploration and redemption to began a new life with a new hope and by not giving up to the cruelties of life and stereotypical society.
There is a beautiful song in the movie by Indian Ocean, which sums up every emotion, very well. The words explains the very essence of love and hope within the ambit of our 'self-created molded' society. " Naache hoke firki lattu...Khooje apni dhuri re...Mann Kastori re....Jagg dastoori re".
However, this master piece ends with a beautiful climax, with a point where the two important characters of the movie, meets at the Ganga riverside of Allahbaad. Devi and Deepak, both redeems themselves in their own ways and starts their new journey by going towards the 'sangam' (confluence) of rivers which implies the 'sangam'(conjunction) of new beginnings and new hopes.
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