Masoom

A very sensitive movie very well done by Shekar. Needless to say Naseerudhin and Shabana come out with their best performance. The surprise is the kid jugal. His performance moves you to tears..he brings out the feelings of a lost,orphaned innocent kid beautifully. RDB music was apt and Gulzhars lyrics were exceptional. But i felt that Supriya pathaks character was not projected well. The relationship between Naseer and Supriya lacks depth. Climax scene could have been handled differently

Masoom is a thoughtful movie directed by one of the noted filmmakers of Bollywood, Shekhar Kapur and which stars two solid actors of the 80s's parallel cinema, Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi.

The story revolves around DK (Shah) and Indu (Azmi) who are happily married and are the proud parents of two lovely girls Pinky and Mini (Urmila Matondkar and Aradhana). However, their happy married life is cut short by the arrival of a little boy Rahul (Jugal Hansraj). Rahul is the product of DK's short illicit affair with his one-time college friend, Bhavana (Supriya Pathak). Indu shuns the innocent little boy as he adds insult to her injury as she has now learned that DK has cheated on her. You must watch the remaining as to how Indu deals with this sad reality of her life and whether she accepts Rahul to be a part of the family or not.

The film is different in its approach and boasts of superlative performances from its lead actors. This is Shekhar Kapur's first directorial venture and he has handled every aspect of this film with great creativity and maturity. R.D. Burman's music is a gem as usual. 'Tujhse Naraz Nahin' beautifully sketches the relationship between a father and his newfound son while 'Do Naina Aur Ek Kahani' speaks about the state of the cheated wife's mind. Naseer and Shabana have easily delivered their career best performances in this movie. However, it's Jugal Hansraj whose performance really touches your heart. His one scene that deserves special mention is when he asks Naseer who his father is (though the audience gets the dramatic irony). That particular scene melted my heart. Urmila Matondkar and Aradhana are also terrific as the daughters.

Overall, a movie that deserves a watch. Don't miss it!

Probably one of the most sensitive films ever made in India. Its sensibility is very contemporary and unaffected by "Bollywood". The performances are surprisingly real and one can easily relate to them. Naseer plays the role of DK beautifully, I feel its his most sensitive performance till date. DK is a very real character, he is a man who is not ashamed to cry. Its very apparent he loves his wife a lot, but the emotion he shows for Supriya Pathak, (the woman he met during the school reunion, from whom he has a son but did not know till now)is also very real, very real and honest. Even though it has the feel of a one night stand, and even DK himself would rather believe and tell his wife that, but its pretty clear he liked her when he met her and felt genuine emotion for the girl. Bhavna (Supriya Pathak) decides to bring up the child alone and not tell DK about it because she knows that he has a family of his own.

DK is a very rare character in an Indian film, men in Indian films are not sensitive like him, they don't break down while talking to their wives, they don't show helplessness. DK is so humane that its difficult for him to not touch and affect you in some way. Personally, the character that Shabana Azmi, Indu – DK's wife, does not move me too much. Its probably true that her character gets to grow only towards the end when her love for Bhavna's boy(Rahul) begins to overpower her hatred for the act that her husband had committed years ago. Her hurt also comes from the fact that when DK had this affair with Bhavna she was expecting their first child.

Indu is not shown to have any extraordinary characteristics in the beginning. She is just jealous of Rahul's mother and feels disgust for the deeds of her husband. Any one would feel like that. Her character gets some respite when she begins to see the boy Rahul for what he truly is – his mother is dead and he does not know who his father is – he is truly alone and orphaned. Its love and sympathy for him that raises Indu above the normal jealous, hurt wife. She is a mother of two girls herself, she cannot help but feel motherly love for this boy who is sweet, nice natured and so lonely.

The kids also act very well, Jugal Hansraj is wonderful as Rahul. The film wins in the end it seems because of him… you feel so much for this boy. It wins also because of DK (Naseer) and his surprisingly natural love for his lost, so far unknown son. He feels pride when Rahul plays a good ball of cricket… and it surprises him. Just goes to show that feelings of love are not conditioned, developed, they just "are". Indu's feelings for the boy can be seen almost visually growing… and that is a beautiful thing. She is the one who gets him back home in the end.

A must watch for anyone who loves Naseer and Gulzar. It's a film that doesn't disappoint. I have it on DVD and watch it again and again and again!!

This movie is based on "Man, Woman, and Child" by Eric Segal. While this had the potential to fall into silly Bollywood antics, this movie, instead, is elevated to one of the most entertaining and well crafted movies I have seen. It helps that the setting is a relatively conservative India. The boy in it is absolutely adorable, as are the daughters. And of course, who could forget the great acting of Shabana Azmi and Naseerudin Shah as the husband and wife. Yes, there are musical moments, but nothing that is in bollywood excess. If you are a non-indian, you will love this movie. Definitely a hidden gem!

Over the last few years 'Bollywood' films have been given the coverage and exposure they deserve over here in the UK. Their rising popularity means that people who wouldnt have access to watching a bollyowood film, or would simply dismiss it as a foreign language film, therefore unwatchable, are now enjoying the magic and power of bollywood. Recently Channel 4 here in the UK have began to show bollywood films every few nights, and sometimes in the day. I have watched many of them, but Masoom is by far my favourite. On paper the storyline doesnt sound incredibly exciting or original, but what is on screen is purely amazing. The actors portray their characters with such knowledge and ability that you feel you are watching the family's home movie. The basic theme of this film to me seems to be the power of love. GK's love for Rahul battles against his love for the rest of his family. And it is Indu's love for GK, and her eventual love and respect for Rahul, that keeps the family from being torn apart. It is a film about strength, about having the strength to love someone no matter what they have done, Shabana Azmi's Indu is both fragile but incredibly strong and dignified. Naseerudin Shah plays GK with such courage, but also shows his weak side. This is a film that deeply effected me. The power of its central themes are amazing, and shows a side of Bollywood that is largely unheard of.