Saturday, May 07, 2016

Masaan / Montreal Airport gate # 75

(The following post has two parts. Interestingly, the last scene was a replica of one event from my own life - and I am sure from many other people's lives.)


I had never heard of or intended to watch this Indian movie, but this was my only choice while on the airplane.


This is an interesting movie that takes you in its grip from the first scene. Life is a strange and bizarre collection of unexpected events that sometimes leave people numb and not knowing how to react. Unexpected sudden deaths or near-deaths of loved ones, the financial crisis in the middle of poverty, class differences, and brutality of society - we all live in the ocean of such potential setbacks. In the end, an ordinary human has no choice but

- to let go of sorrow (as Devi let go of the gift of her boyfriend at one of the ghaat of Varanasi) 

- and share the sufferings of other humans (as Deepak did by offering the bottled water to her).


Word masaan is a short form of shamshaan (cremation place).


The movie reportedly won many awards.


Trailer @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKJfBo3xMW0

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Ye shayed 2013 ka saal tha. Main thake qadmoN Montreal Airport ke gate number 75 pe apni flight ka intazaar ker raha tha. Saamne 'second cup' se li hui 'chai latte' mere haaton main thandi ho rahi thi. BichaRne wale mehboob ka dukh bhi shadeed tha aur apni kam-maaigi ka aehsaas bhi bohat qawi tha. Mere saamne aik 20-22 baras ki french-canadian laRki baar baar apne cell-phone ki screen dekhti jaati thi aur zaar-o-qatar roye jaati thi. Jab uska rona hichkioN main bandh giya to main ne us se poocha: "I hope everything is OK with you? And is there anything I can do for you?". Us ne apne cell-phone ki screen mujeh dikhaii - jis pe uske boyfriend ka message tha: "we can't be together, we are done". Aese moqoN pe alfaaz kahan kaam aate hain - main uth ker phir 'second cup' gaya - aur pani ki aik bottle laa ker use de di ke 'I hope you feel better'! 

- aur larki ne jo anghooti mujeh wapas ki thi, ko wahin aik charity box main drop ker diya.

4 comments:

mehnaz said...

You should watch traffic and ALigarh(both inspired by real stories)and both starring Manoj Bajpai(always amazed by this guys acting prowess)
Let go or be dragged says a zen saying. We all have to eventually let go whether of dead or dead relationships-Masaan forms an excellent backdrop for the theme.

Beyond said...

It is eerie. I saw a woman in a tube in London last night who was bare feet and crying and looking at her mobile. My kids kept on looking at her. I was taken aback by your post as it was so similar. Sadly, I could not offer her anything.

Saira said...

For me, the movie was all about how boldly devi faced the trials and tribulations of life's testing time with assertiveness, courage and truth. It was a huge display.

mystic-soul said...

Mehnaz: I am still trying to find Aligarh on DVD. Online version is not clear.