As one of the most critically acclaimed films Masaan, clocked 4 years on Wednesday, actors Vicky Kaushal and Richa Chadha walked down memory lane and revisited the time they spent before and while shooting for the Neeraj Ghaywan’s directorial.
Vicky shared a picture of the Manikarnika Ghat from Varanasi and wrote a long post reliving the journey of the time. “For days before we started filming Masaan, I’d sit here for hours at a stretch, quietly watching bodies getting burnt one after the other… dark, fair, beautiful, ugly, rich, poor, fat, thin… All of them turning into the same colour of ash. Leaving behind, just their deeds, teaching me the most important lesson of my life. ”
“My job was to put life into Deepak, what eventually happened was the other way around. Four years back, I got to ask you all a question… “अब तो हम friend हो गए, हैं ना?” …Answer to which, I keep getting till date. Here’s to 4 years of our beautiful friendship. I cherish it everyday of my life. Thank You. #4yearsofMasaan”
In the film, Vicky played the role of Deepak Kumar, a boy from the Dom community whose family works at the cremation ghats in Varanasi.
He even shared a caricature photo of his character near the burning pyre, a scene form the film, on his official Twitter handle.
चार साल पहले आपसे एक सवाल पूछा था, “अब तो हम friend हो गए, हैं ना?” …जवाब आज भी मिल रहा है। आपके प्यार और दोस्ती के लिए शुक्रिया। #4yearsofMasaan 🤗🎈 pic.twitter.com/YjcNtTOx26
— Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) July 24, 2019
On the other hand, Richa Chadha shared a panoramic collage from the sets of Masaan and some shots from within the film.
In a heartfelt post which she also shared, Richa wrote, “Masaan has given me a lifetime of memories. As I write this, I can’t help but get choked up. Images flash before me – of desolate, dusty Ganga ghats, of steel tiffin boxes wrapped in plastic bags, of small town dreams, a floral plastic tablecloth. And then of crazy, drunken parties in France, of carrying heels in your hands because your feet ache from dancing, of a standing ovation that made adults sob like babies, of group huddles, of walking the red carpet at Cannes while hearing your name announced alongside legends like Marion Cotillard, of a hug from Naseer saab, of people’s glimmering eyes as they search for words, of silence after the end credits, of my parents’ beaming faces as they saw a hobby turn into a career, of red balloons and a small gift box wrapped in purple paper.”
She appreciated the team of the film and wrote that Masaan will “forever inhabit our collective imagination, in tiny, undetectable ways.”
Richa also shared a short video clip from the film in a separate post and wrote a special message for acclaimed actor Pankaj Tripathi. She shared in an Instagram post, “Sadhya ji, a rare diamond! I have done 7 films now with Pankaj Tripathi Ji and he’s such a cool, amazing actor! Am so happy about how well everyone that worked on the film are doing – …this film was a labour of love and even if we aren’t able to meet as often as we used to, we can get right back to it the minute we do… ”
Masaan was Neeraj Ghaywan’s debut directorial which was screened in Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival winning two awards.
The film explored two separate narratives that get intertwined towards the end. One story in which Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kuashal featured, explored the caste angle while another with Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra and Richa Chadha explored stigmas attached to pre-marital sexual relations among other things.
It released on 24 July 2015 in India.