Shaken by the innocent querries. Review on Masoom

One's past always catches up with one's present and whenever that happens all the demons of the past can shatter the peace and happiness of the present effortlessly and in an instant just like a carefully built sand castle which has probably taken hours to complete can be totally destroyed in a flash by one single wave of the sea.

But what really matters is how one responds to such a situation. There are no set rules in life so that one refers a template and gets the answers to every such situation in life. This is the dilemma of D K Malhotra(Naseeruddin Shah), a successful architect in Delhi having a loving wife Indu(Shabana Azmi) and two adorable kid daughters.

DK while on a trip to Nainital right after his marriage to attend a school reunion function meets Bhavna (the immensely beautiful Supriya Pathak) and is instantly attracted to her. She, after the recent death of her father , stays there with her uncle and mostly keeps to herself. DK shows a lot of heartfelt compassion to her and they both become very close to each other and have a fleeting affair in that very short span of time. Once he returns to Delhi he treats this as a closed chapter in his life and they never get in touch with each other again but years later it reopens and turns his happy family life upside down.

DK now has to take care of his son with Bhavna as she is no more and there is no body else to look after the child. So he brings his son, Rahul(superbly played by the lovable Jugal Hansraj) and has to disclose everything to his wife. Now how does a wife deal with her husband’s infidelity is Indu's dilemma. Even if she decides to forgive his husband it’s impossible for her to live in the same house with the boy who constantly reminds her of his husband’s wrong doing (I think sin will be a very strong word.).She starts to hate him for what he has done but still is not totally out of love with the man she married.

Amidst all this it’s Rahul who is the worst sufferer. He yearns for his mother’s love and misses her the most when he sees Pinky(Urmila Matondkar) and Minnibeing loved and comforted by Indu. He dreams of his father, who he thinks will definitely come to him one day. The innocent kid is suddenly shattered when he becomes aware that DK (who he so admires and loves) is actually his father but doesn’t want to be called so.

Naseeruddin Shah delivers a fabulous performance where he superbly portrays the inner tussle that goes on within his character. Shabana Azmi is equally good although her character to a certain extent is one dimensional. Supriya Pathak as Bhavna is simply wonderful where she perfectly shows the urge for companionship of her character.The daughters especially Minni are sweethearts , All they time when they are playing and pulling each other’s leg it really doesn’t seem like they are acting. Saeed Jaffrey as Suri (DK’s faithful friend) and Tanuja as Chanda (Indu’s confidante) are wonderful as well especially Tanuja who looks resplendent in those sarees(I don’t think she has ever looked more beautiful).

But the movie really belongs to Jugal Hansraj who plays Rahul. Words are not enough to  describe his performance and it really has to be seen to be believed. He makes the viewer feel for the characterto the extent that the viewer both cries and smiles for and with him.

Shekar Kapur’s direction is impeccable with the subtlety of the depiction(others would have easily gone over the top with this kind of script) maintained throughout.I wish he had never left Bollywood so that we would have got to see more such masterpieces from him.Another highlight of Masoom is the music by R.D and the songs by Gulzar.

Tujhse naraaz nahi Zindagi hairaan hun main

*tere masoom sawalon se pareshaan hun main.

Oh, what a soulful song which really is the heart and soul of the movie and is it’s second most enduring memory.(The first being Rahul, merely thinking of his face makes me emotional).Huzoor is qadar bhi is another very soothing track and who can ever forget the timeless *Lakdi ki kathi.

Masoom is a movie that stays with you forever.