Masaan

I was rewatching Masaan last night. Besides convincing me never to book a hotel with my girlfriend, this movie gave me much more to think about. As I was watching this cinematic masterpiece with a story covered in simplicity, an accurate portrayal of India, and subtle social commentary - I realized it’s a story about letting go.

Letting Go of Love

When Shaalu dies, Deepak holds on to her ring that he picked up from her ashes. Now, this seems like a normal thing to do. After all, that is the last thing that can remind him that once he actually fell in love, everything he and Shaalu felt existed and was real. At the same time, this ring signifies that he is not willing to let go. He is numb, has given up on everything, and letting his present slip away for something that doesn’t exist anymore.

When he is drinking with his friends and finally shows some emotions, he says -
“Saala yeh dukh kaahe khatam nahi hota be”. I heard this and I was reminded of the story that used to be taught in my school. It was a story about an old woman whose son died a day ago but she was still selling fruits the next day. When someone asked her - why is she not at home mourning? She replied that she wouldn’t have anything to eat if she didn’t sell fruits. That story told us that the poor don’t have the privilege to even mourn or grieve over something that catastrophic. They are supposed to just let go even when they don’t want to. The lingering sadness of various losses they face in life won’t ever end.

Deepak signifies something similar. He is poor, he doesn’t have the privilege and time to grieve all he wants. Even when he finally throws out the ring, and for a moment it seems like he is happily letting go, he jumps back into the river. But he doesn’t have the privilege to grieve, he has to let go even if he doesn't want to.

Letting Go of Expectations

When Devi is caught by the police and her father is angry at her, there is an expectation mismatch in place. Her father wants her to be ashamed of what she did but she is not. But why is that?

You can say as a woke person that her father is in the wrong but the truth is they are just from two different worlds altogether. He doesn't get the concept of just meeting someone, falling in love, and having sex as an expression of love without marriage. Even if he can understand all this, he is dealing with the suicide of a guy here.

Devi, on the other hand, knows she didn’t do anything wrong. She is not ashamed and letting go of the expectations that her father and society put on her. Even though the police officer says - “Devi tumhari zindagi toh condom ho gayi” and even though her coworker asks - “Degi kya?” she still knows in her heart that she hasn’t done anything wrong. She knows that she is just in the wrong place when she says - “Jitni choti jagah, utni choti soch”.

So, instead of doubting or punishing herself because of societal expectations, she makes a way out of that society. It was not easy for her as it was hard for someone from the lower rung of society to rise the ladder. She also has to leave her father alone which is not an easy thing for either of them. His father can’t understand why she is not ashamed of what she did, but he is trying to understand as he made a similar mistake once that cost him his wife. At the same time, he never left Devi alone and helped her out of this terrible situation. In all these little gestures, Devi knows that her father loves her but she also knows she has to go.

Conclusion

Deepak let go of Shaalu and moved forward to build a better future for himself. Devi let go of her old life and her father to live a life where she doesn’t have to be ashamed of herself. But both of them never got to say a proper goodbye and as Pi Patel once said:

This is all from my side.

Thanks for reading and cut!