Analysing films

This week we delve into the Neeraj Ghaywan, gem, Masaan. The beauty of Masaan lies in its casting and there are no two words about it. The four main characters are perfect in their roles and none of them miss the cue. But, its Vicky Kaushal who in his debut avatar as the boy from the Dom community (the lowest of the Hindu caste who are resigned to burning dead bodies) shines head and shoulder above the rest. Perhaps, Sanjay Mishra with the subtleties in his acting repertoire comes close.  The brilliance of Vicky's acting is often discussed in the scene where he says those tragic lines at the end; Ye dukh khatam kyu nahi hota! But to me, his brilliance actually starts with the opening scene where he is sitting with his friends at the cyber café and tries to decipher the medium of Social Media. His expressions of naivete, innocence, the smile of trying to feel up to the moment and the coy in his behaviour is an absolute class unto itself. He reminds me of Soumitra in A...