Structuring a story around children is never an easy task. To Shekhar Kapur's credit, however, he achieves success towards the same with striking conviction.
Loosely adapted from Erich Segal's moving novel Man, Woman And Child, Masoom ponders over the intricacies of human relationships with discernable grace and emotional detailing. The idea is not to sensationalise an extra-marital outing but to engage into a study of what follows after.
What makes Kapur's directorial debut appealing is not only his ability to extract a complex performance from his actors -- both seasoned and raw, but a steady refusal to let any protagonist seem negative even when remorseful or distant.
It takes an exceptional cast and composer to articulate the delicacy of Gulzar's writing. And that is exactly what is echoed in Naseeruddin Shah's apologetic body language -- both as a reluctant father and guilt-ridden husband, Shabana Azmi's terrific conflicts shifting between maternal instincts and wronged wife, Jugal Hansraj's quivering tone and big, blue eyes brimming with questions and Rahul Dev Burman's beautiful compositions like Tujhse naraaz nahin, Do naina, Lakde ki kaathi and Huzoor is kadar.
Also Read: Best Films of the 80s
Advertisement
