At a time when streaming platforms are throwing up fare bordering on brutality, Mihir Desai’s (Mirzapur) latest outing, Masoom, is a comparatively pleasant watch. Its six short episodes which end on a cliffhanger paving the way for another season, may not have a novel plot line – its story has been told and retold innumerable times, the narrative of well-kept family secrets and stormy father-daughter relationship – but the direction is imaginative, often reminding me of European cinema and its stylistic, subdued treatment. Often shot in natural light, the most important segment of Masoom strongly resonates with Michael Haneke’s 2012 French work, Amour. I would not go further or spoilers may spill out.
Set in a small Punjab town with the characters speaking a mix of Punjabi and Hindi, the series, just out on Disney+ Hotstar is a remake of the British show, Blood, with the Indian version penned by Satyam Tripathy. Exploring the travails of a doctor, Balraj Kapoor (Boman Irani), and his family, Masoom is mix of weaker moments as it is of stronger pulls.
He runs a nursing home, and his wife Gunwant (Upasana Singh), is bedridden. Despite this, she keeps the family together, and it has problems. The son, Sanjeev (Veer Rajwant Singh), is gay, and plans to run away with his partner to another country. The elder daughter, Sanjana (Manjari Fadnnis), is separated from her husband, while the youngest sibling, Sana (Samara Tijori seen in Bob Biswas), is deeply antagonistic towards her father.
Masoom begins with Sana arriving for her mother’s funeral, seething with anger and resentment. She strongly suspects that her father has had a hand in the death, and tries playing Miss Marple. The remaining episodes put the pieces together, but not before a couple of more bodies litter the screen.
Although, Sana’s character does appear a tad stretched in places – with her obstinate reluctance to understand her father never convincingly explained — Tijori conveys her restless angst with refreshingly natural ease. Kapoor’s affair with a colleague at his nursing home gets Sana angrier. She is not convinced when her brother and sister explain that their father has been a lonely man, who despite his straying, never faulted in taking care of his wife.
Masoom really stands out for Irani’s compelling performance as a man deeply frustrated at his inability to ease his wife’s agony. His huge debts add to his inner turmoil. The actor’s performance arc is amazing here as it has always been. Equally good at comedies as well as roles with shades of grey (Jolly LLB and 3 Idiots among others), Irani has conveyed his on-screen persona with consummate ease. Remember his lisp in 3 Idiots and his haughty demenour in the courtroom drama with Arshad Warsi?
