The film, Masoom which stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, also includes three darling children and some of the best music by R.D. Burman and Gulzar.
There is general agreement that the 1980s were the worst decade for Hindi films. It's not a ridiculous claim; India abruptly moved into the domain of gory vengeance dramas, garish costumes, and loud soundtracks from the socially aware films of the 1950s to the frothy romances of the 1960s to the musical masala entertainers of the 1970s. Of course, there were outliers, but they didn't make the decade.
Composer R.D. Burman was one among many who suffered in this new wave of Bollywood. The artist who had produced innumerable hits in a variety of genres—from moody love songs to flirtatious party songs—using everything from electronic rock to folk elements, found himself unexpectedly out of favour in the new order of things.
It was evident not only in the films he was passed over for but also in the accolades. Burman only received three Filmfare Awards, one of which was given posthumously for the 1994 film 1942: A Love Story, despite producing hundreds of film scores, many of which are still favourites, whether at gatherings or on a Sunday morning at home. However, the final movie for which he received the honour in his lifetime.
There are just four songs on the soundtrack of this movie, but they are all gems that are expertly used to capture the tone of this family drama, with music by Burman and lyrics by Gulzar (who also authored the screenplay). Here's a look back at Masoom on the anniversary of R.D. Burman's birth.
The movie, which is an adaptation of American author Erich Segal's novel Man, Woman, and Child, depicts how the discovery of an old extramarital affair's illegitimate child by a man upsets his family.
D.K. Malhotra (Naseeruddin Shah), a prosperous and contented architect, resides in a luxurious Delhi home with his loving wife Indu (Shabana Azmi) and their two darling kids, Winky (Urmila Matondkar, making her acting debut as young girl), and Mini (Aradhana). They live in a contented, cosy home and appear to be the envy of their friends.
At gatherings where D.K. breaks into song, Indu and D.K. dance with their pals while they joke, flirt, and talk to each other like true partners. It is a typical family.
But you realize this won't last right away. Indu wasn't informed that D.K. had brought home a puppy because she doesn't like dogs. He and the girls are hoping that Indu will fall in love with the puppy and agree to let them adopt him because of how adorable he is. But when the dog destroys a family portrait, you realize it's a metaphor for what's to come.
D.K. receives word from the principal of his former school in Nainital that Bhavna (Supriya Pathak), a young woman he had slept with at his school reunion approximately ten years prior, had passed away, leaving behind her and D.K.'s son, Rahul (Jugal Hansraj, who is making his acting debut as a youngster), as well as other family members. Bhavna's headmaster has known her since she was a young child.
Indu is heartbroken and irate to learn that D.K. had cheated on her and that, as she claims, the last few years have been a deception, while D.K. is shocked to learn that he has a son (Bhavna had made sure he never found out since she didn't want to disrupt his family life).
Rahul enters the Malhotras' home and lives, not knowing that D.K. is his father. Rahul wins over Mini and Winky, who is also oblivious to reality, and D.K., who has long wanted a son, falls in love with him. Rahul has a charming, bashful grin and huge, compassionate eyes that could win anyone over. But Indu, who enjoys kids, finds it difficult to gaze at him since he brings back bad memories of her spouse.
Rewatching this movie, which is close to 40 years old, one is impressed by how innovative the subject matter and presentation were. Nothing theatrical, villainizing, or Machiavellian about the plan to wrangle the kid out of the house—just a realization that even the people we love—and who love us—have flaws and commit errors. D.K. is a devoted husband and father to his daughters, and that doesn't change simply because he also obviously wants to do what's best for his son, who, as he tells his buddy Suri (Saeed Jaffrey), also has a right over him as the girls do.
One may be ready to ignore the flaws due to the general progressive and mature tone of the movie.
Rewatching this movie, which is close to 40 years old, one is impressed by how innovative the subject matter and presentation were. Nothing theatrical, villainizing, or Machiavellian about the plan to wrangle the kid out of the house—just a realization that even the people we love—and who love us—have flaws and commit errors. D.K. is a devoted husband and father to his daughters, and that doesn't change simply because he also obviously wants to do what's best for his son, who, as he tells his buddy Suri (Saeed Jaffrey), also has a right over him as the girls do.
Perhaps because of the film's general progressive, adult tone, viewers are ready to overlook the few elements that do seem out of step with current events, such as D.K.'s longing for a son and the fact that he engages in activities with Rahul that one never sees him engage in with the girls, such as horseback riding and hiking.
Edited By:Kavya Vengkateshwaran
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