Vicky Kaushal Reflects on 10 Years Since 'Masaan' Debut

New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) Actor Vicky Kaushal commemorated a decade since the release of his debut film "Masaan," a critically acclaimed Hindi movie directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, on Thursday. The film, set against the backdrop of Varanasi and beautifully crafted by writer Varun Grover, premiered on July 24, 2015. Kaushal received widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Deepak Kumar, a lower-caste student who falls in love with his upper-caste peer.

The 37-year-old actor shared his excitement on Instagram, posting stills from the movie with the caption, "It's been a decade! So much to learn, so much to grow... thank you for everything."

"Masaan", meaning 'cremation ground' in the Varanasi dialect, debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, garnering accolades including the FIPRESCI award and the Promising Future prize in the Un Certain Regard section. The film powerfully weaves together two parallel narratives exploring themes of love, loss, caste, guilt, and redemption.

Since then, Vicky Kaushal has risen to stardom in Hindi cinema, with notable performances in films like "Raman Raghav 2.0," "Raazi," "Sanju," "Uri: The Surgical Strike," "Sardar Udham," and the recently released "Chhaava."

In an interview with PTI before "Chhaava" premiered in February, Kaushal described his cinematic journey as "surreal."

He commented, “Couldn’t have imagined… It feels very surreal. It feels there is God who’s blessing me and people’s love has been so special. The kind of directors I got to work with in these ten years has been nothing short of a blessing. So, I truly feel supremely grateful."

The actor, son of veteran stuntman Sham Kaushal, also revealed uncertainties about the film's release during its production. "We didn’t know what’s going to happen to the film. It was a small film made with very limited resources. It was a parallel cinema at that time. Now, the lines have blurred quite beautifully, but there was a clear demarcation between the two then," noted Kaushal.

According to Ghaywan, who revisited Cannes with his sophomore feature "Homebound", the 10-year milestone of "Masaan" holds a special place in their journey. He shared behind-the-scenes images with a simple caption, "10 years of 'Masaan'."

Writer Varun Grover, who penned the script and two songs for "Masaan," including "Tu Kisi Rail Si," expressed his gratitude on X, marking the 10th anniversary. "10 years to 'Masaan' today. A film that didn’t succeed commercially and still permeated through the hearts of so many who interacted with it. Always grateful for the journey we took, the leap of faith we were allowed to make, and the love that keeps pouring in even after a decade," he shared. He thanked everyone involved from the crew, the producers, actors, heads of departments, lightmen, and others.

Cinematographer Avinash Arun reflected fondly on Instagram Stories, writing, "10 years of 'Masaan'. Thank you Neeraj and Varun for making us all part of this memorable experience."

The film, featuring actors Richa Chadha, Shweta Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, and Pankaj Tripathi, was an Indo-French co-production. It was supported by Drishyam Films, Macassar Productions, Phantom Films, Sikhya Entertainment, Arte France Cinema, and Pathe Productions.

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