Rating: 6.7/10
Streaming on: Netflix
Maska Review: Success comes to those who dream! But do confused millennials really know the difference between dreams and delusions? We are often desperate to achieve our unrealistic goals and are ready to impulsively sacrifice our stable source of income. Maska isn’t just about Rumi Irani, the Parsi protagonist who dreams to become an actor, it’s also about his family’s ancestral Irani cafe: the Rustom Cafe, and the stories of the people connected to the iconic place. It’s a tale of how places with their own history and legacy become an emotion and how little things matter more than the grand stuff in our life. The cafe is so lively that it itself becomes a living character in the film.
Characters
The Irani family wants Rumi to continue their family legacy as the famous Maskawalas of Mumbai but unfortunately for them, Rumi hatches a clever plan to sell his famous cafe to follow his dream of being a Bollywood superstar, inspired by Boman Irani. The protagonist sees a good character development. Although, the acting could have been more intense.
Persis Mistry, played by Shirley Setia, is one sweet character who will teach you to find your Ikigai and show you the other, light-hearted side of life. Persis is a blogger, who’s constantly in search for stories around her, especially at Rustom. She helps a lot in the protagonist’s character development, more than his mother (played by Manisha Koirala). The only critique is: Shirley, although a fantastic singer, has great potential as an actor and can do much better. And Manisha Koirala and Javed Jaffery play the Irani parents, the comical aspects of the film.
Technical Aspects
Another thing that stood out in the film is the colour-grading and the cinematography. The selected colors add life to every scene related to the history of the cafe. The cinematography is simple yet great and makes the stories of Rustom’s regular visitors quite appealing. Mumbai’s nightlife is shown vividly with proper lighting.
Verdict: Maska is a delightful and wholesome watch. The only downside is the poor execution and stretched scenes that don’t add to the storyline. In my humble opinion, the actors are quite potent and can perform much better. If you are into slice-of-life films or a content creator looking for some inspiration, then it’s a must-watch and a relatable film! Ab lagg bhi jaane de, life jeene ka chaska; teri smile ho aisi, jaise bun pe maska! 😉
Will Rumi sell his family’s legacy to pursue his ‘dream’ to become an actor? Find out for yourself! 🙂
Maska is now streaming on Netflix: Watch here!
Also, since it’s the quarantine season, you may want to watch these amazing movies!
