In the last leg of the year, the entertainment industry has everyone under its grips. Not necessarily in the positive way but two movies have got everyone talking - Animal and The Archies. However, this is not about either of them. They might have the spotlight on them at the moment but there¡¯s one underdog film which is slowly picking up due to word-of-mouth.?
Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta starrer Mast Mein Rehne Ka deserves all the praise and then some for being such a soothing watch that it will undoubtedly put a smile on your face.?
A refreshing slice-of-life film, it¡¯s an interesting take on love, loss, loneliness and hope. Director Vijay Maurya has successfully showcased a wide range of emotions that it is bound to strike a chord with even the coldest of hearts.??
It¡¯s a story divided into two parallels - an older generation which is battling loneliness and purpose of life and a younger one which is fighting hard for survival and identity. Life isn¡¯t easy for both.?
The moral of the story ¡®live life king size¡¯ or ¡®cherish every moment of life - good and bad¡¯ might be cliched but the treatment of the same is exquisite.?
Mast Mein Rehne Ka revolves around 4 major characters. The seniors - Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta and the juniors - Monica Panwar and Abhishek Chauhan.?
Jackie Shroff plays the role of Kamath, a retired old man in his late sixties who lives by himself and has no excitement left in his life. He follows his monotonous routine and leads a lonely life devoid of friends and family. His favourite pastime is keeping the watchman in check, going to the beach once in a while and contemplating suicide. On days, when his morale isn¡¯t so low, he prefers to drown his sorrows in beers and greasy Chinese food.
Parallely, Neena Gupta plays an NRI from Canada who has returned to her soil. Mrs Handa is bold and feisty on the surface but she is a troubled soul on the inside who is also battling loneliness and mistreatment by her own son and his family.?
On the other end of the city is Abhishek Chauhan aka Nanhe, a tailor who is struggling to make ends meet and his tardiness makes him a not-so-good worker. It gets worse when he is accused of sexual harassment by a female customer and is kicked out by his employer. It doesn¡¯t end here, the victim in question makes a video of him and the incident which is widely spread in his area and he becomes an outcast which limits his opportunities for a new job.
Monica Panwar plays Rani, a beggar who also moonlights as a bar dancer. Her fellow girls also indulge in flesh trade for extra cash. She is, however, skeptical about it. She is desperate to make as much money as possible because she is a single mother who wants to send her kid to school.?
The respective worlds of these four characters come clashing and what follows next forms the rest of the plot.
Nanhe is an innocent and honest man but life shows no mercy to him. After getting fired from his job, he fails to get another one as his reputation is spoiled. He then decides to start his own business. However, his funds are at an all time low but his friend encourages him to make it work. He takes up odd jobs like walking dogs, washing cars, delivering food among other things.?
In this hustle, he runs into an old acquaintance Bilkis didi (played by Rakhi Sawant), who is a dance coordinator. She promises him a big order of costumes for an upcoming show. With no sewing machine of his own, he tries sneaking into his former employer¡¯s shop at night but is caught, beaten and thrown out. With no other means left, he decides to rob someone for seed money. That someone turns out to be none other than Kamath!
After doing his recce, Nanhe arrives at a conclusion that Kamath is an easy target. During the robbery attempt, Nanhe is caught red-handed by him. During their scuffle, Kamath requests Nanhe to kill him but a flustered Nanhe manages to flee along with some of Kamath¡¯s valuables including a mangalsutra belonging to his deceased wife.?
With the help of his friend Baburam, Nanhe is able to set up a small place with his loot and begins working on his assignment.?
After his first order gets complete, Nanhe purchases a new sewing machine but it gets stolen. In his hysteria, he looks for it everywhere. Fortunately, Rani (a street beggar) comes to his rescue. She recovers his machine and this marks the beginning of a friendship. Nanhe takes her out for Pav Bhajji, sews a dress for her and finds excuses to meet often. Rani also warms up to his innocence and kindness. These two are quite different from each other but the connection is organic. While Nanhe is a crybaby, Rani is brave and a fighter. Eventually, they break up after Nanhe discovers that Rani was selling herself for money. Little did he know that she did it so that she could pay off his massive debt.
After getting robbed, a police inspector suggests Kamath to make friends and look out for each other as old people are easy targets for such crimes. Taking his advice into consideration, Kamath tried to strike a conversation with random old people in the park but his lectures on death put people off. Soon enough, his paths cross with Mrs Handa one day, when he witnesses her having an argument with a security guard. He then starts following her everywhere and discovers that just like him, she also lives alone.
When he musters up courage to break the ice with her, he fails to make a good first impression. Instead, he is accused of robbing her house. After being taken to the same police station, the police inspector has a hearty laugh at his expense, when Kamath tells him that he had been only following his advice of making a friend. He tells the inspector that he had an inkling that Mrs Handa will get robbed just like he did and it actually happened. Once all doubts are cleared, Kamath and Mrs Handa become friends and thus, begin their sweet little journey, where they meet everyday and spend quality time together.?
Both lonely and robbed by the same man, Mrs Handa opens up to Kamath and reveals that she moved to Mumbai to get away from her son Randheer and his family. She is rueful about the fact that her son couldn¡¯t make it to his father¡¯s last rites. What¡¯s more, she was tired of doing household chores in Canada and taking care of her grand kid like a nanny.?
During their many outings, they soon started breaking into people¡¯s homes to enjoy a drink. It is during one such break in that they come face-to-face with Nanhe who arrived at the same house to carry out a robbery.?
Kamath hits Nanhe in the head and flees with Mrs Handa.?
While escaping, Mrs Handa suffers a heart attack and passes out. While Kamath runs to get help, Nanhe comes to her rescue and picks her up. This tender moment changes something between the trio.?
At the hospital, Kamath takes care of Mrs Handa and even utilises his life savings to foot the bill. Even though none of the two vocalizes their feelings, it¡¯s the little gestures that hint that their relationship has become more than friendship. Mrs Handa¡¯s son visits India to take her back with him, much to Kamath¡¯s chagrin. There¡¯s also a terse airport scene, where Kamath tries to stop Mrs Handa from going but the timing doesn¡¯t work in his favour.
The answer is all four of them!?
Kamath gets the best surprise of his life when he is summoned to the police station to identify the thief. Mrs Handa is also present in the room and once he realises that she never got on the plane, his face lights up!?
Among those who were nabbed by the police and appeared for identification was Nanhe. Both Mrs Handa and Kamath refused to call him out and gave him a clean chit as a thank you for saving Mrs Handa¡¯s life. Rani also arrives at the police station with Nanhe¡¯s friend Baburam to free him. In the last scene, Kamath and Mrs Handa leave the station hand-in-hand, when Kamath notices his late wife¡¯s mangalsutra on Rani¡¯s neck. He gave a little smile which probably signifies that he is happy for the duo.?
Mast Mein Rahne Ka might not have a very unique story but it captures the essence of real life and its unexpected turns. The way life¡¯s tough realities are portrayed -? be it common people chasing big dreams or elderly people finding a purpose to live happily, broken dreams, taking extreme steps in pursuit of happiness, the harsh reality of city of dreams or loneliness - is commendable.?
Special mention for Rakhi Sawant who plays Bilkis didi. In her little role, she looks natural and convincing. As opposed to her real life over-the-top persona, her appearance in the film is nuanced and adorable.
If you still haven¡¯t watched the film, do give it a shot as Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta are phenomenal.?
Mast Mein Rehne Ka is available for streaming on? Amazon Prime Video.
(To?read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading?Indiatimes BINGE)