- Monday, January 13, 2025
Joining them will be Manoj Bajpayee, who previously worked with Kapur in “Bandit Queen”, and the Shekhar Kapur’s daughter, Kaveri. The shooting will be held in February-March 2025
By: India Weekly
FILMMAKER Shekhar Kapur revealed on Monday that he will begin shooting the sequel to his 1983 film “Masoom” in early 2025.
The film, titled “Masoom 2”, will see the return of original stars Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah. Joining them will be Manoj Bajpayee, who previously worked with Kapur in “Bandit Queen” (1994), and the director’s daughter, Kaveri.
Kapur shared the update during the press conference for the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in New Delhi.
“I will start shooting for ‘Masoom 2’ in February-March 2025. The script is ready. In fact, I was flying in from Dubai yesterday and I left the script (‘Masoom 2’) behind on my seat. I was very scared but it came back to me. The flight attendant wrote a note saying ‘Masoom’ was such a nice film, this one too would be as nice. A script that was lost comes back, it’s something predestined. It will be a different storyline but will have the same values,” he told reporters.
The sequel will have a new storyline but will retain the same core values of the original film. Kapur also expressed interest in re-releasing the original “Masoom” in theatres.
The 1983 film, which featured an ensemble cast including Tanuja, Supriya Pathak, Saeed Jaffrey, and child actors Jugal Hansraj, Aradhana, and Urmila Matondkar, follows a family dealing with the fallout of an affair and the arrival of a child from that relationship.
‘IFFI a people’s fest’
In addition to the film announcement, Kapur, who is serving as the festival director for the upcoming IFFI, discussed the significance of the festival.
“I became a part of the festival so that we could celebrate Indian cinema and cinemagoers. It’s not just a film festival, it’s a people’s festival. It belongs to the creative economy of the country,” he said.
Addressing the comparison between IFFI and the Cannes Film Festival, Kapur expressed confidence in the potential of Indian cinema.
“If we regard our films as Indian and listen to what our audiences have to say and not just listen to what the filmmakers have to say, then we will become much bigger than Cannes. It’s not that difficult to become bigger than Cannes. We must try and one day, we will become bigger than Cannes,” he added.
OTT platforms
On the rise of OTT platforms, Kapur emphasized the importance of celebrating them as a distinct medium.
“Manoj Bajpayee has become an OTT star and has become so influential. OTT is a different medium that’s bringing different actors, writers and talent from around the world. So, we must celebrate OTT.”
Finally, when asked about censorship on OTT platforms, Kapur referred to the creative challenges posed by restrictions. “Censorship sometimes sharpens the skills of a filmmaker… You have to fight for something you believe in,” he said.
Kapur also shared his thoughts on artificial intelligence’s impact on filmmaking. “If you start depending on it, you’ll become lazy. You have to feel emotions to make a great film, AI can’t do that. AI provokes you to be better,” he concluded.
IFFI will be held in Goa from November 20 to November 28.
