Maska Review: An Ordinary Tale of an Extra-Ordinary Café!

Directed by Neeraj Udhwani, Maska stars Prit Kamani, Manisha Koirala, Nikita Dutta, and Shirley Setia as the primary cast. And the film follows the story of Rumi Irani (Prit Kamani), who develops an interest to become a Bollywood actor against his mother Diana’s (Manisha Koirala) wish who wants him to carry the legacy of his forefathers, to run their Parsi café. But, he is reluctant and tries to follow his newfound passion. How he finally confronts reality and decides on his life choices form the remainder of the plot. Maska Review Maska Netflix

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First off the story of Maska is a century old, just like the café in the movie. There are numerous movies from the past, where the next generation is initially reluctant to join their family-ran business, or tradition, however, eventually, things change for the better. Unfortunately, Maska also utilizes the corresponding ingredients through and through. Writers Ishita Moitra and Neeraj Udhwani detailed the backstory of the café wonderfully, but, neglected on the overall script and missed on the opportunity to present something fresh to the audience.

Prit Kamani portrays the character of Rumi Irani, an aspiring actor who constantly gets rejected by casting directors for his inability to emote and connect with the character he’s auditioning for. Subsequently, it is sad to relate to the fact that throughout the movie he was unable to connect himself with the character of Rumi Irani, which had all the potential to improve.

Many visitors had an emotional connection with the café, and it is both equally beautiful and heartwarming to see everyone have their own story within that antique establishment and its dishes. Every actor who was utilized to portray these heartwarming stories did exceptionally well. But the main lead, whose character had a legacy, is not able to connect with his role making it mundane to watch.

Manisha Koirala stands out in the film as she makes watching the entire length of the movie worthwhile. She gave her best to the character of a cynical-yet-emotional Parsi woman and did justice to her role. Nikita Dutta and the YouTube sensation Shirley Setia were decent enough in their roles as the female leads.

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Moving on, Maska primarily succeeded in capturing the vibe of its narrative exceptionally. The archaic production design from the interiors to everything outdoors was customized beautifully alongside the splendid camera work by Eeshit Narain. Additionally, the contemporary soundtrack also added to the emotional scenes and suited well with the overall film.

To conclude, as I already stated earlier, Maska is a new Netflix Original that had nothing new to offer. Unless you’re bored during this Covid-19 lockdown and want to pass time you may want to watch this movie or explore the other available titles as we (Just for Movie Freaks) curated some of the most entertaining and intriguing films available on this global streaming giant which you will not regret watching.

Rating – 2.5/5 | Grade – C+

Co-written by Surya Komal

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