Shabana Azmi on playing a grandmother in Shekhar Kapur's Masoom sequel: 'It's about finding the soul'

Following their collaboration on the 1983 film Masoom, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, and director Shekhar Kapur are reuniting for a project that will be their second joint venture in 42 years after What's Love Got to Do with It? Masoom: The Next Generation is now filming and will feature both returning and new actors, such as Manoj Bajpayee and Kaveri Kapur (the daughter of Shekhar Kapur).

Shaping the next chapter of Masoom

Azmi and Kaveri are now getting ready for the filming, and the film's workshops have already started. The veteran actor revealed to Mid Day that the team is currently conducting workshops with Kaveri, and Shekhar wants the actors to improvise a lot.

Azmi claims that Masoom: The Next Generation addresses very intimate issues. Throughout their time together, Shekhar has struggled with a sense of who he is, and this has been a recurring theme in the screenplay. His nani has had a major influence on her character. The actor further explained that some of the scenes between Kaveri and her character are based on things that Shekhar remembers.

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Redefining home

In the follow-up, we see how the concept of "home" evolves through the years. Azmi claims that her portrayal of Kaveri's grandmother will be visually arresting. She considers it crucial to her acting practice to adopt a distinct appearance for every role. The protagonist suffers because she is too preoccupied with appearing a certain way. She also explained that finally, it's all about discovering one's soul when they inhabit a character's world.

Azmi, known for her passionate opinions on acting, has voiced her displeasure with the current trend of focusing on actors' off-screen personas. She expresses her disapproval of the focus on celebrities' dress sense in modern media. She remarked, "Why is there so much emphasis on which designer one chooses to wear? The obsession the paps have with singling out how much a bag or a pair of sunglasses costs is loathsome."

Sequel steeped in nostalgia

Even though production on Masoom: The Next Generation has only just begun, fans of the first film are already getting excited about the return of these critically renowned actors, with Naseeruddin Shah returning to the iconic role and Nithya Menen joining the cast. The sequel is taking on the air of a very intimate continuation of a beloved classic as Shekhar Kapur returns to a narrative that is so profoundly connected to his experiences.