CAST: Boman Irani, Samara Tijori, Upasana Singh
DIRECTED BY: Mihir Desai
Set in a small Punjab town with the characters speaking a mix of Punjabi and Hindi, the series, this series is a remake of the British show, Blood, with the Indian adaptation penned by Satyam Tripathy. Exploring the travails of a doctor, Balraj Kapoor (Boman Irani), and his family, Masoom is a compelling watch.
He runs a nursing home, while his wife Gunwant (Upasana Singh), is bedridden. Despite this, she keeps the family together,desite the issues. The son, Sanjeev (Veer Rajwant Singh), is gay, and plans to run away with his partner to another country. The elder daughter, Sanjana (Manjari Fadnnis), is separated from her husband, while the youngest sibling, Sana (Samara Tijori seen in Bob Biswas), is deeply antagonistic towards her father.
Sana arrives for her mother’s funeral, seething with anger and resentment. She strongly suspects that her father has had a hand in the death, and tries playing sherlock with him. The remaining episodes draw the puzzle in, but not before a couple of more bodies come thumping down.
THE MEAT AND THE POTATOES
The show opens with Sana (Samara Tijori) returning to her home in a small Punjab town after the death of her mother Gunwant (Upasana Singh). Sana has a strained relationship with her father Dr Kapoor (Boman Irani). This leads to Sana believing that her mother’s death was not accidental. In a family already on edge because of Sana’s alleged lies, her attempts to prove that her father killed her mother pushes them over to the brink of chaos. Her quest leads Sana to events from her childhood, and the whole family is forced to confront the secrets they have kept from each other over time.
Although, Sana’s character does appear more than stretched in places her inability to be open to the possibility of understanding her father, is never convincingly explained — Tijori conveys her restless angst with refreshingly natural ease. Kapoor’s affair with a colleague at his nursing home gets Sana angrier. She is not convinced even when her brother and sister explain that their father has been a lonely man, who despite his straying, never faulted in taking care of his wife.
IN THE KNOW
The mystery surrounding the Kapoors and Sana’s past unravels slowly, keeping the viewers hooked. The twists are unexpected and the hooks and triggers keep the audience riled in. The show is different due to its approach to the mystery of the family relationships..Boman Irani is clearly the star of the show.He depicts menace, anger, helplessness, and love in an acting masterclass.
Samara Tijori, daughter of writer-director Deepak Tijori, has talent. As the show’s protagonist, she manages to carry the narrative quite deftly. It was nice to see Manjari Fadnnis in an important role. Upasana Singh in a serious role is a delight to watch. Though the show mostly relies on the acting chops of its actors, some scenes become heavy on dialogues. The show leaves the viewers on a Season 2 cliff hanger.
