Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom: The Next Generation has generated a lot of buzz ever since it was announced. While veterans Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi were already confirmed to reprise their roles from the original film, the latest actor to join the cast is Jugal Hansraj, who played Rahul, Naseeruddin Shah’s onscreen son.
Jugal made his acting debut in the critically acclaimed Masoom alongside Urmila Matondkar. He played the innocent Rahul, whose entry into a typical family changes its dynamics forever. His heartwarming performance earned him widespread appreciation at a young age and marked the beginning of his acting journey. More than four decades after the film’s release, Jugal is set to reunite with his first director, Shekhar Kapur, as well as Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi.
Speaking about the reunion, Shekhar Kapur shares, “There is something profoundly beautiful about coming home, not to a place, but to a story that has stayed alive in people’s hearts for decades. Jugal was just a young boy when we made Masoom, and today, welcoming him back as an accomplished actor is both emotional and deeply fulfilling. Reuniting him with Naseer and Shabana is a reminder that some relationships transcend cinema. As we begin this new chapter, I hope audiences experience the same honesty, tenderness, and emotional truth that made Masoom so enduring.”
Sharing his excitement about returning to the world of Masoom, Jugal Hansraj says, “When Shekhar called to tell me he wanted me to be a part of the new Masoom, it made me so happy. Masoom has been a part of my life, my identity, for as long as I can remember. Even after all these years, I’m still ‘that Masoom boy.’ It’s been more than 40 years since the film released, but people still remember the film with so much affection. I constantly get stopped by people even here in New York, and I’m told with a warm smile that their kids or grandkids listen to ‘lakdi ki kathi’. They meet me like I’m a member of their own family. That familiarity comes with love. Love that the film brought with it. Masoom is a film that slowly made its way into people’s hearts and made a home there. And continues to do so. I’m so excited and enthused that I can be a part of this special film, this special family. It’s like life coming full circle.”
Masoom: The Next Generation is a spiritual sequel to the director’s iconic drama. Like the original, the film will explore changing family dynamics, identity, and relationships across generations.
Apart from Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, and Jugal Hansraj, the film will feature an ensemble cast including Manoj Bajpayee, Nithya Menen, and Kapur’s daughter, Kaveri Kapur.
Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman has come on board to compose the music and co-produce the project.
Padma Bhushan awardee Shekhar Kapur, best known for Masoom, Mr India, Bandit Queen, and Elizabeth, returns to the emotionally rich and intimate storytelling that made the original Masoom a timeless classic.