Masaan

From a Dom family of cremation workers, Deepak is a diligent civil engineering student who dreams of a life beyond hereditary labor. He forms a tentative romance with Shaalu that challenges caste boundaries, seeking a future defined by choice rather than caste. Grief after Shaalu’s death fuels a resolve to secure a stable future, culminating in a new role with Indian Railways in Allahabad.

A trainer at a coaching computer center whose life spirals after a compromising incident is recorded by a police inspector. She endures social stigma and harassment as she fights to reclaim dignity while juggling unstable workplaces and a plan to study at Allahabad University. Her resilience reflects the cost of patriarchal scrutiny on women’s lives.

A bright, ambitious high-caste girl whose romance with Deepak challenges social norms. Her openness about the future and willingness to take risks illustrates the friction between tradition and personal choice. Her untimely death on a pilgrimage trip becomes a catalyst for Deepak’s grief and the broader moral reckoning in the story.

A Sanskrit professor who runs a modest book shop, living on a fragile income. He is pulled into Mishra’s coercive scheme, driven by the need to secure his family’s future. His actions reveal how economic desperation can compromise ethics, while he seeks to protect his daughter and family.

A young helper in the family shop who becomes entangled in the consequences of the bribe scheme. His drowning during a diving contest triggers a chain of debt and moral tests for Vidyadhar. He reveals Shaalu’s ring, linking the two families’ fates and intensifying the film’s emotional stakes.

A police inspector who leverages Devi’s recorded moment to blackmail a bribe, illustrating how power can be misused to exploit vulnerability. His coercion fuels fear, corruption, and a deadly game that drags families into debt and danger. He embodies a system that preys on those already struggling.

A medical professional who appears amid the film’s moments of crisis, illustrating how professionals intersect with the protagonists’ turmoil. His presence underscores the vulnerability and fragility of everyday life under pressure. He contributes to the world-building of Masaan as a grounded, community-centered setting.

Niharica Raizada appears in a brief cameo that adds texture to Masaan’s bustling city landscape, underscoring the breadth of lives that intersect in Varanasi. Her presence enriches the film’s texture without altering its core focus on the two protagonists.