'Masaan' completes 4 years; Vicky Kaushal, Shweta Tripathi and Richa Chadha go down the memory lane

Actors Vicky Kaushal, Richa Chadha and Shweta Tripathi went down the memory lane as their film  'Masaan' completed 4 years on Wednesday. 

While Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi shared nostalgic posts on Instagram, Richa said even though she loved playing her character Devi in the film, she could not identify with her becasuse she is essentially a rebel. 

"I don`t identify with my character in `Masaan` because I am somewhat a rebel. I have found my way. I have, despite all the challenges in life, fought and created a space for myself. In her own way Devi also fights, but I feel she stumbles a lot more than I ever would. That is where she gets stuck in life," Richa told a news agency. 

In Neeraj Ghaywan`s film, Richa played Devi, who struggles to shake off the smalltown stigma towards pre-marital sex. Vicky Kaushal and Shweta Tripathi played the film`s other protagonists, Deepak and Shalu, who attempt to transcend the restrictions of their casteist society.

The 32-year-old actress feels had the film released today, it would have received better distribution and promotional facilities.

"The true test of a film is when it becomes memorable. That`s why we like old songs. Sometimes you don`t get box-office recognition, but nobody was expecting (box-office success) for this film. For me, the best thing is that people continue to appreciate the film," she added. 

'Masaan' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It won two awards.

Vicky who played the role of Deepak Kumar, a Varanasi boy from the Dom community whose family works at cremation ghats, shared a picture of the ghats where sat for hours to seep into the character before the filming.

"For days before we started filming Masaan, I`d sit here for hours at a stretch, quietly watching bodies getting burnt one after the other... dark, fair, beautiful, ugly, rich, poor, fat, thin... All of them turning into the same colour of ash. Leaving behind, just their deeds, teaching me the most important lesson of my life. My job was to put life into Deepak, what eventually happened was the other way around. Four years back, I got to ask you all a question... "(are we friends now?) ...Answer to which, I keep getting till date. Here`s to 4 years of our beautiful friendship. I cherish it every day of my life. Thank You," he captioned the picture on Instagram. 

Shweta too shared a photo from the film's set on Instagram and wrote, "Every morning of shoot I use to wake up, and on my dressing table waiting for me were the bangles, the bindi, the ring and the watch. I use to wear them. And slowly become less of me and more of her. This day, 4yrs back, I made my debut on the big screen. Felt like a big deal. Still does :))"

The film was written by Varun Grover and co-starred Sanjay Mishra and Pankaj Tripathi.