In his first film *_Masaan_*, *Neeraj Ghaywan* tells of the coming of age of young people halfway between tradition and modernity in today’s India. The student Devi gets caught by the police with her lover in a hotel room. Out of shame, the lover commits suicide. Devi and her father are blackmailed by a corrupt cop, who threatens to bring the alleged misconduct before the public. Deepak on the other hand, who as a worker at the crematory belongs to the lower caste, is looking for a way to be able to be with his first love from a higher caste. In their own way, both Devi and Deepak struggle against the caste system, a radical sexual morality, and the brutal punishment awaiting those who break with the traditional values. Slowly, they are approaching a modernity which offers them alternatives to the hierarchy with which their fathers still came to terms with. With wit and life, Ghaywan tells of two strong personalities, whose paths eventually cross in Varanasi, one of India’s holiest cities. In *Cannes*, Ghaywan has been awarded the *“Promising Future Price”Ü for his debut, which potentially tells the exemplary story of a generation which is searching for a way out of a value system with which it hardly identifies anymore. *Music:* Indian Ocean Besides the *“Prix de l’avenir”* for *best debut film*, *Neeraj Ghaywan* also won the *FIPRECSI critics’ choice award* in *Cannes*, awarded in the section *“Un Certain Regard.”* In Kochi at the *All Lights India International Film Festival*, the young film maker also received the *award for Best Feature Film*.

_“Masaan deserves a standing ovation. And more than just one watch. Masaan does with you what spring does with Neruda's cherry trees.”_ (Ananya Bhattacharya, India Today) _“Worth every bit of the Cannes hype.”_ (Baradwaj Rangan) _“This dazzling debut film is an unmissable gem.”_ (Saibal Chatterjee, NDTV)