More than four decades after playing the wide-eyed boy at the heart of Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, Jugal Hansraj is returning to the world that began his acting journey. Hansraj has joined Masoom: The Next Generation, reuniting with Kapur and original co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi for a

More than four decades after playing the wide-eyed boy at the heart of Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, Jugal Hansraj is returning to the world that began his acting journey. Hansraj has joined Masoom: The Next Generation, reuniting with Kapur and original co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi for a

More than four decades after playing the wide-eyed boy at the heart of Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, Jugal Hansraj is returning to the world that began his acting journey. Hansraj has joined Masoom: The Next Generation, reuniting with Kapur and original co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi for a

More than four decades after playing the wide-eyed boy at the heart of Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom, Jugal Hansraj is returning to the world that began his acting journey. Hansraj has joined Masoom: The Next Generation, reuniting with Kapur and original co-stars Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi for a new story about family, relationships and changing generations.

Hansraj made his screen debut at 11 as Rahul, an innocent boy whose arrival alters the dynamics of a family. The role stayed with him long after the film left theatres, becoming an unexpected part of his public identity.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Hansraj said the call from Kapur brought back that connection. “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’,” he said.

The film, too, has remained a part of popular memory. Hansraj said he continues to encounter audiences who remember it across generations. “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’,” he said.

Returning to where it began

For Kapur, bringing Hansraj back is about more than nostalgia. “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,” he said in a statement to Hindustan Times.

“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,” Kapur added, calling his reunion with Hansraj, Shah and Azmi a reminder that “some relationships transcend cinema”.

“Masoom: The Next Generation” is being described as a spiritual sequel rather than a direct continuation. Like the original, it will explore family, identity and relationships, this time through changing dynamics across generations.

The cast includes Manoj Bajpayee, Nithya Menen, Vivaan Shah and Kaveri Kapur, alongside Shah, Azmi and Hansraj. Academy Award-winning composer A. R. Rahman has joined as music composer and co-producer.

The 1983 “Masoom”, remembered for its intimate storytelling and R. D. Burman-Gulzar soundtrack, became a milestone in Hindi cinema. Kapur went on to make films including Mr India, Bandit Queen and Elizabeth.

Now, he is returning to the emotional terrain of Masoom, with one of the faces most closely associated with the original returning alongside him.

For Hansraj, the circle is finally closing. “It’s like life coming full circle,” he said.

Presently in the pre-production stage, the film is slated to start principal photography later this year, ahead of its planned late 2026 release.

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