Veteran filmmaker Shekhar Kapur recently shared how a chance encounter with a female passenger during a flight opened his eyes to the emotional depth of his directorial debut Masoom, led by Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, and its deep connection with the audience.

Taking to Instagram on Friday, Shekhar Kapur wrote, “Was on a flight today... Someone came and sat next to me... Wish they hadn’t... Not because they were not nice... but because of the question she asked me.”

The woman, the filmmaker recounted, said, “Sir, I watch Masoom at least once every month. Every time I cry, I find a different story in it... I hear you’re making a sequel, Sir, I even read the title... ‘Masoom... the next generation’ right?”

The passionate passenger continued, “How, Sir? How can anyone beat the emotional power of that film? How can anyone surpass the innocence of that film? Sir, that scene in which Rahul Bhaiya hurts his finger with a hammer... and then runs to Shabana Azmi and calls her 'mother'! And she screams at him. Sir, every time I see that scene, my heart breaks.”

The encounter prompted Kapur to reflect on the simplicity and emotional appeal of the 1983 movie. The Mr. India director revealed that despite lacking formal training or prior filmmaking experience, he relied on intuition and raw emotion during the creative process. This approach, he realised, allowed the film to capture genuine feelings without being overshadowed by technicalities.

“Masoom was all pure intuition, pure emotion. No craft .. It’s what I have to remember again about film making .. or any art. Not to let craft overpower emotion, intuition .. Never force an emotion .. allow it to happen .. allow emotion to flow .. let the film find itself .. let it flow Shekhar .. let it flow .. I said to myself .. I began to breathe easy again,” he signed off.

An adaptation of the 1980 novel Man, Woman and Child by Erich Segal, Masoom also featured Jugal Hansraj and Urmila Matondkar as child actors.