MUMBAI — At the beginning of “Masaan,” the most acclaimed Indian movie of the year, two lovers meet at a ramshackle motel in the holy northern city of Varanasi. In the middle of their clandestine sexual encounter, police officers barge into the room and threaten the couple, setting off a chain of events with devastating consequences. Composed of parallel yet interconnected tales, “Masaan” explores India’s forces of caste and social conservatism, which continue to hold sway as the country makes a dizzying passage into the modern world.

Read More at www.nytimes.com