Mumbai, July 22 (IANS): Noted poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar says he was bowled over by "Masaan" and dubbed it "one of the finest films Hindi cinema has made".

Shabana Azmi, Rajkumar Hirani, Rajkummar Rao, Kalki Koechlin, Elli Avram, Radhika Apte were also present at the special screening held recently. All of them were seen raving about the film.

"When I came to see the film, I knew I was going to watch a very good film. But in spite of that, I'm totally taken aback and over-awed," Akhtar said.

"It is one of the finest films Hindi cinema has made. It is perfect. The performance, direction, camera work, acting, writing were all unbelievable. It's a very good film from any standard in the world."

Shabana Azmi was equally impressed with the emotional drama.

"'Masaan' is truly a coming-of-age of Hindi cinema. The writing, direction, photography and the ensemble acting is superlative. And I'm really proud that we're in the times when a film like 'Masaan' is made, all the best to everybody. It's a must-watch," she said.

The film stars Richa Chadha, Sanjay Mishra, Shweta Tripathi and Vicky Kaushal. Directed by debutante Neeraj Ghaywan, the film won two awards at the Cannes Film Festival.