“This Valentine Come Fall in Lust” – this is what the ads for Dev D scream in the Bombay Times & I did just that. Loaded with heaps of chocolate ice cream (just to be in mood for the movie…even Vodka would have been nice) we caught the late afternoon movie at Hub.
I was a bit circumspect about the movie given the hype, the positive vibes emanating about it from friends (sharing the same wavelength & frequency of thoughts). It took just about 5 minutes for Anurag Kashyap to slay any demons in my mind about the movie once the discussion on “Sattu” was played on the screen.
I had the benefit of neither having watched any previous versions of Devdas or having read Sat C’s (Sarat Chandra) novel unlike my wife who had not only read the novel but also watched the earlier Devdas movie versions. So, I felt that she would be the biggest critic of Anu K’s version of Devdas.
And I think that she was mightily impressed by Dev D to the extent that she even wants it to be downloaded ASAP. Let me tell you Anu K that’s the best compliment which you could have received from someone who trust me isn’t impressed that soon by her standards.
I wouldn’t dwell into the characters and the acting skills displayed by the cast. But, Abhay Deol (Dev D)has once again proved that he stands a world apart from his siblings in terms of acting. Mahie Gill (Paro) would give any of her seniors a run for money in the days to come. Kalki (Chanda) may feature in more Anurag K movies but she was entirely overshadowed by Paro (even though Chanda got her man in the end). Dibyendu Bhattacharya (Chunni) also played out a fine hand in whateva limited screen presence he had.
The standout scene for me is the one where Dev D comes out of a English Wine Shop with a carton of hard drinks…if that does not define the style quotient of the new age Dev D…I don’t know what will???
I think Dev D will become a cult movie in times to come for its utter audacity & telling a story in a way not even Sarat Chandra would have believed was possible…dead or alive!!!
The story of Devdas is a ready-made platform for endless psycho-analysis and study of contemporary social framework. The original tale relied on the notions of platonic love whereas Dev D is about physical love. It relies on on-face shock value! Devdas is a coward who is defeated by the social prejudices and carries the guilt throughout his life. He drinks in order to forget his cowardice. Dev D and all the other characters of Kashyap’s tale aren’t influenced by the social norms. Both stories thereby reflecting their specific era.
The character sketching is unique. Dev is played to near perfection by Abhay Deol, whose performance is quiet and confident. Paro (Mahie Gill) is no more the sacrificial damsel who lives physically and mentally with different men. Kashyap also maintains the audience’s distance from the characters using the brilliance in script and smooth editing. He never allows us to sympathize with the characters, thereby shifting the focus from one to the other- a rare work of imagery, indeed!
I strongly feel Kashyap could have gone with a better actress for Chanda (Kalki Koechlin). Chanda’s part was not exploited well. The psychological impact of the whole mms incident on her which leads to the suicide of her father never showed up. It was a perfect opportunity to tell the world about the feelings of a girl, and all the hardships she goes through because of one mms!
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