Movie review - Dev D

RATING :3/5

Story
Dev (Abhay Deol) and Paro (Mahi Gill) are childhood friends. Dev is sent to London and returns after a long gap. Their love is intact. They have a quarrel and Paro is married to another guy. Being a rich and a spoilt brat, a depressed Dev resorts to excessive booze and cocaine. Chanda (Kalki Koechlin) is daughter of a high commissioner in Delhi. Her sex MMS is leaked during school days and it leads to the suicide of her father. She comes out of her house and joins an escorts place where she goes to the school in the morning and works as a sex worker during nights. Dev and Paro find solace in each others miserable past. The rest of the story is about who Dev chooses at last – his eternal love Paro and his new flame Chanda?

Actors:

Abhay Deol has become the master of underplay. He is perfect as Dev – the man who resorts to drugs, sex and vodka. Mahi Gill resembles Tabu a lot in lots of angles. She is exceptionally good. Kalki Koechlin brings innocence as well as oomph with her performance. The guy who did the role of Chunni is good. The kids who did the roles of Dev and Paro are also cute.

Technical departments:

Story: Dev D is a modern adaptation of classic Devdas. To make this a contemporary, the director has stuffed the narrative with drugs, sexual innuendoes and misuse of internet and cell phones (mms, mailing of nude photos, phone sex to name a few). If Devdas drinks to glory for the loss of Paro, Dev D meanders aimlessly among sex, coke and vodka. If Chandramukhi did classical dance to woo the customer in Devdas, Chanda performs role plays and phone sex to excite the customers. If Paro in Devdas is an honest lover, Paro in Dev D is a sexually driven and does not mind sleeping around with others though she loves Devdas. The director also used famous delhi scandals (DPS sexual MMS and Sanjeev Nanda BMW hit and case). There are lots of reference to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas in terms of posters and videos in this film.

Screenplay – direction: Direction by Anurag Kashyap is good. He interpreted the old film well and written to the Dev D to represent the latest world of immoral youth who drown themselves in drugs and sex. The non-linear screenplay in the first half is very good. The way he has shown the two girls sitting on the train and the flashback narrative of Dev D reaching Chandra’s room is interesting. However, the second half drags with repetitive content. The screenplay in the second half should have been better.

Other technical departments: Music of the film is very good with emosanal atyachar being the highlight. Cinematography deserves great applause. The biggest highlight of the film is superb cinematography that brought out exuberant and vibrant colors. Art direction is futuristic. Dialogues are crisp and efficient. Editing is fine.

Analysis: Initial part of the film is excellent and first half is good. The second half is slow and repetitive. Climax of the film is interesting. Dev D is a brave film with bold content. If you are emotionally attached with Devdas classic, Dev D’s sexual overtone, drug abuse and dark life might offend you. Otherwise, Dev D is worth a watch (not to be seen with kids or parents) for multiplex crowds.