Devdas
- A movie worth watching!
By
- Nikhil Kumar Mannar
A truly beautiful magnum opus is probably the best way to describe Devdas.
Lavish sets, stunning performances and even better direction are what
make this film a treat for the eyes and the heart. Anyone who likes
a good old fashioned story which pulls at the heart strings will love
this picture. It should also be mentioned that this movie is the fourth
interpretation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1917 novel on Hindi
celluloid. The first was a silent film in 1928. PC Barua then made his
version in 1935 with Kundan Lal Saigal. In 1955, Barua's cameraman Bimal
Roy made the popular version of Devdas with Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala
and Suchitra Sen in the main roles.
Despite
the fact that the movie has been made before, Sanjay Leela Bansali's
Devdas manages very well to come up trumps.The director has taken a
few liberties with the original story but the essence of the story remains
the same. Devdas loves Paro (Aishwarya) and vice versa. Paro is made
to marry someone else and Devdas tries to drown his sorrow in drink.
Chandramukhi (Madhuri Dixit), the courtesan, falls in love with Devdas
but he refuses her love. He finally dies at Paro's gates, not able to
meet Paro even when he dies. "Old wine in a new bottle", is
what many people will say, but they won't be right. It's a completely
new bottle of wine whose taste is truly satisfying.
The acting, as was expected is very good. Probably one of Aishwarya's
best performances. She plays her character to perfection and looks like
a dream. Madhuri is stunning too. Sharukh is good as usual and was probably
best suited to play this role. The movie is worth seeing even only for
their acting alone. No one could have suited his or her respective roles
better.The performances of the other characters in the movie are okay.
Kiron Kher is too boisterous in some scenes. There are the usual negative
characters in the movie. Chunnilal(Jackie Shroff) pops up suddenly in
the movie and gets Devdas drunk. Some of the scenes are difficult to
swallow such as the scene where the diya which Paro lights for Devdas
refuses to get extinguished even after blowing at it and drenching it
in rain which is supposed to prove that their love is strong and eternal.
When will filmmakers try to use logic!!
But the best thing about the movie is the music. With beautiful classical
music and really apt lyrics, the music is a treat. The music matches
the grandeur and beauty of the sets to a tee. Some of the songs linger
in your mind and you find yourself humming the songs after coming out
of the movie hall. There are truly some moving scenes in the film, none
better than the final scenes when Devdas's death is imminent and Paro
cannot meet him and he dies at her gates.
But one question should be asked. Was it really necessary for such big
sets? Does it improve the story in any way or was it made that way to
attract and wow audiences? This film is very important for the actors
and the director. A lot is riding on this film, including the hopes
of the film industry. So, do we have a hit? Devdas has all the ingredients
for becoming a hit at the box-office, and probably a sizable hit too.
So, I suggest that you watch it or you will certainly be missing something.
Rating
: * * * * 1/2 out of 5