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